Recalling the last time I went to the ballot box in the US as a duel citizen, it was ‘negative’ experience. Who am I voting AGAINST rather than who, and what, I am voting for. Sort of like choosing between being force fed broccoli or spinach when the palate hates and the stomach rebels against eating either of those dishes, no matter how much cheese sauce they are covered with. But in this time of unprecedented political events that NO one predicted (not anyone I know anyway), there is a strange thing happening in the upcoming Canadian elections. And, sort of, unity. Specifically, which Canadian candidate is more Anti-American. And this is a GOOD thing. Trump has secured 100 million dollars to put on a military parade to celebrate the day his mother evicted his defective soul from her womb. Along with of course his other plans to make America great again, including annexing Canada.
BUT….One thing I have always admired about Canadians after re-locating to the civilized, albeit colder, side of the 49th parallel is that Canadians are on the ‘left’ or the ‘right’ on some but not all issues. Canadians are more likely to be liberal or conservative on an issue by issue basis. There is no human blood on the Thanksgiving turkey dinner table in Canada after the conversation drifts into politics, rather than who is coming out, who screwed up the mashed potatoes or why hockey tickets have become so unaffordable. And, as it probably will be initiated in American law, killing a friend or relative who disagrees with you politically is considered a forgivable misdemeanor rather than a prosecuted felony.
Let’s hope that the measure of how emotionally anti-American a candidate in Canada does not determine how we vote. There are still many issues afoot other than a replay of the War of 1812 with the Americans invading Canada and burning down the Parliament building in Ottawa and replacing it with a Trump North Casino and Recreational Center (spelt er rather than re, of course). WHAT portions of MAGA are to be fought against is not an insignificant issue. And, thankfully, there are more than two political parties in Canada.
Thinking about POSITIVES to do is always more effective than being reflexely negative against anything your opponent does, and is. There are some things that, for instance, large corporations do which do serve the world. And some things that only small businesses can do that large ones can’t, or don’t, do. The best plate of food at a Chinese restaurant involved taking items from column A AND B, selectively. Willy Nelson and Chris Kristoferson, for instance, are not owned by the ;’country Right’ or the ‘folk Left’ musically. Let’s hope that the music between big business and small business, and ‘big countries’ like the US and (in terms of population anyway) ‘smaller’ countries like Canada feed rather than destroys our ability to hear the music, and dance to our OWN tunes.
For more hybrid stories…see www.longriderpress.net
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