Americans are Out Apologizing Canadians

The current mess up in the US political scene is both worrisome and tiresome. Normally, in this article I wouldn’t venture too deeply into party politics, but when politicians venture into the religious and misuse the Bible to support their ideology, the time for jumping into the debate has come.

The Apology

During the intermission of Jesus Christ Superstar we got into a conversation with the US tourists sitting beside us. At a point during the conversation one of them looked at us and said, “I just have to say, ‘I’m sorry.’” He didn’t need to tell us why he was sorry. We knew he meant Trump.

Many of us have had similar experiences this summer—of meeting people from the US who just want to apologize for the state of politics in Washington.

It’s mindboggling that a US president cozies up to tyrants and murders and is so very mean spirited towards friends like Canada and Mexico.

One of the slogans that gained popularity in this silly “trade war” is “buy local.” I’m in favour of buying local, it is always a good policy to support local agricultural and industrial enterprises. But, a trade war hurts workers on both sides.

Everything about the Trump administration of tyranny, bigotry and lies is no longer just un-Christian but lacks any sense of compassion, and compassion is the cornerstone of all the world’s great religious and philosophical traditions. Trump’s administration continually drafts policies and makes statements that are unabashedly contrary to the Gospel of justice and love proclaimed by Jesus the Christ.

Let’s not be fooled, Donald Trump’s administration is nothing more than a symptom of a much deeper problem in the US and in the western world. Ignorance breeds fear and fear creates the circumstances that allow for the election of people like Trump. There are Canadian examples of this trend too.

One short-term solution is to encourage our US friends (anyone we know personally) to get out and vote against Trump and the Republican Party.

In the long-term we need to encourage education—we need to get educated about the world and all the really important issues that effect us. Real, factual knowledge (not ill-informed opinions) needs to be what guide us into the future.