Introduction

 What qualifications does a 70 year old man in Saskatchewan, Canada, have to write a blog about American politics? Well, maybe a few.

First, I have followed American politics for the last 8 years since before the 2016 presidential election. I have my wife to thank for getting me interested. She comes from a family of Albertans who take their religion and politics seriously. The television in their Alberta farm home plays Fox News 24/7; they are fans of Rush Limbaugh and Donald Trump in America, and support whichever party is the farthest Right provincially. My wife binge-watches Fox videos on You-Tube and is a fan of Jordan Peterson, etc. So in self-defense I subscribed to a few newspapers and substacks and watch a few videos:

• The Washington Post - Jennifer Rubin was a favorite writer until her recent retirement from WaPo
• The New York Times
• The Guardian - the best independent news source I have found
• The Economist - for a few years, now unsubscribed
• Heather Cox Richardson - a wonderful historian of American politics
• Thom Hartmann - if you want to know what's happening in America, read his books
• Robert Reich Koffee Klatch - weekly half-hour video
• Mary Trump & Nerd Avengers - twice weekly one-hour video

Second, living in small town rural Saskatchewan, Canada, I have a clearer perspective on things American than I might have if I lived in the USA. An example I like to give is that if Bush Jr really wanted to know if Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, he could have asked a Canadian. Almost any of us could have told him that no, Iraq did NOT have any WMD. But Bush needed an excuse for a war so he didn't ask.

The third qualification is that I'm a Christian. So while most Christians of my acquaintance feel they have to support the Republican Party in the US and the Conservative Party (or equivalent provincially) in Canada, I'm a rare Christian socialist and will bring that viewpoint to the blog. I have two brothers who are at opposite ends of the political spectrum and I manage to get along with both.

I'm hoping this blog will provide an opportunity for me to share some of the knowledge that I've accumulated over the last 8 years. I don't expect it will change anyone's mind but might perhaps introduce them to another viewpoint.