How are your friends getting inside the US and how are they getting back home to Canada?

The other friend i am not in touch with. I said "American elections". Sorry if i was vague.

I agree that it might be a good idea to take a break. It seems somewhat hypocritical to complain about Russia/China/etc. interfering in our elections with foreigners posting on social media promoting Republicans when there are foreigners posting on social media promoting Democrats. While I view the interference by Russia and China as nefarious, our political opponents could make the same claim about influencing elections even though I have always viewed Canada as an ally. It doesn't seem like a great idea to provide Republicans a talking point that could result in American backlash against Canada.

I don't know you, but I do read your OPs and I'm usually in agreement with you or the authors of the OPs that you post.

I do hope that you continue to post about other news and also provide a Canadian perspective on issues, but it makes it difficult to condemn the outside influence in our election process if someone else can point out that our side is doing the same thing.

take on US issues. Thank you.

.

I really enjoy reading your posts and contributing to the maintenance of our sanity! We'll miss you!

nationality.

Other countries interfering such as perhaps China, the UAE, and Russia among a few ID'ed, is nefarious especially when they do it under the table and try to swag elections one way or the other (to their benefit of course). Personally, I think most interference attempts are usually way too small in scale to really make an impact, although some may disagree w/ me. Maybe on some local scale it may make an impact but still not much.

I found that most interference attempts have been rank and file republicans trying to unduly influence their local elections (last 5-10 articles I've read recently). I laugh sadly because the party that is accusing the democratic party of interference in voting, etc. in elections has been the culprit in election interference, not the Democratic Party.

Personally, IMHO, if they did it openly (not the undue influencing or blatant attempts to modify votes, etc., like the Russians did in 2016) by remarking why they'd prefer a certain candidate over others, this would be far more honest, engaging, and upcoming, in my mind.

Also, I suspect that most overseas persons/countries are far more concerned about their own lives, issues, and their own nations and aren't obsessive about America and American politics.

Of course the danger is that when those entities hostile to American values and hostile to the American sense of justice (our effects against the mafia here in the US vs. the mafia interests in Russia (and rump being buddies w/ some in the Russian mafia)) start being
nefarious and doing harm to the average American voter, by making our votes worth less, by discounting those votes, by losing those votes, by passing restrictive measures on voters, etc. (like the Putin dictatorship has in Russia has done).

Americans do have a long memory. They will remember blatant interference efforts by other nationalities and they will remember these attempts for a while too. I think, from what I've read, on some state elections, that they have beefed up their security efforts and they've tested their voting processes and voting machines far more than what I've previously seen in the past. So I feel relatively safe w/ our next voting efforts that will come up (in August for some, in Nov. 2020 for all of us).

we would miss you, and I for one would worry - especially if I missed this OP!

I do find it hard to watch Trump. I turn to canadian tv at 9PM. That won't change. I'm a junkie.

I can't blame you at this moment for wanting to take a break in the GD.



I've been lounging a lot here.

Recent medical breakthroughs have made it possible for you to do this without it killing you.

I knew you’d be excited to find out.

just an expression about not being able to express something when you want and need to.

And you have a better take on American politics than many Americans do - we know who I'm talking about. Take care of yourself and don't be a stranger...

We desperately need more good hosts and you're supremely qualified! I'll still miss your posts, but I'll keep an eye out in The Lounge...