Liberty and justice for all United States persons abroad

The Isaac Brock Society

Interesting blog post about MSNBC TV host Rachel Maddow and her very close Canadian ancestry.

Posted on by Posted in Issues regarding US persons abroad 10 Comments

I found an interesting blog post on Warren Kinsella’s website (Warren Kinsella is the former top political strategist to Canadian PM Jean Chretien) about an MSNBC print ad which Kinsella views as Maddow “dissing” Canada. I will note under current law but not necessarily at all points in the past Maddow is entitled to a Canadian passport and is a citizen of Canada although she might not have a Canadian passport(It seems as in all likelihood she doesn’t). Perhaps some IBS members would like to go over to Warren Kinsella’s blog and leave some comments.

http://warrenkinsella.com/2012/05/this-is-weird/

10 thoughts on “Interesting blog post about MSNBC TV host Rachel Maddow and her very close Canadian ancestry.”

  1. @all, went over to check this out, and got led astray onto a site for Sue Krause, an American travel journalist who has ‘had a major crush on Canada’. According to her website she gets published in many newspapers. I’m wondering if one of the members with the gift of eloquent writing might be able to interest her in writing about how FATCA is going to change the travel habits of Canadian, or how lack of Canadian travel to Florida, Texas, etc, will have an impact economically.
    http://www.closetcanuck.com/2010/09/rachel-maddow-explains-9-mystery-feet.html
    http://www.suefrause.com/clips.php

  2. @Tim, I’m in a quandary over whether to post anything about Maddow’s ad, which is why I ended up at Rachel Maddow’s website and then onto the Sue Krause site. At any rate, while I think the ad was not well thought out, I’m not entirely certain it’s meant to disrespect Canada. I don’t like the ad, I must admit, though. I was wondering if there was a way to reach Maddox on her site by saying, ‘imagine if Canada was threatening to take everything your mother put away for her retirement because she didn’t file reports on her bank accounts. Because that ‘s what’s happening to Canadians right now that left the US as young adults’. Probably not, though.

  3. I have emailed her a few times, and tweeted her occasionally. If she got interested in the subject, she would dig in. She does her homework, and trys to get the facts right. Her bias is liberal, but her style is not to deliberately mis-characterize, or that is what I have observed. Her twitter account is.. @maddow Her email is… Rachel@msnbc.com

  5. Thanks for the email address, Just Me. I have sent this note to Rachel:

    From: calgary411
    Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 7:26 PM
    To: Rachel@msnbc.com
    Subject: Mothers Day in whatever country we love

    Very interesting that your mom moved to the US from Canada and proud to be an American. That’s great.

    Surely you and others can see the opposite — I moved to Canada in 1969; raised my Canadian family here; became a Canadian citizen; earned my living and paid my taxes to Canada; volunteered and have been a vital part of the wonderful Canadian society where I live. I love Canada and all it has provided me and my family as your mom loves the US. Should we not all be free to live in the place we love? US exceptionalism is what moves Americans to condemn those who have moved to other countries of the world. We are not traitors and are not treasonous as many US home landers hurtfully pontificate.

    We especially are not tax evaders. Because we choose to renounce our extraneous US citizenship to free us from the extraterritorial overreach of the US government in its citizenship-based taxation, usually with $0.00 owing to the US due to tax treaties, but with horrendous accounting and legal fees for filing and reporting requirements because of our US citizenship.

    In fact, I cannot renounce the supposed US citizenship of my adult developmentally delayed son — born in Canada an “accidental American”, raised in Canada, never registered with the US, never lived in the US, never received any benefit from the US. Parents / guardians and trustees of such family members are denied the right to renounce on behalf of their sons and daughters that do not have the perceptual capacity to know the responsibilities or consequences of citizenship — even though we make other financial and in fact life and death decisions for them on a day to day basis and may choose renunciation as best for our family member. Even with a court order!!

    I am happy for you, Rachel that you are such a US patriot. Can you and others not look further at the reasons most expats have chosen to live in other countries — work, love, family? The hatred shown by many is very disheartening and unfair. Most of us are not wealthy and our reasons to renounce have little to do with the taxes actually owing.

    One day the US may join the rest of the world’s countries in the more fair resident-based taxation.

    My regards.

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