Can somebody repost this at the MapleSandbox.ca blog?
Anti-Americanism in the Arab world hasincreased to levels greater than inBush era. A bitter outcome for Obama.” theulstermanreport.com/2012/09/14/ger…
— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) October 4, 2012
The most reasonable, vocal, articulate,justified andmarketable – “Anti-Americanism” comes from U.S. citizens abroad isaacbrocksociety.ca/2012/06/16/u-s…
— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) June 16, 2012
USXCanada wrote an interesting post titled: Anti-Americanism in Canada.
So, my point is this:
On Thursday October 5, 2012 the following appeared on page A15 of the National Post:
What do you think of America?
Anti-U.S. sentiment is raging in some Muslim countries, but has take an more subtle tone in the past, even here in Canada.
Give your view in 75 words or fewer at letters@nationalpost.com
Watch for replies on October 9.
Please note that all letters must include your name, address and phone number (and this means your real name, address and phone number. General guidelines for letters to the editor are here:
Here is what I suggest.
1. It would be good to get a number of these off to the National Post; but in addition
2. Why not post 75 word letters as comments here.
The Isaac Brock Society (Petros under his real name) can then send a letter to the National Post that will reference this post and the comments. This may be a way to raise awareness on some of these issues. You might find the following article that appeared in the 2009 National Post to be of interest.
A 2009 article by Graeme Hamilton titled: Can Obama end our anti-Americansism?
General National Post articles on Anti-Americanism are here.
It seems to me that Anti-Americanism is at a fever pitch. It is NOT better under Obama. Now, US citizens abroad have become extremely articulate sources of anti-Americanism. Hardly surprising, given the abuse of US citizens abroad and FATCA. That said, FATCA is an attack on the sovereignty of Canada. This is an issue that should be of interest to all Canadians.
Just a thought, as @Tiger notes, we must find ways to get the story into media. FATCA hurts all Canadians and all freedom loving people everywhere.
To be clear, this should not be a bunch of general anti-Americanism (there is enough of that in other parts of the world). It should focus on the aspects of FATCA and citizenship-based taxation that affect Canada as a whole. Quite, obviously the issue is with the government and not with “amber waves of grain”.
a note: A number of publications publish only the letters that are uniquely submitted to their own publication. (apparently they want to be the first ones that publish the content—don’t want anyone stealing their fire)
Too bad this requires a real name, address, etc. One can hardly say “I persistently considered killing myself as a viable alternative to having the US impose tens of thousands of dollars worth of penalties on my legal post-tax Canadian bank accounts and stealing my family’s savings”
or, perhaps “We now despise and oppose the US government and Congress, as a result of the unjust and unbearable burden of US citizenship-based extraterritorial taxation they impose on those here in Canada and abroad. The IRS and US public threats against us, and unjustifiable conduct has caused some of us to consider suicide, or going underground, as an alternative to spending thousands in legal and accounting fees in order to protect ourselves, our families and our legal hard-earned savings from draconian penalties and unjust confiscation of our Canadian-made and held assets – including proceeds from selling our principal residence. We are prevented from shedding our unsought, and unwanted US citizenship by US laws forcing us to provide 5 years of US tax and financial account reports and swearing to full compliance under threat of perjury – subjecting us to substantial legal and financial peril – despite reporting and paying all taxes in full to Canada where we live – and despite the existence of the Canada-US tax treaty. The US reserves the right to tax even our Canadian-born children who have never set foot in the US; a lifelong obligation imposed through merely having 1 or more US born parent/s.”
@Badger, I’ll gather up all the comments by people afraid to use their real name and I’ll send them in as by people too afraid to say openly what they think.
Thank you very much Petros. I sincerely appreciate all your help, and efforts here, very much. I really don’t know what I would have done without this site and the collaboration and support from everyone here. I really don’t think I could have ‘stayed the course’.
I sent the editor an excerpt dealing with anti-Americanism from my budget submission to Canada’s Finance Committee.
From The Market Oracle: “Why American’s Need a Second Passport.”
An article by libertarian investor Jeff Berwick which starts with an interesting quote from antiquity which can be applied to Americans abroad today.
“…..the name of Roman citizens, at one time not only greatly valued, but dearly bought, is now repudiated and fled from, and it is almost considered not only base, but even deserving of abhorrence.” – Salvian the Presbyter
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article36866.html
History repeats itself especially when it comes to empires passing their zeniths.
@Petros, @Badger,
Being one who is not yet using my name, I can post something regarding my usual subject matter. But if I am only allowed 75 words for my comment, I don’t think I can say what I would want expressed.
Yes, 75 words is very few for a complex thought. And, I might be tempted to say something like “US steals legal already CRA-taxed savings and assets from Canadian born dual citizens naturalized citizens, and permanent resident families in Canada – under the shifty guise of fighting tax evasion – in order not to raise taxes on US residents. The US makes it almost impossible to get rid of unsought and unwanted US citizenship – while forcing countless numbers to renounce to lift the unjust burden”, I’ll have to count my words.
What I think of America post-FATCA is radically different than what I used to think of it…
How do I feel about America? Anxiety!
This new FATCA legislation that is less than 4 months, yet Canadian financial institutions cannot or will not tell me how this will effect my accounts.
A legislation that was designed to find tax cheats will now be used to rape account information of Canadian citizens identified as US persons and send this information directly to the IRS.A legislation that tells my bank to close my accounts if I don’t sign away my rights.
I’ve gotten my bare bones comment down to 74 words (according to Word count on MS Word). If used, it will contribute to more media sound bytes:
*Of course it is impossible to express a cogent view on this subject. This restriction is common mainstream media tactic to mislead. They will package this such that it conforms to an already formed conclusion. Canadian criticism of the US is somehow rooted in the anti US sentiment of the loyalists forced to leave the US and settle in Canada in the wake of the Revolutionary War.
@Rich
Yes, kind of like the anti-US sentiment of US citizens abroad who are forced to expatriate to escape the vicious Patriots south of the 49th parallel.
*People in the United States are generally nice but also ignorant of life beyond their own borders. Most are unaware that their so-called “Internal” Revenue Service is attempting to extort subservience and money, by threats of exorbitant fines, from dual and ex-U.S. citizens who are living lawfully as citizens of other countries.
Some interesting things from CNN of all places:
1. American citizens are going to Pakistan to protest US drone strikes
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/05/world/asia/pakistan-us-drone-protest/index.html
2. But a study released last month by Stanford Law School and New York University’s School of Law
said the drone attacks had killed far more people than the United
States acknowledges, traumatized innocent residents and been largely
ineffective. Civilians account for a significant portion of those
killed, the study said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/25/world/asia/pakistan-us-drone-strikes/index.html
3. Interesting Obama was quoted as saying:
“It has to be a target that is authorized by our laws. It has to be a
threat that is serious and not speculative. It has to be a situation in
which we can’t capture the individual before they move forward on some
sort of operational plot against the United States,” Obama said.
This is incredible. Is Obama taking the position that a US law authorizes sending drones into Pakistan to kill civilians? Is there and/or should there be a correlation between law and morality?
@anonanon
You are absolutely right. They will of course be shocked to find that the next thing the US will do is go after their citizens inside their own borders. The government will start with the 53% who do pay tax. When they are finished with that 53% all that will be left is:
– the US government; and
– the 47% who don’t pay tax
What then?
@anonanon – Check out these two links and I think you’ll see what’s coming next.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/crime-law/gun-sales-at-record-high/nSGg7/
http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/gun-ammo-sales-in-u-s-suring-to-record-high-levels-in-2012-why/
Since Obama took office gun sales have increased beyound belief, “Since Obama has gotten elected, concealed carry’s been huge,” said
Shannon Campbell of Campbell’s Firearms Training and Gun Accessories in
Miamisburg. “People ask me all the time, it’s like, ‘So, who you like?
You like Obama? I say yeah, I love him. He’s helped my business a lot.”
Good to know, eh. Include each of the US Government departments, including Social Security, that are stock-piling guns and ammo and you can get a good idea of where the United States heading.
Here are the responses that were published in the National Post:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/10/09/todays-letters-america-is-great-well-sort-of/
Interestingly not a single comment on any of the matters of interest here. Did any of you send responses? Or were people reluctant because of the name, address, requirement.
Or are we just talking to ourselves?
http://maplesandbox.ca/are-we-talking-to-ourselves-whos-listening/
I have to apologize to anyone especially Badger, who submitted 75 words here. For some reason, I thought the deadline was later this week, and now I realize that Thanksgiving Monday has thrown my whole week off. Sincere apologies.
No problem for my part, Petros. I whittled something down to 75 words and it made any thoughts I would like to get across disappear. Just another article comprised of many short sound bytes to meet the words allotted for an article and then further shortening by the editors in getting the right slant to meet the general public’s short attention span. Why any of us would want to put our name to any of this fluff is beyond me. As many have said, this story is too big and complex to adequately tell through the media. As time drags on, real help from our government, a US Ambassador to Canada or from the Canadian media in really telling this whole story seems less a reality.
There’s a great comment by FromPatriotToExpatriate below the article.
Thanks for pointing out “FromPatriotToExpatriate” comment, Em. That comment and the article’s picture were very much worth noting.