Independence Day

I'd like to wish my neighbors to the south a happy July 4th holiday. It's been an especially grueling time for them given the Orlando shootings, the terrorist attacks abroad, and the continual fear-mongering by the demagogue who is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, blaming Obama and the Democrats for the world's ills and the rise of ISIS. ((I seem to recall that it was a Republican president named George W, Bush who created the quagmire that is now the Middle East through his ill-advised invasion of Iraq.)

It was a breath of fresh air for me as a Canadian to listen to President Obama's speech to our Parliament. Obama has always been viewed as a reasonable and non-polarizing figure in Canada, and he will be greatly missed when his presidency comes to an end.

If you haven't had an opportunity to listen to his speech, this is the link: https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p...

Happy Birthday, America. You deserve much more than the politics of hate.