The view from many of my fellow Canadians isn’t promising either. We just can’t figure how or when the “American Dream” went off the rails.

Somehow the gregarious, compassionate collective has been hijacked by fundamentalist, neo-conservative ignorance and paranoia. What is truly puzzling is the lack of political will by ordinary Americans to take back control in their country. There’s something really wrong when, out of 300 or so million people, Americans have twice now elected mostly lunatics and crooks to lead them. I still think Americans in general are kind and generous but somebody has short-circuited their ability to cut the crap and their will to maintain their freedom and free-thinking ways.

When you have to build fences, you’ve already lost. Surely American’s haven’t allowed a few terrorists to bring America to it’s knees? America is acting like a whipped dog? Is it?

I used to vacation in the south 48 or Hawaii, and have lived for periods in Florida and California. But until the present police state “bunker mentality” dissipates and is replaced by a much more people-centered and people-friendly environment, you won’t find me on US soil ever again. (That means my money stays out of the country as well.)

I live in Spain and I can tell you that if the poll shows even 23% have a positive opinion, that is a real surprise. In my daily contacts with Spanish citizens, relatives (my better half is Spanish), neighbors, friends, and just casual encounters, I have not had one positive comment since the decider invaded Iraq! The general populace here literally detests Bush. He is a constant source of comedy and ridicule on local TV channels, which frequently portray him as the village drunk or a dim-wit!