Letters: What not to say at U.S. border
Letters To The Editor
Pete Hoekstra, the American ambassador to Canada, has said Canadians facing device searches and detainment is 'not a pattern.'
I've been told of two situations that might make Canadians uneasy about going to the U.S.
A couple I know driving from Toronto to Buffalo were asked by the U.S. border officer 'what they thought of our new president.' When they replied they 'did not think very positively about him,' they were pulled aside and their entry was eventually denied.
And the same person who related the above story told me he was asked the same question at the airport when he was preparing to fly to the U.S. on business. When he gave the same honest reply, he was pulled aside and his device was searched.
If you are crossing into the U.S. and are asked what you think about the U.S. president, maybe just say you think he is wonderful.
Graham Wright, Westmount
By this measure, Trump is a success
Re: ' Anand weighs in on Israeli strike ' (NP Montreal, June 14)
Charlie Kirk, described as the founder of Turning Point USA and an ally of the Trump White House, is quoted as saying: 'No issue currently divides the (U.S.) right as much as foreign policy.'
This could be partly because it is difficult for some to ascertain what Trump's foreign policy is.
Kirk also refers to 'our insanely successful presidency' — which is, in a way, a rather unfortunate description of the situation.
John Hall, Montreal
Warm reception among 'Mainers'
Re: ' Support, love and gratitude from Plattsburgh ' (Opinion, June 13)
I recently spent two weeks in my happy place, Old Orchard Beach, Me.
On Flag Day — June 14 — I drove by a crowd of people near the ocean who were holding up placards protesting against many of Donald Trump's latest policies.
As I passed them, I heard a big cheer go up. I can only surmise that my Quebec licence plate elicited such a response.
Mainers are among my favourite people in the world. It pained me to see the empty stores and restaurants, and the dearth of people on the beach.
Seems like such a sad consequence of hastily enacted, mean-spirited policies against Canadians.
Debbie Astroff, Dorval
Voters must not sit out midterms
Re: ' Sorry, but I am tired of apologies ' (Letters, May 21)
I absolutely agree with the letter writer that U.S. voters need to return control of Congress to the Democrats next year, which is more plausible in the House of Representatives than it is in the Senate.
But there is an important distinction to be made: Trump won a plurality of the vote, but not quite a majority, over Kamala Harris.
More significantly, voter turnout was around 64 or 65 per cent (depending on the source), with Trump winning just 32 per cent or so of all potential votes and Harris around 31 per cent.
As is often the case, those who stayed home helped determine the election.
The couch potatoes had better show up in the November 2026 midterms to save whatever semblance of democracy remains south of the border.
Stan Shatenstein, Montreal
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