None of us knows how long we will live; we don’t come into this world with expiration dates stamped on our bottoms, like cans of soup or cartons of yogurt. But when you reach my age — and, in the interest of full disclosure, I am way up there — you know that you’re definitely on the downslide, and you don’t want to waste a minute of it.

But I’ve been thinking lately that, if I could be sure I’d still be alive on November 7, 2028, I’d be willing to give up the intervening 807 days of my life just to hasten the arrival of that target date.

And yesterday’s news simply reinforced that thought. Because that was when I read that my country’s closest neighbor, our staunchest ally, and our most generous and reliable trade partner, had been so shabbily treated that they simply walked away from the table, declaring that they would not be bullied into accepting an agreement that would be detrimental to their country.

You know, of course, that I’m talking about Canada, and the shameful manner in which Donald Trump treated Prime Minister Mark Carney in their White House meeting on Friday.

Following what should have been civilized, mutually-beneficial trade talks, Carney told reporters:

“In recent days, the United States proposed new terms that were uneconomic, unfair, and undermined the net benefits for Canada, and called into question the reliability of any deal. In short, they asked too much, and they offered too little.” [Steve Kopack, NBC News, August 21, 2026.]

That was all it took for Trump, in a petulant posturing of pique, to impose new 50% tariffs on some $20 billion in Canadian goods.

Am I surprised? No. Is anyone? Not likely. Because this is what Donald Trump always does, and what he has done to the reputation of the United States — once the most trusted nation in the world, and now universally despised, not so much by our known adversaries, but by our traditional allies.

And I — along with millions of others — am deeply ashamed, angry, depressed, and willing to give up two years of what is left of my life to get this horror show over with, let my country begin the long healing process, and hopefully restore our honor in the eyes of the free world.

Maybe, if we’re very lucky, it won’t take 807 days. Maybe 72 days until the midterm elections will be enough to kick-start a return to some semblance of normalcy. But whatever the number, it can’t come soon enough for me.

Because I miss my America. And I know I’m not alone in that.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/23/26