O, CANADA! (OH, ENGLAND!)

October 10, 2017

 Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: O, Canada! (Oh, England!)

I leave for Canada today.

Not permanently, as you might guess. Things do look a lot better up there, both socially and politically, for an old leftie like myself. I might consider a move—it shouldn’t be too hard, with my British place of birth.  I also have a Canadian son (my oldest was born in Nova Scotia and holds on proudly to his Canadian passport and citizenship, even though he spent only the first couple of years of his life there!)

But… the sad truth is that I’m pampered and spoiled by the climate in Southern California. I have lived here since 1968, and I fear I have been softened up by constant sunshine and warmth. The thought of a return, today, to the frigid winter temperatures of Canada is not an appealing one. No more than the distantly heard siren call, in my later years, of my home country. The frequent cloud cover and the constant rain, no matter how much lovely green they generate in fields, woods, and hedgerows, do not elevate the spirits.

However, all this is of no interest to you. (Nor, it seems, are my letters; now more than 160 of them since January, and all without response.) Even so, I wanted to let you know that I will fall silent, at least for the next week or so. If you don’t hear from me, it’s not because I’m any less committed to my cause, but rather because I’m… in Canada.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.