Rhiannon Hamdi lives in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island.

This is directed toward Maine Sen. Joe Martin. I am writing in response to his open letter to certain conservative Canadian politicians in four western provinces telling them how to join the United States.

What the senator does not seem to understand is that when Canadian members of the Legislative Assembly take an oath to loyally serve our king and country, they keep their vows. We also have something called transparency. Do look it up, Sen. Martin, as it appears to be an alien concept to you. MLA Brennan Day did the right thing in sharing both your appalling letter and his response to you with the public of British Columbia. I hope that by sharing my own response the people of Maine will understand that instead of serving their best interest, Sen. Martin is busy attempting to destabilize a neighboring country.

I have never read such an ignorant, arrogant, entitled screed of nonsense in my life. In response, permit me to hold up a mirror for your own edification; here is what the rest of the world sees in America.

You do not have a free or great country and, frankly, never did. Your country was born from slavery, schooled in inequity, roiled in violence, steeped in discrimination and is rotting into chaos. I live in a free country wherein I may walk without fear of being shot, speak my conscience without recrimination, be cared for when ill and supported when old and frail.

Our “Canadian “baggage” that the senator refers to provides us with free health care, generous social benefits, education, 18 months of maternity leave and the right for women to rule our own bodies. That we prefer a calm and reasoned society that welcomes newcomers with respect, celebrates our differences and seeks to live in peace with our peers is something you could try and learn from. Instead, you insult us, threaten us with annexation and then express astonishment that we want nothing further to do with you and call us “nasty.” You touted the divinity of your Constitution, which your current president has ripped to shreds with impunity.

Your economy is as broken as your moral compass. Despite the demented ramblings of your felon president, you are bankrupt. Your current debt is tilting north of $37 trillion, which you have no hope of repaying no matter how fast you run your printing presses. The tariffs imposed by your gangster fascist president are raising prices for Americans while the rest of the world ticks along without issue or inflation.

Your civil service has been destroyed so that the 1% will no longer have to pay taxes or be subject to the scrutiny of prudent oversight. Investment in the sciences, health care and education have been gutted, academia threatened and knowledge ridiculed as something “woke.” The people who produce your food have been locked up or deported. How is this working out for you?

Donald Trump is a deranged, dishonest and demented dictator. The once dignified image of the American Oval Office has been replaced with a downmarket frat room replete with hazing and tasteless gilded tat. No Canadian would ever give up our parliamentary system, rule of law, decency and civil society for America’s mindless, violent chaos. Give your big head a shake.

Your “detention centers” wherein people have been rounded up by masked thugs without access to legal advice, due process or even letting their loved ones know their whereabouts are concentration camps. People are routinely detained in your “free” country with its glorious Constitution for being alive while brown or speaking a language other than English. Alligator Alcatraz, Guantanamo Bay, Deportation Depot and all of your other dank and dismal dungeons are concentration camps.

Understand what I am saying. Your country has gone fascist. You have abandoned the rule of law and thrown away your allies in favor of a cabal of autocrats, billionaires and confidence tricksters.  These are choices you must now own.

Sen. Martin, your ham-fisted “invitation” for Canadians to join your country has reaffirmed my following choices: I will never set foot in your country again because I value freedom, free speech, decency, equality and the rule of law, of which you have none. I will not purchase any American-made products or frequent American-owned stores because I refuse to support fascism in any way. I will continue to support our prime minister in seeking alternative trading partners and allies in response to the insults and threats sent to our nation from yours.