A Canadian’s Letter to the Good People of America
A note of support, concern, and encouragement to the good people of the United States of America
Over the years, I’ve made many friendships with Americans, both personally and professionally. I worked for a Chicago-based specialty paper company for nine years and spent a great deal of time in the United States. I knew which NFL teams my colleagues cheered for, Bears fans at our Chicago office, Packers fans at our processing facility in Wisconsin, but I never knew whether they were Democrats or Republicans. How would I? Why would it matter? Politics rarely came up. In good times, a perfect government is one you barely notice. It simply goes about its business without pomp or pageantry.
That was the America I knew and loved. Friendly, fair, trustworthy, and caring.
Today, America Feels Distant
Every morning I wake up, turn on the news, and feel a mix of disbelief and unease. What once felt stable now feels erratic. What once felt decent now feels openly cruel. Democratic rights that Americans long took for granted are being stripped away piece by piece. And at the centre of it all is Donald Trump, governing not as a democratic leader but in an increasingly authoritarian manner, turning political disagreement into permanent division, leadership into performance, and governance into a politics driven by resentment, loyalty tests, and fear.
What troubles me most isn’t what he says or does. It’s how easily it’s all being normalized. Democratic norms erode a little more each day. Cruelty toward the vulnerable becomes routine. And perhaps hardest to accept is that millions of Americans either support it outright or shrug it off and accept it as the cost of doing business, or the price of living comfortably.
I find myself thinking about the people I once worked with in Chicago and Wisconsin—good people, smart people, people I considered friends. I wonder if they’re okay with what’s happening. Were they okay with two of their fellow citizens being shot in cold blood on the streets of Minnesota? Or do they feel the same knot in their stomach that I do when they watch the news? Are they ashamed of what their country has become under Trump’s leadership, or do they feel trapped—unsure when or how to speak up, or whether speaking up even matters anymore?
Good Needs to Prevail. I Still Believe in Good Americans
The United States is not one man. It never has been. It is teachers, nurses, engineers, factory workers, small business owners, volunteers, parents, and neighbours. It is people who believe in fairness, decency, and democracy, even when the system feels stacked against them. From Canada, I look south not with judgment, but with concern and solidarity.
I’ve travelled widely in the U.S., for both business and pleasure. I have countless fond memories. Today, I can’t imagine doing those trips, not because of the people, but because of the current administration. Until the Trump era ends, the United States will remain off-limits for me. Something that I never thought would be possible in my lifetime.
Despair is Not a Strategy
History shows us that meaningful change rarely begins with hope; it begins with action. This is where the 3.5% Rule comes in.
The 3.5% Rule comes from Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist whose research into nonviolent civil resistance has turned conventional wisdom on its head. In her groundbreaking study with Maria J. Stephan—summarized in the book Why Civil Resistance Works and in academic papers—Chenoweth examined hundreds of movements over the past century in democracies and authoritarian states alike.
The findings are striking: no regime in modern history has been able to sustain itself once nonviolent resistance reached about 3.5% of the population. That threshold might sound modest, but in practical terms it’s huge, especially in a country as large as the United States.
Why does it work?
Chenoweth and Stephan’s research shows a few consistent patterns:
Nonviolent movements draw broader participation than violent ones. People are more willing to march, strike, protest, organize, and sit in—because nonviolence lowers the barrier to entry.
Institutions fracture under sustained civic pressure. When public opinion shifts and ordinary citizens stand up, key pillars of power (courts, police, bureaucrats, business leaders) begin to doubt the legitimacy of the regime.
Violence delegitimizes the government. When authorities respond with force to peaceful protesters, they expose themselves. The moral contrast becomes a catalyst for more support.
Persistence matters more than numbers. It’s not just hitting 3% on one day—it’s sustaining pressure across time, through coordinated action and civic engagement.
In the context of the United States, 3.5% means roughly twelve million people actively and peacefully resisting, marching, organizing at the local level, challenging abuses in court, boycotting harmful policies, and showing up on election day to cast their vote.
This small percentage of the population doesn’t require unanimity. It doesn’t require perfect alignment. It doesn’t require charismatic leaders or giant protest marches seen around the world. What it requires is consistency and nonviolence.
And that’s the genius of Chenoweth’s research: it puts power back in the hands of ordinary people. Not because they are louder, but because they are many, peaceful and unified in purpose.
This isn’t theory. It’s evidence. It’s history. It’s a strategy that works.
Yes, things often get worse before they get better. Those in power push back hardest when they feel control slipping. That backlash isn’t failure, it’s evidence that pressure is working. Change is uncomfortable. Democracy is not easy, and it can get very noisy. But silence is far more dangerous.
To the good Americans reading this: you are not alone. Many of you are tired. Angry. Embarrassed. Afraid. Those feelings are valid. But authoritarianism depends on exhaustion and disengagement. It thrives when good people withdraw.
Three percent of you, standing peacefully and persistently, can change the direction of your country.
And know this: Canadians are watching. Are we concerned? Absolutely, but we are rooting for you. We know the United States is better than this moment. We believe goodwill ultimately overcomes evil. But it won’t happen by waiting. It will happen because ordinary people decide they’ve had enough and act. And don’t wait for the midterms, that might be too late. The time to act is NOW!
The road ahead may be rough. It may get worse before it gets better. But it is a road that must be travelled. And history tells us that when enough people stand up quietly, calmly, and together, even the loudest bullies eventually run out of room to stand.
We know you can do this, and we’re with you.
Stay safe. Stay well. Be strong.
Richard