For the second time in two days, Medium, to which I apparently have a minimal subscription to that allows me to read “public” articles, has sent me a “What are we going to do? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO??” piece in response to Trump’s election. It was titled, “Responding To The Reality Of Another Trump Presidency.”

As with the other one, I just got the beginning and was informed that “The author made this story available to Medium members only. Upgrade to instantly unlock this story plus other member-only benefits.” Yeah, bite me. As I did in this post, I tried to see if the article was available elsewhere. It began,

Well, it’s happened again. This time though, Trump’s election victory wasn’t the stunning upset it was in 2016. It’s still caused incredible shockwaves across America and the world though as we all ponder what it might mean.

So, strap yourselves in folks; it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

As the world comes to terms with how the next Trump Presidency might impact us all, much has already been written about the best way to respond. I have to confess to probably going a bit over the top with some of my emotional responses. When someone as divisive as Trump comes along, emotions can be pretty overwhelming.

Whatever our reactions and thoughts though, now is a time of great opportunity, an opportunity to bear witness to the Gospel loud and clear. Not the dualistic gospel that says you can get to heaven when you die if you just believe the right things; nor the same gospel that says you’re going to hell if you don’t believe those things.

I’m talking about the actual good news of Jesus, the one who came to inaugurate God’s reign of love, justice, peace and compassion right here on earth as it is in heaven. I’m talking about the good news that another world is possible and another…

Never mind that exploiting a political event to proselytize readers on the wonders of one religion is annoying, here is what I learned about the author. He writes, “I am a writer from Melbourne, Australia with a passion for showing how I believe Christian faith is relevant to life.”

That’s nice. Nils isn’t an American, and there is no evidence that he ever was an American. He lives in another country, on another continent, half the world away. Unless he is a historian of the American Presidency and for some weird reason has followed the career of Donald Trump, both of which I doubt, he does not have any basis for telling me or anyone else who does live here and is engulfed by this nation’s unique culture that “it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” (If he’s showing off his U.S. cultural literacy by trying to quote the iconic line from “All ABout Eve,” he didn’t even get that right. The line, delivered with typical flair by Bette Davis, is “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!”

I’m pretty presumptuous, or so I’ve been told, but I wouldn’t presume to lecture citizens of a foreign country, even ones I have visited for extensive periods, like Great Britain, Russia and Mongolia, how they should respond to a change in leadership in their nation. Has Nils ever visited the U.S.? Gone to a baseball game? Never mind “All About Eve,” has he watched “Shane”? “It’s a Wonderful Life”? “Gettysburg”? “The Quiet Man”? “Apollo 13?” “The Wolf of Wall Street”? “1776”? “The Music Man”? “12 Angry Men”? “Animal House”?Has he been to a town meeting ( a real one, in a real town, not a scripted Kamala Harris faux town meeting)? How many Americans has he talked to?

This is a unique, complex, vibrant and dynamic culture that even Americans have trouble comprehending, but someone in a foreign country basing their opinion on what they hear and read from others has as much business weighing on on how I should respond to a presidential election as my next door neighbor has telling me the right way to deal with my son’s latest life-altering decision.

I’m getting enough biased, narrow-minded, uninformed opinions from my neighbors, friends and others right now, thanks. None of us need kibitzing from Down Under.

Shut up, Nils.