There was an earlier flame on this, but I had to revive the topic:
Over the past week, I’ve heard the following:
Dan Rather (on CBS, and Imus):
The only one of the countries we can really count on to back us is Britain.
G.W. Bush (to Congress):
We have no better friend than Britain.
Joseph Liebermann (on Imus):
Britain is the one country we can count on to stay with us on this.
If I were Canadian, I’d be madder than hell. Either these notables figure the Canadians will chicken out on us in fighting terrorism, or assume that Canada is the 51st state.
Oh yeah, and how many times am I going to have to hear Rather say “a wise man once told me that revenge is a dish best served cold.” First, you weren’t tld that by the originator. Second, after the third time, it becomes an ineffective cliche.
Everyone knows the guy is nuts. And when he’s punch-drunk (9/11/01, Election 2000) he’s wildly entertaining, in a surreal way.
But still, when you have a position of significant visibility, oughten someone tell you to try not to insult our best friend and most significant trading partner?
BUT… since we live on the same block you can count on us to watch your back even if Rather and Bush forget that we’re here. I seriously hope that we’re just being taken for granted.
Whoever committed this act killed many of Canada’s sons and daughters. For that, they will certainly pay and there will be Canadian troops joining in when it comes time to collect on this debt. We know all too well that the cost of peace can be, we’ve paid it in the past and are willing to pay that in the future.
I dare anyone to come here and call us cowards. I mean that. Anyone foolish enough to take me up on this offer had best put their shit in order before they do because besides being the peaceful and friendly neighbour to the north we don’t take it lightly when people question our honour.
Goddammit. Now I’ve got this mental image of thousands of moose in Chobham armor storming across our northern border, the foremost of which has a boom-box blaring “Ride of the Valkyries.”
Perhaps I just need some sleep, but there is one tiny, little jaundiced part of me that wonders, if terrorists had flown planes into 1000 de la Gauchetière and Place Ville Marie, whether every city block in the US would suddenly be festooned with Canadian flags.
Nah. There’d be a modest outpouring of heartfelt sentiment, followed by a week or two of hackneyed diatribes explaining how Quebec had it coming to 'em, and eventually concluding with a general sense of pleasure at how much better our hockey teams were faring this season.
(P.S. - Canadians, I would care if you’d gotten nailed by these people. But, no, I don’t imagine you’d see the same outpouring of sympathy USA citizens are showing for NY/DC folks right now. You’d get a lot, I think - I hope - but not quite as much.)
In all seriousness - as much as it shames me to admit it, that’s probably true. I’m sure there’d be charities set up, possibly a few Tomahawks lobbed at Kabul, but nothing anywhere near the concern that the Canadians and many other countries are displaying.
Have you ever tried potty training a cranky moose in Chobham armor?
Here. Here’s a rolled up newspaper. Go smack him on the nose with it, and then try to rub his face in the volvo of shit he just left on your front lawn.
Yeah I’m pissed as a Canadian that people seem to have forgotten that we helped and that we care. But, at this point there are bigger things going on and making Bush’s lack of respect into a political circus isn’t going to change anything at this point.
It really doesn’t matter what Bush or Rather or anybody thinks or expresses, we know we care and we know we felt the pain of Americans and still do.
Is it possible that everyone is just lumping Canada in with Great Britain and using Britain to refer to both? I think lots of people forget that Britain doesn’t rule Canada anymore.
