As we all know (as we all should know, it’s been splashed across the news everywhere :)) President Bush is paying a visit to the Great White North tomorrow.
[My political $0.02, feel free to skip:]
I’ll be among the protesters in Toronto–I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world!
(Also, I love the bit about the President being served a nice side joint of Alberta beef for the state dinner. Here’s hoping a good hunk of our homegrown beef follows the path of the most infamous pretzel of fame and glory… Close our borders to beef? Ban this, Bush! ;))
[/$0.02]
Canadian Dopers, will you be celebrating? Will you be protesting? Will you be trying to avoid all mention of it?
There’s a curious phenomenon when Bush gets heckled in another country. He’ll chuckle and say, “I love free speech.” In the US, though, protesters are rarely allowed to get within blocks of the prez. They’re all herded off to “free speech zones” out of the line of sight of Mr. Bush.
I don’t think I’ll do anything that different. Since tomorrow is a Tuesday, I’ll sleep 'til noon, wake up to putz around on the internet. Inevitably come on the SDMB, and probably see this thread and think Oh right, Bush is here today. Damn, my country has been tainted. But that’s about all.
Since he’s going to be visiting the Museum of Civilization for a do with the PM, and this is just down the street from my office, and security disruptions of traffic in the downtown core will probably last all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning, my travels to and from work are going to be even more of a PITA than normal. I will definitely be trying to avoid the whole thing as much as possible.
Any reason you didn’t point out the rant that you believe is in the wrong forum? Any reason you didn’t report the offending post to the moderators? Maybe becaues you’re overreacting in a thread that doesn’t belong in the Pit?
Debaser, I did offer my two cents in the post, but I never intended for it to be a Pit thread–I only wanted to know how my fellow Canadian Dopers were going to commemorate Bush’s visit.
I can see that it walks a fine line, and I’m sorry if you were offended. But I’m really not trying to turn it into a Bush-bashing thread, honest.
Actually, from what I understand, it’ll be the same here, though I’ll have to wait to see for certain (Wednesday visit here…Dammit! I have a term paper to write. And I so wanted to heckle him as well.) A local columnist described him as living “in a cucoon inside a bubble”.
If I can, I’ll trudge downtown to see what’s going on, but I may not have time.
That reminds me…am I the only Haligonian on the boards?
Down here in the states, the trip’s been advertised as Bush’s ‘Warm and Fuzzy’ Visit to Canada. Is there any chance of the president meeting a ‘warm and fuzzy’ pack of Polar Bears in Toronto?
I’ll be in Ottawa. I’m making the placards this evening. Slogans so far:
[ul]
[li]BUCK FUSH[/li][li]LIZ SEZ: Blue states! We’ll take you back if you ask nicely[/li][li]Nous protégerons nos foyers et nos droits[/li][li]LICK BUSH (this one is for my fag hag)[/li][li](picture of W) HOSER/NIAISEUX[/li][li]Yet another Canuck pinko faggot against Bush[/li][li]Hey W: We have pot, gay marriage, and French people! Run for your life!![/li][/ul]
I realize that since the election in the USA, many Americans have crossed into Canada with hopes of immigrating here, and I realize that Mr. Bush is is reviled by so many Americans that he could justifiably make a refuee claim for himself in Canada, but all in all I find the fellow so war loving and so wraped up in promoting his religion that I will insist that our governmnet return him to the USA rather than let him stay here.
I’ll be showing the proper respect for the leader of our most important ally and trading partner, and hoping that my fellow Canadians don’t make asses out of themselves with idiotic protests about “no blood for oil” and “selected, not elected”.
Sigh, Alberta really is a distinct society, isn’t it? (but for the record, I was born in Montreal and educated in Toronto, so I’m no redneck - not that there’s anything wrong with that).
I’m glad this got moved off to the Pit–so we can talk freely in here about how we feel, I hope–and for what it’s worth, as much as I don’t like the guy, I hope we do show a proper amount of respect and dignity towards him.
Alberta? You mean The Kingdom of His Royal Highness Ralph Klein, right? I kid, I kid, I* love * Alberta!
