[jmjinks]

I don't think there is anyone who would disagree on your opinions involving corruption. To say anyone...American, Canadian, Mexican, Italian, German, anyone.... can condone or accept corruption would be preposterous.

In regards to the stereotypes Canadians face, it is dependent on where you are and who you are dealing with. Americans living close to the border tend to know that such stereotypes are not true. However, those furthest from the border do tend to be more likely accepting of such stereotypes. Case in point, I live 15 minutes from the Canada/US Border, just outside of Buffalo, NY. Almost every summer as a kid, I would see cars passing by with skiis on the roofs. It is about 100 degrees F outside, and these people have skiis on the roof of their car. They pull me over to ask where the snow is. How am I suppoed to respond to these people? There have been TV shows and documentaries where educated Americans have been approached and told the biggest pile of crap in the world, and because the camera is there, they tend to think its true. If a camera crew came up to you, and informed you that staplers have now been leaglized in Canada, would you think its a prank or would you take it seriously? This is what we face. I throw no punches, I just speak the truth.

[otterizer]

That guy was right on about a lot of things. America really is filled with hypocricy, conspiracy, corruption, etc. Look at the jackasses who responded to the letter. One person wrote something along the lines of "canadians came from france, and the french have bad hygiene." Please.

The truth hurts, and this guy makes the truth blatantly obvious.

[Canada_My_Home]

Understand something folks.

The US govt. does not care about Canada as you might think. This myth that Canada has intenationally rode the coattails of the USA garnering protection without ourselves giving input is nonsense. The US govt. entered into alliances with Canada and other nations for reasons that suited the US govt. They protect their interests in other nations as long as their is a real interest.

Lets look at the Cold War and NORAD. Had the USSR decided to make it a hot war, bombers would have flown over the North pole and would have been intercepted by Canadian and US fighters OVER CANADA, not the USA. They would be shot out of the sky above Canadian soil, on their way to firstly bomb US targets and cities, but also to bomb Canadian targets and cities. NORAD was a system split between Canada and USA mostly to stifle an attack on the USA. Canada picks up 10% of NORAD'S costs. Fair I say in tht we are 10% of the US population and our economy is about 10% of the US economy.

Lets look at NATO. The US Govt. did not enter NATO out of the goodness of its heart. It with Eurpoean allies and Canada chose to stand by a line of ideological defence. The US govt. did so to aid and protect its interests in Europe. Many lambasted Europe for not spending as much on defence as the US did. However most Eurpoean nations pulled their weight. Understand folks had WWIII started at the time, it would have been in Europe. The turning to nukes would have been started by NATO forces in Europe to try to stop overwhelming USSR/Eastbloc forces. Therefore many in Europe knew that Europe would not have survived a major conflict. They built along with the USA and Canada a sizeable forces to hopefully keep the USSR at bay, but many in Europe figured they were really in a no win situation had Cold War trurned hot. The USA and Canada could have possibly survived a major conflict, if they along with the USSR saw how awful it would have been in Europe had it start.

So the fact is the US govt. never has protected Canada, even though its large military and sphere of influence helped to keep potential Cold War enemies at bay. The USA would have built it large military regardless if Canada or Western Europe existed. So anyone who believes Canada intenationally limited its miliatry spending because Uncle Sam was there is bogus. We may have let our military slip in scale, but it was not out of some preconceived plan to ride the US Govt. coattails.

I have no problem with us revamping and breathiong new life into our military, but I do not accept this concept of idea that we all let the US Govt. carry the stone during the Cold War and post Cold War. Nobody ever held a gun to the US Govt. and peioples heads. The US military industrial complex hijacked the Govt. agenda in the 1950s' as Eisenhower warned. It built it military to back up its economic might. It uses its military to firstly affect and protect its interests abroad. Any other use will be of secondary ideals. Now I do not hold this over the US or its govt. I only chastize those inside the USA and sympathetic people in Canada who perputrate this myth that the US govt. protected Canada and /or Western Europe for only benevolent reasons.

[Streaker]

Canadaka wrote:

I found this article on a letter a guy wrote to America
http://baltimorechronicle.com/ol_aug02.shtml

Wow.... He doesn't mince words.

Interesting read.

[Tricks]

NECRO!

[Streaker]

Party pooper.

[goodfriend]

I think so .

[ManifestDestiny]

ok I hope no canadians are proud of this guy he is nuts! and he should be brought back to the lunatic home.

I am shocked no one has said "well its not that he hates Americans, he hates G W Bush"

[ManifestDestiny]

Here are the top ten tips on how to be like this guy.

Tip #1—Insist that you are not like "those Americans."
This is very important. Without distinguishing yourself from the Americans, you will not be able to be a patriotic Canadian. You simply must tell everyone that you are not like "those" Americans. Make fun of Americans. Sit around with other Canadians who think they are being proud of their country and say things like: "Oh, those Americans." Say this with a patronizing despair, as if there is absolutely no hope for Americans.

Consistently employ double standards in your anti-Americanism. For instance, complain that Americans are too arrogant and that they think they are better than everyone else. At the same time, do not consider the arrogance it takes to imply that you are better than Americans. In other words, condemn the Americans for being too patriotic and then swell with your own patriotic pride that you are not like them. Look down at the Americans for what you believe is their elitism, but ignore the much uglier, and more dishonest, elitism upon which your own disposition is based.

If you are in a crowd where you think you might get away with it, say things like: "Canada isn't racist like the States." Then demonstrate your strong position on this issue by showing "zero tolerance" for anyone who makes stereotypes or generalizations about anyone else. At the same time, however, constantly articulate stereotypes about Americans—and make them all negative. Never consider that your anti-Americanism can be easily related with racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism, since it categorizes and demonizes an entire group of people. It is OK to be a bigot, just as long as it involves despising Americans.

By practicing this hypocrisy daily, you can begin to make yourself, and others, really believe that you are not like "those Americans." Be a good little Canadian nationalist.



Tip #2—Make constant excuses for America’s enemies.
This is simply crucial. Constantly apologize for regimes that have, or had, adversarial relations with Washington. Make excuses for these regimes, no matter how pernicious they are. Most importantly, imply moral equivalence when re-evaluating the Cold War. Say things like: "OK, so the Soviets had Stalin, but the Americans had McCarthy." Never get too specific about this statement, especially about what impact these phenomena had on actual human lives. If anyone ever brings up Iraq or North Korea, say that no one has the right to judge these societies. Then judge American society.

Meanwhile, in private, feel completely relieved that you don't have to live under the regimes that you exonerate from their barbarity and authoritarianism. Argue that America is the most oppressive society in the world; then go on a wonderful and relaxing vacation in America.



Tip #3—Get really mad that Americans don’t know anything about Canadians.
In order to be a good Canadian nationalist, you must always remain furious about how Americans in Los Angeles don’t know anything about fascinating places like Manitoba. You must absolutely obsess about this everyday. Complain how stupid Americans are. Laugh about how they don't even know anything about Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Never wonder why anyone living in New York City would have to know anything about Yarmouth. More importantly, never try to imagine an American complaining about how Canadians don't know anything about America. Deny that you are angry because you hate the fact that Canadians need to know about Americans and that Americans don't need to know about Canadians. Instead, demand that the U.S. government should enforce laws that would make all Americans watch the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian programs like the Dini Petty show, and, of course, the Molson commercial.

Sit around with people who think like you and then try to define your identity with statements like: "Yeh, we've got Pamela Wallin." Never imagine Americans defining themselves by saying how they "have" a certain talk-show host. This simply would never happen and the reason for it is too painful for a good Canadian nationalist to explore. So just stay away from this issue. Instead, say things like: "Yeh, we've got medicare." Imagine that this somehow defines your identity.



Tip #4—Watch the Molson commercial over and over again.
Invite a group of Canadian nationalists over to your house and play a videotape of the Molson commercial. Play it over and over again. All of you should say the words aloud along with the commercial. You must do this with a virulent and tenacious dogmatism. Play the commercial over and over again, roughly about 200 times, and chant the words in the commercial until you work each other up into a frenzy. Then storm out into the street and start shouting the words of the commercial with a ferocious vigilance. Imagine that this event is at the epicenter of world civilization. Do not try to reconcile this belief with the fact that you are somewhere in northern Saskatchewan.

Go to parties where nothing else but the Molson commercial is being discussed. Approach people by saying certain phrases from the commercial and then listen to them repeat other phrases of the commercial back to you. Then say a different phrase from the commercial, or—and this is the best part—say the same thing you said the last time, or the same thing he/she said the last time, but put a different tone on it. There are endless possibilities to this, so be creative. Do this back and forth all night with everyone. Never tire of it, and never actually get a life.



Tip #5—Put down American television.
Sometimes you should take a rest from repeating quotes from the Molson commercial and condemn American television. But keep watching it. Then, one day, suddenly refuse to watch American television and tell everyone about it. Convince yourself that you are making a very powerful social statement and that everyone is in complete and utter awe about your courage and dedication to such a heroic political principle. Never consider the reality—which is that people just feel sorry for how out of touch you are.

As you grow increasingly bored by denying yourself the luxury of American television, buy a satellite to start watching Japanese or Albanian television. Try to convince your friends to watch it with you. When this fails, force yourself to watch Canadian television, but of course never watch hockey, the most Canadian game of all, since it is the favorite of lowbrow non-intellectual types like Don Cherry. True, Cherry and his beer-drinking fans are Canadian nationalists but, unlike you and your better-knowing friends, they are the wrong kinds of Canadian nationalists. They lack anti-American fervor. In fact, Cherry should be censored to prevent his politically incorrect brand of nationalism from spreading among the unenlightened masses.

Instead, watch endless reruns of The Littlest Hobo. Laugh hysterically during parts of Canadian comedy that are simply not funny whatsoever—just to show what a proud Canadian you are. While you are privately agonizing over what you are missing on American television, laugh more and more frantically while watching Canadian comedy. Do not be concerned when your laugh gradually transforms into a neurotic and pathological whimper, and then, in turn, into a violent fit of rage. When this happens, just get into a fetal position and shake and squirm, all the while reminding yourself about how you different you are from the Americans.

When you finally start watching American television again, rationalize that you are "keeping an eye" on the enemy.



Tip #6—Get back to saying how you are not like "those" Americans.
Don't forget to do this. You are a good Canadian nationalist and you are not like "those Americans." Constantly say things like: "We're different, we're not like those Americans. We've got better social programs." Say this over and over again, and make sure the people you hang around are also saying this over and over again. All of you should try to sound like a broken record. Look down at the people who aren't saying this over and over again. Say that they are suffering from "false consciousness" and then take the moral high ground. You are, after all, not like the Americans.

At this stage, it is absolutely crucial for you to define yourself according to who you are not, rather than according to who you are. In other words, never try to define your own identity through positive intrinsic terms—just define yourself in opposition to Americans. Never say what exactly you are without bringing up Americans. Just keep the little-brother complex going on and on, forever and ever.

Sprinkle in lots of meaningless statements while engaging in your exhibitionism of non-Americanism. Say things like, "Oh yeh, we're not like the Americans, we're really multicultural." Never figure that America is multicultural as well. If anyone brings this up, just say that Canada is "more" multicultural, and believe that when you say something it automatically makes it true. More importantly, while priding yourself on your incredible tolerance and "multiculturalism," do not wonder how all of this fits with your outright and categorical rejection of American culture. Do not consider what your anti-Americanism actually says about your "multiculturalism."



Tip #7—Imagine that you are a victim of American "imperialism."
I cannot stress this enough if you want to be a good Canadian nationalist. You simply must see Canada as a victim vis-à-vis the United States. You must. You can become really good at this if you do visualization exercises in which you imagine how oppressed you are by American "culture." Imagine that you are a victim of American sitcoms. Convince yourself that you deserve the ultimate claim to martyrdom.

Never compare the Canadian experience with the reality of, say, the Ukrainian people vis-à-vis the Soviet empire. This will confuse the issue. Never wonder how lucky Canada has been to be a U.S. ally and neighbor, whether it is in the context of the standard of living caused by American investment, or of the advantages received from American military might throughout World War II and the Cold War. Just enjoy the luxury that American superpowermanship has afforded you. Then despise the Americans.



Tip #8—Oppose Quebec separatism for the need of self-definition.
Oppose Quebec separatism, and never, under any circumstances, consider that your position is largely based on the knowledge that, without Quebec, English Canada would lose its last pretence of possessing any unique characteristics whatsoever. Also never consider that without anti-Americanism, Canada might just cease to exist altogether—and that you yourself might lose your entire reason for being. So oppose Quebec separatism with a fanaticism that is completely disproportional to the matter at hand. You simply must, for if Quebec separates, you might never again be able to say, "We're not like those Americans" without someone responding "Oh, and how is that?"



Tip #9—Avoid the reality of being an American.
While you are engaged in your important journey of self-definition, don't be concerned when you agonize privately at night about the fact that you are actually an American. This is natural. These haunting thoughts will come to you when you are alone and do not have the distraction of articulating meaningless slogans with your like-minded friends. Just hold on. Never seriously question that you might actually be an American in everything but name. If the reality gets too painful while you are alone late at night, immediately call another Canadian nationalist on the phone. Start talking about the Molson commercial and then distinguish yourself from "those Americans" by bringing up Margaret Atwood. Talk about Atwood with your friend into the late hours of the night. Romanticize her existence. Talk about her as if she has developed some kind of an original or profound idea. Never mention what this idea is. Just say how she is the "Canadian Dostoevsky." Ignore the reality that no one outside of Canada, except for maybe four people, has even heard of her. When you finally get off the phone, slip under the covers and repeat the words of the Molson commercial like a rosary prayer or a Hindu mantra. This is better than counting sheep and will help you get to sleep.

The next day, engage in every and any anti-American criticism you can possibly think of. While doing this, ignore the fact that almost every anti-American sentiment you can possibly formulate has its origins in America. Push this fact out of your consciousness because, if you don't, you might realize that anti-Americanism is exported from America—that it is indigenous. You don't want to know, by any means, that Canadian anti-Americanism is actually an American phenomenon, and that Canadian anti-Americanism is the creation of Americans themselves—from the Loyalists to the Vietnam draft-dodgers, and all the others that migrated North to nurture a revulsion against their own society and institutions. By denying all of this, you will never have to accept the fact that your hatred of America is actually not unique or original in any way, and, more frightening yet, not even Canadian. All of this is too dark and deep. It is your greatest and most tragic nightmare: your anti-Americanism is, when all is said and done, American. The truth can be a very painful thing. So just stay in denial. After all, remember: the Canadian nationalist’s greatest desire is to be told lies.

Most importantly, laugh hysterically while watching endless reruns of Canadian comedies like Wayne and Schuster. Laugh when it's not funny. Laugh even if you are bored out of your mind. Force yourself to laugh. Be a good little Canadian nationalist.



Tip #10—Watch the Molson Commercial.

[RUEZ]

ManifestDestiny wrote:

I am shocked no one has said "well its not that he hates Americans, he hates G W Bush"

That is the loonies typical disclaimer isn't it?

[Wally_Sconce]

I think this guy is a kook

[Toro]

Quote:

Never mind that earth-friendly technology already exists to once and for all end dependence on oil, coal and nuclear energy from huge, out-of-control utilities and corporations.

I stopped right there.

Its not a serious letter. I'm embarrassed they put the word "Canadian" in the title.

[lostalex]

if everything this guy writes is true, and what most Canadians say about their strong moral high ground is true, then why is nothing being done?

i think this letter could have just as plausibly been written as "A Californian's Letter to Texas".

Some Canadians unfairly characterize America, while at the same time unfairly characterizing Canada.

As a liberal American, nothing urks me more than seing supposedly "aware" people generalize all Americans, when the fact is, Americans were protesting these same issues raised BEFORE any canadians or brits or any other supposedly "enlightened" country was protesting and raising concerns.

Please get off your high horse canada, and realize you have plenty of bigoted conservatives in your own country, or was harper not elected??? was blair not elected for a second term?? was Howard not relected??? was sarkozy not elected???

okay, america is not the only country that is experiencing a rise of conservatives. the entire relevent western world has elected conservatives into power since 2003. this is not just an American problem.

[sasquatch2]

darkrob

Quote:

He seems like one twisted individual. Seems he has a few complexes that need attention. He is definately a mental health candidate.

No big deal....Streaker got published....

My concern is the the US has a well deserved rap for it's one fault....most of it's citizens have little or no knowledge beyond their borders---in fact are largely ignorant of matters within their borders. Thus publishing this mental case's rant will give a lot of otherwise nice folk a very distorted view of Canadians.

Carolin Parrish' antics were widely publicized there as well.

I have to explain to my US contacts that this is the result of turning mentally challenged folk loose, in the interest of economy. Those who actual visit here are really surprised to hear this sort on nonsense but then admit that the US harbours Micheal Moore and Noam Chumpsky........

All is not lost however.....The upside of 911 if there can be....was that many jetliner loads of americans were stranded in Maritime Canada. They were flabbergasted that joe six-pack wandered into the terminals, struck up a conversation and then took whole families home. By the grace of God these frightened, disoriented, stranded souls got a deep immersion contact with Canada's nicest people.

THAT'S MY CANADA!----not that piece of crap that wrote that letter.

[DrCaleb]

sasquatch2 wrote:

Carolin Parrish' antics were widely publicized there as well.

Completely out of context too. Did you explain that it's your friends news services that made the mountain out of the anthill?