Ottawa's backward anti-Americanism

Written By: jensonj
Date: 2005-12-31 14:51:00
<a href="/article/165100712-ottawas-backward-antiamericanism">Article Link</a>

The party's only hope is to cast itself as Mother Canada, protecting her vulnerable and insecure children huddled for warmth along the American border. Which makes one wonder what ever happened to Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's 1904 forecast that, "The 20th century shall be the century of Canada." Laurier must be turning over in his grave. A century later, his countrymen remain so culturally insecure and politically adolescent that they may once again fall prey to such crass politicking. Canadians need to grow up. And they need to do so quickly.

Canadians are perfectly entitled to disagree with President Bush on any issue, as increasing numbers of Americans are want to do. Legitimate complaints, such as those over softwood lumber, are one thing. But incessant finger-in-the-eye poking from Canada's political elite is not only patronizing but also clearly masochistic.

A foreign policy that plays exclusively to domestic ears does considerable, if not yet irreparable, harm to Canada-U.S. relations. The darts directed at Washington are morphing into a political boomerang threatening to damage Canada, herself.

<a href="http://washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20051229-083622-3770r">http://washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20051229-083622-3770r</a>

[Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on January 2, 2006]

This should stir up the regulars. Canadian nationalists are kind of like their Quebec counterparts in this way. The ultimate score for left-nationalists in Canada would be for some Americans to stomp on or otherwise mistreat a Canadian flag.

Perhaps some of you could try to persuade some Americans to do so. I'm sure you could find some folks there who would fall for some Mercer-esque dishonest set-up.

Well, I as well as anyone I have met in this country of Canada or who have grown up in Canada has always felt that there will be a time that the US will attack us.

It has never been a matter of if but when. With all the rhetoric that may go here and there this is a fact that is never to go away, but like a prophecy that has yet to be fulfilled in time.

It is a matter of dancing with the devil, half truths and a play on great words of friendship and loyalty.

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Perception is two thirds of what we perceive reality to be.

Difficult decisions are a privilege of rank.

I am a proud socialist Canadian, but its gotten to the point in the last year or so that I care less and less what anti-liberal propoganda comes out of the U.S. I mean I think a lot of Canadians were concerned about comments coming out of the U.S. about Canada and our politics, but its silly now. I see these postings as a ploy by the neo-cons whos party the republicans are going down, and theyre trying to to keep a foothold, and support their agenda through Stephen Harper. A lot is going on with the U.S. these days, and not only with Iraq. South america seems to be electing one socialist leader after another, much to the distain of the U.S. And it seems down there that the more the leaders go agains the U.S. the more popular they are. Obviously the situation and relationship between the U.S. and latin american countries is a lot different then ours, and I dont hink that our leaders should be bashing the U.S., more like they should be bashing the neo-cons and neo-leberals in that country, but we have them here too, so its never going to happen. I dont think we should be too concerned by articles like this, these are scare tactics by the business community, and frankly their just getting old. Though who knows, articles like this might be good for the country, maybe it will add the th pile of things that will hopefully, one day wake up the eyes of Canadians to see whats going on,.. or maybe not. Canadians dont hate Americans, they hate corruption and the mistreatment of others to benefit a few. We have the same people here in Canada.

Liberal red-necks in Canada like the anti-American schtick, but it is getting tiresome. Especially since the Liberal Party, the Party that pledged to improve Canada-U.S. relations, are going negative and campaigning against George Bush as a last resort to draw attention away from Liberal corruption like insider trading, theft, fraud, influence peddling etc. etc... Plus the fact that the Liberal party has no vision whatsoever beyond retaining their privelege and power at all costs to Canada.

12 years of Liberal rule has been very costly for Canada - the separatists have gained a lot of ground due to Liberal stupidity. The economy is doing well at the moment in spite of the Liberals - not because of them. Paul Martin was not a very good Finance Minister because all he did was raise taxes and cut health care spending - a child could have programmed a laptop to do that.

Stupid article, as the basic premise of it is false.

The Post says Canada can point out fault, but not be smug or for political gain. Ok, i can agree with that, but they never bother to ask the important question. What would Canadians say if we were not starting illegal wars, torturing people, lying to the world and ignoring trade deals? Answer, probably nothing.

Maybe they should take one dose of look in the ****'in mirror and see your problems as they are pointed out to you instead of complaing about being told about them.

And before the screech squad goes off about Canada's problems, I say line them up in point form and tell me which nation has the serious problem and which has rather minor and easily fixed problems. You know the answer even though you won't admit it.

<<Which makes one wonder what ever happened to Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's 1904 forecast that, "The 20th century shall be the century of Canada." Laurier must be turning over in his grave. A century later, his countrymen remain so culturally insecure and politically adolescent that they may once again fall prey to such crass politicking. Canadians need to grow up. And they need to do so quickly.>>

Hey, can't disagree with that.

The rest of the article is simply written from the 'what good for the USA is good for the world' perspective that most outside the U.S. grew tired of hearing years ago.

Pretty much the nonsense one can expect from the Cato institute although, I'd have expected a 'senior fellow' from the institute to know the difference between 'want' and wont'.

Maybe it has something to do with the 'deliberate dumbing down' mentioned by Milton in a forum thread.

Except for the quote above, nothing about the article is worth discussing.

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"When we are in the middle of the paradigm, it is hard to imagine any other paradigm" (Adam Smith).

"Well, I as well as anyone I have met in this country of Canada or who have grown up in Canada has always felt that there will be a time that the US will attack us."

Decades of anti-American rhetoric on the part of Central Canada's left-lib elites will do that to you. It's a classic strategy - create an external enemy to distract you from internal corruption and abuse of power.

Perhaps you want the US to invade, so that you can feel justified in your fear and hatred. But as long as you keep that flame of nationalist paranoia alive, Liberals will continue to screw you and the rest of us with impunity. It's a shallow diversionary tactic, and you guys swallow it hook, line and sinker.

And it would seem that you and I obviously run in different circles. Most people I've met think of "Manifest Destiny" as something from their history books in junior high and high school.

There are examples of manifest destiy today, look at the situation in south america, the U.S. attempted to assassinate Huge Chavez, and now the entire region is becoming socialist. I dont think manifest destiny is dead at all, i think theres all kinds of backward logic still used by some people in power in the U.S.

Chavez is a Castro wannabe. Bolivia just elected an indio cocaine grower. Both use the USA as a whipping boy to frighten the masses - just as Canada's prime minister and Toronto's mayor blame the USA for the Toronto gang crimes.

Please dont compare our situation with the U.S. to latin americas, because it just shows how truly ignorant you are anonymous. Countries in latin america are completely justified in attaining social reforms, much of the economic problems there are due directly to U.S. intervention in the hemisphere. Chavez has been working with castro and now evo morales to attain a more social society then the one that exists. I suggest travelling to latin america and seeing for yourself how people live there and have lived since the Spanish were there. Or you could just read a book.

The comparison of Canada's masters manipulating the masses by blaming America, just as Chavez does, is valid. 
 
I've been there (Central America, Caribbean, third world countries) many times. 
 
Have you? I doubt it. Why don't you go, and help build the worker's paradise? 
 
<a href="http://english.eluniversal.com/2005/12/29/en_eco_art_29A649039.shtml">http://english.eluniversal.com/2005/12/29/en_eco_art_29A649039.shtml</a>

"tell me which nation has the serious problem"

Yours! Asshole.

This article comes from the Cato Institute, one, and one of the most important, in a string of a hundred, or more, so called "prestigious, conservative, economic think tanks", including the Fraser Institute. These were established in the '70s to stop the spread of democracy and promote the neoclassical economic theories of Milton Friedman and the Chicago School, combined with the neocon/neolib ideology for world control.

With a yearly budget of about $15. million, the Institute is basically a lobbyist, propaganda organ for the replacement of democratic governments with so called "libertarian", global, multinational, corporate dictatorships.

They hate Canada on account of our publicly owned, Crown land base, social safety nets, medicare, lack of huge armed forces, ready to defend the continent from dastardly invaders lurking in the shadows, like Denmark, and our token environmentalism.

In other words, anything that comes out of the Cato Institute is basically the same propaganda promoted by the media outlets controlled by people like Rupert Murdoch.

Garbage in, garbage out, not worthy of debate, or comment.

Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC.

I do not subscribe much to conspiracy theories, and I am not sworn or committed to any "ism" be it conservatism, socialism, zionism or any of the multitude of others. I believe in the value of the individual human being and their absolute right to the best quality of life possible, uncircumscribed by the greed or selfishness of a few more powerful or more fortunate.

It seems to me that a person who chains him or herself to any one of these ideologies soon becomes narrow and extreme. Their position and world-view becomes the only one they can accept, and before long, no matter what their belief, they find themselves with more enemies than friends. Rather than forwarding the cause they love so dearly, they bring it under critical scrutiny and assault, and the more forceful they become in its defense, the more they hasten its eventual downfall.

It is this inevitable course of events that is at the root of most negative feelings towards the United States in the world today. Certainly any such sentiment which exists in Canada has not developed in a vacuum.

America has moved beyond being the proponent and booster of unbridled neo-conservatism capitalism to being its violent enforcer and avenging angel. Many of the things they have done in that role since the advent of the Bush administration strike ordinary people from Canada to Europe to Asia and the Middle East as being just plain wrong. That's why they feel as they do, and speak out as they do. It is certainly not a uniquely Canadian phenomena, or any sort of Canadian failing, as this writer suggests.

Even in countries which claim to be strong American allies, it is usually an small, elitist, wealthy, market-dominent minority which comprises the government and the ruling class, and they are, with one or two notable exceptions, not at all representative of their people or their opinions. And those opinions are strikingly similar to those of many Canadians (and many millions of Americans too).

I keep on saying it; most Canadians are NOT anti-American in any way, shape or form. They just share with world a great deal of alarm, concern and sadness over the way their friends and neighbours are behaving. Nothing, and I mean nothing, would make Canadians happier than to see America abandon its role as brutal, vicious, vengful enforcer of something fewer and fewer people want, and return to being a beacon of light, liberty and prosperity to all, as it has been for much of its history.

Unless and until that happens, the present unhappy state of affairs will persist, notwithstanding even the most strenous efforts to change it.