NFB: A Canadian's view on the bombings in London.....

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

This is a letter to the editor as appeared in the July 15th edition of The Prairie Post here in Swift Current, Saskatchewan... Titled.."How would Canada feel?"

"I wonder how Canadians would react if we were invaded by two superpowers, our major cities reduced to rubble, our resources sold to the lowest bidders and one hundred thousand of our people killed.
Would we respond with acts of terror on innocent civilians to the invading countries?
I hope not. Killing innocent people can never be justified. But how many of us would react rationally when our children are being killed, maimed and starved?
The only way to stop terrorism is to put an end to our own acts of terror.
Right now the United States and Britain are two of the world's biggest terrorist nation but Canada is not far behind.
Within just ten years we have invaded countries in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Haiti. None of these invasions were authorized by the United Nations and were justified.
Don't think for a minute that these unlawful intrusions have gone unnoticed by those that kill innocent civilians in reprisal.
Why is it that when a few dozen are killed by bombs in London it is terrorism but when Briton kills a few thousand in Iraq it is not?
Will we correctly blame Canada's foreign intrusions if someone bombs us?"


Some people just don't get it. "Why is it that when a few dozen are killed by bombs in London it is terrorism but when Briton kills a few thousand in Iraq it is not?" CAUSE THEY ARE SHOOTING AT US, YOU FREAKING DOLT!! By the way, it's spelled B-R-I-T-A-I-N, halfwit. Man, people like this just make me irate. They just can't see the forest for the trees. "None of these invasions were authorized by the United Nations and were justified." Oh me a river.....the United Nations is an impotent, bureaucratical organization led by the cowardly and greedy. i.e. France and Germany. This is one of the reasons I can't wait to move back to Texas. This is far too often the opinion held by most Canadians: "The Americans are evil terrorists and Bush is an idiot." If I didn't happen to marry a Canadian woman who, along with the rest of her family, were for the war and don't think Canada isn't doing enough to help in the war on terror, I don't think I could stand it here. I can only take so much American bashing before I want to hurt someone.....

[Joe 1320]

Todd, maybe you could enlighten me. Every winter here in Florida, we get an influx of folks from Canada. I've been dealing with them, some as clients for the last 17 years. It seems that most are bitter complainers who do not seem to be happy at all. Everything is a complaint...... about the money exchange rate, about America, about everything in general. What is it about their environment that seems to make them so bitter? Why continue to come down here if America and it's people are so hated? Please don't take that as a bash.... I'm on a mission of understanding the society.

[ryan34]

I wonder if people actually listen to them selves before they talk

[Crazy Canuk]

You can't group all Canadian's together because of one persons opinion on things.

Another thing is that in North Amarica your into the 2nd generation of people away from WW2. So younger people don't have contact with anyone whos seen real hardships that could compair to a 3rd world country. They think that if you talk to people they will understand and can't understand that some people just want to hurt others and thats it. If you go over to the middle east/africa it's not uncommon to see dead bodies on the side of the road, over here you can't even imagine that happening anywhere.

I know alot of people who said we should have went with the US into Iraq but I know alot that didn't agree with it. Thats a privlage of having a free Society.

[Bug Lover]

What is it about their environment that seems to make them so bitter? Why continue to come down here if America and it's people are so hated?

I agree - if it's so bad in the US, why do they come to Florida for the winter?

My Dad's family is originally from Canada - there's a reason they moved to the US permanently - I think it's freedom.

[Coop '02Z]

Joe, one thing you won't do is offend Todd with those questions, he is Texan through and through. Which actually makes him a pretty good source for info since he is able to observe the whole culture over there more from the outside. I had lots of questions for him when we had lunch last time he was in town.

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Coop is right, Joe. Don't worry about offending me. Half the time I have to be careful what I say to keep from offending my wife. I'm not sure what is the cause of all the complaining that some Canadians do. I have noticed since moving here that I hear ALOT more complaining about the Government, City...provincial, and federal, than I ever heard while living in Texas. I live in a community where farming is the main industry, so you have tons of farmers. And let me tell you, farmers could be olympic complainers. I dunno...I had a conversaion/argument with my wife and one of her friends the other day about how I believe that I hear MUCH more anti-American sentiment here than she will ever hear of anti-Canadian sentiment when we move back down there. She didn't think I was right. I KNOW I am. I hear more comments like..."Stupid Americans" (Which is the way a great majority of Canadians see us...why? Because we don't know a great deal about them or their country...that's a whole other post in and of it'self ) I also hear that Americans are so arrogant and full of themselves, that we think we are the only country in the world, etc.etc.etc. Basically...we suck. I don't think Jodi will ever hear anything like that directed her way once she is down there. It's unreal....I dunno, Joe.....maybe it's the winter weather and the fac tthat the federal government is a joke here and that the west is screwed over while the east hoardes all the money and gets all the breaks, that sort of stuff. I just know that I am glad my stay here isn't permanent.

[scottyz28]

Joe.....maybe it's the winter weather and the fac tthat the federal government is a joke here and that the west is screwed over while the east hoardes all the money and gets all the breaks, that sort of stuff. I just know that I am glad my stay here isn't permanent.

Please tell me that you are joking. You are speaking based on opinion and not facts. I have lived on both the east and west coasts of Canada and for you to say such a thing is a slap in the face to people on the east coast. Have you ever been to the east? If you have I'm certain that you would have noticed the lack of federal funding for everything from infrastucture to something as small as highway maintenance. While it may seem that the east "hoardes all the money and gets all the breaks" we certainly do not have any type industry that can provide the kind of income that is generated by the oil industry in the west. This results in us having to pay 15% tax on pretty much everything but groceries and our gas prices soaring to an absurd $1.029/litre. So where Todd are these breaks that you speak of?

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Please tell me that you are joking. You are speaking based on opinion and not facts. I have lived on both the east and west coasts of Canada and for you to say such a thing is a slap in the face to people on the east coast. Have you ever been to the east? If you have I'm certain that you would have noticed the lack of federal funding for everything from infrastucture to something as small as highway maintenance. While it may seem that the east "hoardes all the money and gets all the breaks" we certainly do not have any type industry that can provide the kind of income that is generated by the oil industry in the west. This results in us having to pay 15% tax on pretty much everything but groceries and our gas prices soaring to an absurd $1.029/litre. So where Todd are these breaks that you speak of?

I am just quoting your fellow Canadians in the East. Like I said, I'm a Texan. I couldn't really care less what happens with the Canadian government, unless it comes down to what I am paying it in taxes and the parts of it that affect the city I live in. Didn't mean to offend you. Like I said, I am just regurgitating what I hear around here. The whole Canadian east vs. west thing really kind of baffles me.

[markd79ta]

The guy who wrote this article has little analytical ability, and speaks from nonfactual emotion. I typically won't converse with these kinds of people.

For instance. If the US ever reached the point where we had a violent dictator or a regime that was killing people and burying them in mass graves or flirting with killing others with biological or atomic weapons or funding groups of fanatics h*ll bent on killing innocents and children, and because of this, several countries of the world decided to invade the USA to put a stop to it; I would not call this terrorism but a military action based on a violent culture creating world instability. Certainly, I would protect my home and family from invading forces, but the military action is not terrorism. Heck, I would be grateful that this oppression is over as many in Iraq feel. Military action that targets military installations and personnel is war and there are rules in war. Action that targets civilians randomly in subversive attacks is the act of cowardly butchers...it is criminal.

The comparisons and conclusions of this guy's argument are so incredibly flawed it is worthless reading. If the USA, the United Kingdom or any of its allies were invading counties to take land and resources while killing civilians at random...then yes, we got a serious problem. But, this is not the case, the "so-called" invasions this guy speaks of represented a problem often the USA's involvement was to protect the civilians from the butchers. These people don't understand the war on terror. In their little bubble world, terrorism would go away if these people get what they want. One thing that can not be done is appease butchers that have ambition of domination...we tried that in the 1930s and it didn't work out so well. There needs to be collective resolve on ending the terror threat...if terrorists win, we are in a lot of trouble. Winning for them means public opinion stopping the war on terror, and it will get a lot worse.

When I went to school and lived in Washington state, I knew a lot of Canadians. I don't recall any bad feelings. However, that was a decade and half ago. It is kind of a bummer to hear people talk about ill will among the two neighbors. I wouldn't want to live under the Canadian government (ever), but I sure thought the people that I knew were very nice.