Canada Flies Below Washington's Radar Over Israel & Lebanon

I agree. Canadians (both politicians AND the general public) need to stop this obsession with 'what do the Americans THINK of us!' It was so hysterically ridiculous when we anguished after the Bush 9-11 speech when he 'failed' to mention Canada as an ally.

The truth is, they don't give a rats about us, we are about as important to them as Luxembourg, despite our huge shared border and our trade economy with them.

Not saying that they SHOULD be so ignorant of us, I think it's just a typical arrogant American attitude towards most other countries.

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“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous, the essential act of warfare is the destruction of the produce of human labour”

They just want cheap and unfair access to our oil and gas and water and minerals and ... take that away, and they'll notice.

Yeah, just keep feeding the beast with Canada's resources and it will remain happy. I wouldn't trust the American Government downplaying Canadian support.<br />
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I think McKay is looking at the Middle East issue a bit too simplistically. Most well informed Canadians know damn well it is a little more complicated than a democracy versus thug argument. Especially when you consider the fact that most "democracies" are the ones acting like thugs these days. <br />
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You know, the Conservative Government should, just once, try writing their own press releases.<br />
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As an example, below are links to three articles where three different Jewish rabbis use the cancer comparison for Hezbollah. I guess it's just a coincidence that McKay also uses the same word. First they were copying Washington word for word, now they're copying the Rabbis. Yeah, this Government really has Canadian interests in mind.<br />
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McKay and his Con Men need to get a bit more creative and start writing their own content. Then maybe we could try and believe their half ass explanation that they're not taking their marching orders from elsewhere.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/NEWS/607250329/1134">http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/NEWS/607250329/1134</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-litens0714,0,6673234.story?coll=ny-main-bigpix">http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-litens0714,0,6673234.story?coll=ny-main-bigpix</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060801/Vancouver_synagogue_060801/20060801?hub=Canada">http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060801/Vancouver_synagogue_060801/20060801?hub=Canada</a> <br />

I followed the bottom link, and the first thing I noticed was how much the picture of Harper reminded me of Ralph Klein in both pose and facial expression.

Made me wonder if they were seperated at birth or at least related.

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"and the knowledge they fear is a weapon to be used against them"

"The Weapon" - Rush

<p>Sergeant,</p> <blockquote>The truth is, don’t give a rat’s about us, </blockquote> <p>given the current administration in Washington, just how much attention <i>would</i> you like to receive?</p> <blockquote>Not saying that they SHOULD be so ignorant of us, I think it’s just a typical arrogant American attitude towards most other countries.</blockquote> <p>It may well be a typical attitude, but chalking it up to arrogance might itself be an act of arrogance. There are tens of millions of Americans who live 1000 km or more from the Canadian border, and who mostly aren’t that concerned with where their vehicles*, fuel, lumber, actors in their favourite films, &c. come from, as long as such products can be readily purchased within a reasonable distance from their homes. (<i>Ignorance is bliss</i> is probably closer to the mark for the overwhelming majority.)</p> <p>* — They might have a preference to purchase vehicles from the “Big Three” manufacturers over their competition, but are highly unlikely to discriminate between vehicles assembled in Canada and vehicles assembled in the States.</p><p>---<br>Shatter your ideals upon the rock of Truth.<br />
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— The Divine Symphony, by Inayat Khan<br />

<p>rearguard,</p> <p>I freely admit that given a choice between buying inexpensively and expensively, all other things being equal, I’d choose the former; however, that choice is not always mine to make. My municipal power utility buys electricity from Hydro Québec, and to my knowledge pays a higher “wholesale” price than individual Quebeckers pay “retail”. (See <a href="http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php?story=20050912140320182#c36294">here</a> for further details.)</p> <p>Whether this contract is unfair or not will be determined by the time this contract expires, I suppose; so far there’s been absolutely no discussion of forcing a renewal of the contract through the trump of NAFTA’s proportional-sharing clause.</p><p>---<br>Shatter your ideals upon the rock of Truth.<br />
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— The Divine Symphony, by Inayat Khan<br />

>>Chris Sands, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. "Even if Canada were to go to a more traditionally unfriendly position vis-à-vis Israel...would it make a difference to the United States? ((Canada is largely discounted)) on these things. It has always been a little bit less helpful and so I don't think it would be a big issue.

"You have to remember that ((Canada is not a global player))," Mr. Sands added, "but maybe sort of a small regional player similar to Denmark or the Netherlands, and so Canada's position is one that is somewhat discretionary."<<

I think this summed up is that PM Harper and his Conservative Party objectives didn’t work, that Canada being part of the Coalition in Iraq or not meant nothing and never was the point with Bush and USA and the situation between Canada and the United States of America has not changed except that we now do as we are told, think what we are told to think and follow when we are told to follow.

Status queue!

This is the result of many Government Parties trying over decades to appease the United States of America instead of following and making our own destiny.


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

Difficult decisions are a privilege of rank.

Yup, your probably right.

And I don't mind being called arrogant, for thinking that the Americans are arrogant.

And I would say that arguing that I should be afraid of them in one sentence and glad we are under their radar, and in the next claim I am arrogant to think they are arrogant, is a little contradictory?

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“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous, the essential act of warfare is the destruction of the produce of human labour”

I think it was the Israeli military that first compared Hezbollah to a cancer. They stated that they couldn't have a ceasefire now, because they were in the middle of an operation to cut out a malignant tumour, and they couldn't just stitch the patient back up with only half of it cut out.

This is now apparently being echoed across the world by jewish rabbis. Sayanim every one? It appears they got the fax, anyway.

The really sickening part of this analogy, btw, is that the Lebanese civilians are the 'meat' they are forced to cut through in search of the disease.

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“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous, the essential act of warfare is the destruction of the produce of human labour”

<p>Sergeant,</p> <blockquote>I would say that arguing that I should be afraid of them in one sentence and glad we are under their radar, and in the next claim I am arrogant to think they are arrogant, is a little contradictory?</blockquote> <p>first, I didn’t state that <i>you</i> were arrogant; I’d claimed that your statement of having chalked up Americans’ ignorance to arrogance <i>might</i> be arrogant. Since I can’t read minds, it would have been the apex of arrogance for me to state that a “proud contempt” definitively and undoubtedly motivated your statement.</p> <p>More to the point, I don’t see the contradiction in my two statements. Call me an ignorant American ;*) , but would you explain the contradiction to me?</p><p>---<br>Shatter your ideals upon the rock of Truth.<br />
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— The Divine Symphony, by Inayat Khan<br />

If you agree with the concept of nationalism and democracy, then the nations resources should be owned by the people. As an owner, I freely admit that I would expect to pay a much lower price for my own natural resources than the price I would sell to outsiders.

Canadians should be much more wealthy than they currently are, given that they are sitting on a virtual gold mine.

I really cannot understand why I'm paying such high taxes when Canadas natural resources are being bought up by foriegn controled corporations, or why our natual wealth is being diluted by importing millions of foreigners, when the cost of having our own children is so high that the natural population count is falling.

Once our natural resources are all burned up for cheap, what then? We should be worried about our children, because they'll be the ones wondering why Canada was sold off to the highest bidder (or lowest).

Note: I don't disagree with importing foreigners which can often be a very good thing for any country, however it has to be intelligently managed and done for a good reason that truely benefits all Canadians in the long term. What I see happening is a knee-jerk reaction to solve a low population count at best, or at worse a deliberate attempt to ruin the countries sense of nationalism.

Funny how "nationalism" is now supposed to be a bad word, associated with racist views. I do agree that nationalism can be a very bad thing when taken to an extreme, on the other hand if the people have no sense of ownership in their country, then the proper management of that country will become impossible. As an owner I will care, but as a disenfranchised surf, I could not care less and I'll look only after No. 1. A democracy simply cannot function without a high sense of nationalism as no one will bother to go out and vote. During the last two elections, record low voter turnout may be a symptom of our perceived loss of national caring.

Currently, I feel more like a disenfranchised surf, forced to pay taxes to very wealthy and corrupt masters, than a true participant, and that's just not healthy for any country.

As for the subject at hand about Harper idiotic and amoral stance flying under Washignton's radar, I'll bet $100 that most Canadians would prefer that our 23% elected leader should stand tall and do what's morally right rather than bending over backwards to satisfy a 100% unelected master.

<blockquote>I freely admit that I would expect to pay a much lower price for my own natural resources than the price I would sell to outsiders.</blockquote> <p>Fair enough. Do you simultaneously condemn outsiders for desiring less expensive alternatives?</p> <blockquote>I really cannot understand why I’m paying such high taxes when Canada’s natural resources are being bought up by foreign controlled corporations, or why our natural wealth is being diluted by importing millions of foreigners, when the cost of having our own children is so high that the natural population count is falling.</blockquote> <p>A few years back I compared income tax rates between Canada and the USA. There were only a couple of percentage points’ difference between the two federal tax rates; the real differences came in comparing states vs. provinces. Vermont has the highest marginal state income tax in the States, yet it is still considerably lower than those of most provinces.</p> <p>Does Stats Can offer a comparison of birth rates between recent immigrants and native Canadians?</p> <blockquote>Funny how “nationalism” is now supposed to be a bad word, associated with racist views.</blockquote> <p>There are several definitions of <i>nationalism</i>; which one do you have in mind?</p> <blockquote>… most Canadians would prefer that our 23% elected leader should stand tall and do what’s morally right rather than bending over backwards to satisfy a 100% unelected master.</blockquote> <p>Undoubtedly. The problem is that the beliefs embodied in <i>politics have no relation to morals</i> and <i>there are no morals in politics, there is only expedience</i> still hold sway.</p> <p>---<br>Shatter your ideals upon the rock of Truth.<br />
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— The Divine Symphony, by Inayat Khan<br />