"Scout" wrote in message
...

| * You are 100% correct! Yet we are also accused attacking, unprovoked,
and
| I don't hear many outside the U.S. offering us the same courtesy you
| propose.

Maybe they understand that America as a whole views courtesy with contempt.
If you step on their foot they won't ask you if you did it on purpose or
not.... they'll punch you and brag about it.




| *That's coming dangerously close to using statistics to prove something
that
| isn't obvious otherwise, and we all know what that ugly American Twain
said
| about that! What would you say is the Canadian equivalent to our Statue of
| Liberty? When did this mass immigration happen? Why did so many Europeans
| chose America over Canada?

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades..... America invited
immigrants... Canada has never done so.

| * You've heard the words "no man is an island?" Neither is Canada. What
| happened next door to you sure as hell did have an effect on your own
| political outcome. You may recall we served the same crown for a time. We
| didn't care for it. We fought it. Canada is a better place for it.
| Furthermore, I think England and France became better places for it.
That's
| my opinion, as I've stated previously, but I think I could develop that
into
| a fairly convincing and supported thesis. This is not a slight against
| Canadians either, it's just the way things worked out.

I can concur with that viewpoint.... to a degree. Canada was never in the
same development situation as the USA. Our nation was formed on the
requirement of natural recourses and their supply to England. Our climate
made for much more difficulty in development and I doubt the effect of your
revolution had as much impact on the way we were governed as you might wish
to believe.

| I'm confused here, I was using labor unions as an analogy. I have seen
first
| hand, how non-union workers have enjoyed increased salary and benefits for
| no other reason than to keep unions out of a work place. By that
reasoning,
| non-union workers reap the benefits of the union struggle, and all without
| lifting so much as a finger. That pattern is not restricted to labor.

It's probably due to my experience with regimes that demand blind patriotism
from their members and promote a blind hatred and defined roles to the
exclusion of common sense and freedom of choice. Unions had their time and
place... but frankly.. as I've stated at a union meeting before. we could
get better bargaining and accounting of our dues if we hired a legal firm to
negotiate the contracts instead of red neck, ignorant, uneducated idiots
with personal agendas and links to organized crime.

| * I could rephrase your question and say how can you be so ignorant of
human
| behavior?

The problems with being an optimist...

| I'm no expert on Canadian politics, but I'm not completely in the dark
| either. What are you calling 'Inception?' 1867? Nearly 100 years after
our
| Revolution?

Yes

My point being that the rule of the crown softened much after
| the U.S. affair. For Canadians to remain under the rule of the crown until
| 1931, and not have full independence until that recently, is surely a sign
| of a kinder, more gentle crown. Do you think they just woke up one
morning
| and decided to be nice to the colonists? That's like saying we have the
| civil rights amendment here because we suddenly realized some Americans
were
| being treated unfairly. Sounds good, but it didn't happen that way.

Not really... the factors cannot be corralled into such a narrow POW. France
was on the side lines and willing to take over the riches offered by this
country. The British Empire had to keep Canada if only to stem the growth of
the USA. I doubt it was the kinder gentler diplomacy that resulted from your
revolution.

| * Oh we can take it Baby! And don't kid yourself, you'd make a great
| American! Hey, with all that drinking and pot-smoking, geez, you could be
| one of my cousins!

You're not the first person who has said that about me. I've always admired
the self confidence exhibited by Americans.

| * Likewise, I'm glad we share this common freedom! I've handed my own
| brother much sharper criticism than I've offered here. I think, I hope,
what
| you are really saying is that you don't approve of our leaders, at least
at
| this point in time.

Keep in mind it's the nation that elects the Leaders.... I don't approve of
your direction as a nation.

As for most Americans, most are working too hard to feel
| superior, or inferior for that matter, to anyone. I really think that
| feeling is being projected unfairly onto us. I mean, if we felt superior
| wouldn't we know we felt that way? Seems like it would be impossible to
not
| be conscious of it.

It's called blind patriotism and I doubt if you were raised under it you
would be aware of it's effects on others ... let alone yourself. To raise a
point... during the tall ships festival here in Halifax there were many
boats from all over the world. All displayed their Flags of origin. The
American vessel had a flag that was huge in comparison... I'm talking a
third the size of the boat. The impression from a seven year old on my
boat.... "Who the heck do they think they are flying a flag that big...
this is Canada not the States and they're just being rude by showing off"
he was very upset.. with no prompting from the adults!

CM