Posted on 11/20/2010 10:20:27 AM PST by Daveinyork
If you travel to France, as I did last week, a French dinner companion will eventually tell you: "We were all so proud of America when you elected Barack Obama president." It's a condescending thing to say, but the sentiment springs from an affectionate place, and I myself am proud that my native land two years ago affirmed its vigorously multicultural character, repudiating, if only by proxy, its racist past, something no one is likely to do in France, Italy, Germany or England anytime soon.
What I don't like is when American expatriates tell me that Mr. Obama's election made them proud to be Americans again. This not only implies that Mr. Obama's predecessors were wicked or incompetent, but that patriotism is an exclusively partisan activity. It's like only loving baseball the year your team wins the World Series.
My love of country has nothing to do with who's running the government at any particular time; the Americans who make me most proud are Louis Armstrong and Willie Mays and Elvis Presley and Mae West. This is the country that gave the world Katharine Hepburn, "Surrealistic Pillow" and freedom from Germans.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
It has to be humbling to be the little poodle whose doghouse is butt up to superdog's palace.
In context a bit:
During the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, Canada was infested with Brit soldiers who liked to use Canada as a launching point for invasions down some river valley or the other.
After our Revolutionary War, Canada became one of the primary go to places for former colonists who remained loyalist. The Canadian towns and cities got a rather significant boost in pop after that war.
During the Civil War, Canada was a haven for Copperheads. More than a few raids were launched from Canada into American towns along the border, with full knowledge of the local yokels in the Canadian gov.
Being our neighbor hasn’t cost Canada a damn thing worth counting and has saved them bushels of grief... and defense spending.
Personally, I’m not a Canada hater. Gots lots of respect for the Canadian soldiers, past and present. But I do get rather tired of hearing the Chomsky type selective history crap when it comes to Canadian vs American relations.
“But I do get rather tired of hearing the Chomsky type selective history crap when it comes to Canadian vs American relations.”
Let me know if you ever see any; I’m no fan of it either.
During the Revolutionary War and 1812, Canada wasn’t infested with British soldiers: it was British, and didn’t have nearly enough soldiers (hence we burned their capitol, causing them to reciprocate in DC). During the Civil War, Canada was much more of a haven for escaped slaves than Copperheads. Having studied the history of the northernmost skirmish of the Civil War (in St. Alban’s, Vermont), it turned out to be more about bank robbery than a real battle. Our Civil War was responsible for truly binding Canada into a nation, as they knew pieces could be picked off (and they could do nothing about it) unless there was a stronger confederation.
I’m no America hater, but we often have an oversimplified view of the relationship to Canada. In view of the reaction to Soviet missiles in Cuba, could you imagine them in Ontario? We have much to gain with a practically unarmed northern neighbor, much like England does with an unarmed Ireland to the west.
Yep. Canada was a Brit possession and rather well slathered with Brit soldiers in both the Revolutionary and 1812.
The Revolutionary War saw Brit troops stomping their way down the St. Lawrence River. The same was planned for 1812 to meet up with the forces landed in Louisianan as they trooped north.
The people in Canada saw Americans as traitors to the British Crown after the Revolutionary War. The former American colonists that fled to Canada helped solidify that sentiment after the war.
During the Civil War, Canada was, in fact, a haven for Confederate symps. There were raids that launched out from Canada into US towns. Americans were killed in those raids. Bank robbery, random terror, attempts to force a redistribution of Fed forces, all that came into play, of course. The banks being robbed? Yeah. Nothing to do with the war, except, you know, to feed the Rebel Cause with the cash it needed so desperately. The raids weren’t all that effective, but that’s not the issue here, is it? The issue is that Canada is not just some innocent victim in all this. Never has been.
The local yokels in Canada were fully aware of the shenanigans and not only didn’t try stopping them, they’d often pitch in and help.
During both the Rev War and 1812, the territory of Canada was fully fair game, rules of war wise. It was Brit territory with Brit soldiery and a staging place for invasions into the US by an enemy that the US was engaged at war.
The really sad part is that the US didn’t have the manpower to do the job justice in either of those wars. Closing with and destroying an enemy is the general purpose of war-fighting and Canada, at both those times, was, in fact, a militarily important possession of our enemy.
During the Civil War, Canada was as close to being an ally of the rebs as possible without actually signing a formal treaty. Informal enemy at the very least.
No innocence there. Not even a bit.
Oh, and on the Soviet missiles in Cuba? Yeah, I’m sure Ontario had something really relevant to say, seeing as how NONE of their cities were at risk.
The oversimplification of views of Canada/USA relationships do tend to be all one way, don’t they? America the bad, Canada the poor innocent victim.
Pardon me, please, for being rude and snide. Or don’t. No real matter to me either way.
That's BS. Many Canadians served with the Union army during the Civil War. Some, because in that era wealthy northern families could pay to have someone serve in their stead (a popular option considering the carnage), others because they felt it was a just cause.
“That’s BS. Many Canadians served with the Union army during the Civil War.”
I said Canada, not Canadians. The gov of Canada was still tied at the hip to the UK and the UK was leaning heavily toward the south in that fight.
The US has benefited from a flow southward of good solid men in nearly all the wars we’ve fought. There’s more Canadians in our military than most folk realize.
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