Cool it, Canada

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | April 22, 2003 | BILL O'REILLY

[Chi-townChief]

Oh, Canada, what the heck is going on? In a staggering display of in-your-face defiance, the Canadian government now says it will not turn over to the United States any members of Saddam Hussein's crew should they eventually show up in Canada, including the evil dictator himself! Canadian Minister of Defense John McCallum bluntly told the world that his government would give Saddam only to the World Court in The Hague.

This non-provoked belligerence comes after Prime Minister Jean Chretien gleefully pilloried the Bush administration over fighting Iraq every chance he got. Chretien and his cohorts have made no secret of their disdain for Bush, and the Canadian press has generally been brutal to America in portraying the war.

In response, President Bush has canceled his May trip to Ottawa, and it would be wise not to send him an autographed picture of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team anytime soon. That's because Montreal fans recently booed the national anthem before a match with the New York Islanders, causing some angst among American hockey fans.

But it doesn't end there. When a group of Boston kids went up to Montreal to play in a peewee hockey tournament, they were not only taunted by the Canadian kids, but also by the referees. Eh?

Do the Canadian people have any idea how close they are to serious pain here?

Canada's economy is utterly dependent on the United States, and Americans pump more than $10 billion directly into it every year. Nine million of us cross the northern border more than 40 million times annually, and we buy lots of stuff. And that stuff is heavily taxed by the tax-and-spend Canadian government. So what happens if we all emulate Bush and just say no to the land of snow?

Canada's economy melts, that's what happens.

A loosely organized boycott of French goods by some Americans has brought immediate pain to the wine and travel industries in that country, according to business titans in Paris. One analyst told me that French wine consumption in the United States is down 10 percent, and travel to Paris is off by more than 20 percent. Since the French economy was growing at just 1 percent before Jacques Chirac began his quest to embarrass America, a French recession is now likely.

If the same economic pressure were applied to Canada, the results would be much more intense. Simply put, if Americans cut back doing business with Canadians, that country could go into a depression.

And herein lies the problem. Most Americans don't want to hurt working-class Canadians. It is Chretien who's the problem, and he's out of office in less than a year. But there comes a point when enough is enough, and Canadians should understand that storm clouds are gathering to the south. Humiliating American kids in a hockey rink is simply not acceptable. Thumbing your nose at 127 dead Americans in Iraq by making defiant statements about where Saddam should be extradited is not a wise policy.

Millions of Americans are beginning to realize that their buying power can be used as a weapon against people who are hostile to us. No American is under any obligation to buy any product--foreign or domestic. I'm sure the Molson beer people understand that Budweiser fits in the cooler as well.

So I am giving the haughty Jean Chretien one more chance because I have always liked and respected the Canadian people. I am not going to travel north this summer, but I'm not boycotting Canadian products as I am with France. But hear this, Mr. Prime Minister: One more cheap shot, one more unnecessary taunt, one more insult directed at the United States by you or your minions, and I'll give you a very accurate long-range forecast. It's gonna get mighty cold mighty fast west of the St. Lawrence.

Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show ''The O'Reilly Factor.''

[Chi-townChief]

"Millions of Americans are beginning to realize that their buying power can be used as a weapon against people who are hostile to us."

I'm not a big fan of O'Reilly (although I do find his show entertaining) but this is kind of an interesting reverse-angle take on the "trade weapon".

[schaketo]

NEVER FORGET! Here’s what I sent the candy a$$ via USPS using 3 U.S. Flag stamps.

Office of the Prime Minister
Attn: Jean Chrétien, the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Canada
K1A 0A2

Dear Mr. Chrétien,

Just a quick note to ensure you understand millions of Americans will never forget you and your country’s cowardice.

We have always considered you an ally and a friend in the past. That perception has recently shifted for all times. And trust me, it is permanent.

I and millions of other Americans are now encouraging our elected officials, President Bush’s administration and business leaders to change their thinking about Canada. You will see in the future a new punitive approach towards our relationship with your country.

Don’t expect a public announcement regarding this shift. But it will happen.

With friends like Canada who needs enemies. We are quickly discovering who our real friends are. It is not you or your country. I imagine a few years down the road there will be hell to pay for your position in the history books and your political parties future.

We’re tired of your slander and your weak knees.

Yours truly,

[Pharmboy]

I am boycotting Canadian bacon. OK--is there anything else they do up there?

[Always Right]

Don't worry, Canada by signing up for Kyoto is already doomed. That treaty will drain billions and billions and billions out the Canada economy in the name of fraudulant science. The liberal elitists are so smart.

[Kozak]

ATI technologies. Good chance your computer has an ATI video card. Too bad I bought a new computer in January, if I knew then what I know now that card would NOT be in it....

[Sunsong]

Don't travel to Canada. Just say no to vacations and visits to France II (Cannuckistan).

[Dog Gone]

Exactly right. Kyoto will cost Canada billions. Snowbacks will cross our borders to mow our lawns, eh?

[Chi-townChief]

I was kind of surprised to find that the GM F-body Camaros and Firebirds were manufactured in St. Therese, Quebec. I'm looking for a used one but that gave me pause.

[lilylangtree]

Top Ten Reasons Canada Refused to Join the USA and the Coalition Forces:

10. We have no way of getting there.
9. We're too busy at home with the maple syrup season.
8. Iraqis don't drink Labatt's beer.
7. Saddam's name pronounced backwards is "Mad Ass". We'll
stay away from him.
6. There is only limited potential for sales of Canadian
bacon in Iraq after the war.
5. Our Sea King helicopter was damaged and needs repairs.
4. Céline Dion can't sing to the troops because she has a
contract in Las Vegas.
3. The rivers in Iraq are too shallow for our war canoes.
2. Our army is needed at home in case of another snow
storm in Toronto.


And the Number ONE Reason Why Canada Did Not Join the USA in the War on Iraq








1. HHEELLOOOO! HOCKEY PLAYOFFS ARE STARTING!

[TalBlack]

Saddam is, of course, dead but if he weren't and he somehow got to Canada and the Canadians were evil and stupid enough to refuse to turn him over, I would attempt to persuade Americans to take up arms and go get him. I would lead the charge. I would enjoy this IMMENSELY! Actually, now that I think of it, I'm sorta' hoping that he ISN'T dead and he IS in Canada!

[Political Junkie Too]

From the Mark Steyn column Welcome to Anglo-Saxon reality:

France, Germany, Russia, Belgium and Canada are not on the side of peace or morality or the Iraqi people. The pictures from the streets of Baghdad make that plain. But we are on the side of TotalFinaElf. Twice in recent columns, Diane Francis has mentioned, almost en passant, a curious little fact:

The Western oil company with the closest ties to the late Saddam is France's TotalFinaElf. That's not the curious fact, that's just business as usual in the Fifth Republic. This is the curious fact: As Diane wrote in February and again last week, "Total's biggest shareholder is Montreal's Paul Desmarais, whose youngest son is married to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's daughter."

Let's see if I've got this straight: TotalFinaElf's largest shareholder is a subsidiary of Montreal's Power Corp, whose co-chief executive is Jean Chrétien's son-in-law, Andre Desmarais. Mr. Desmarais' brother, Paul Desmarais Jr., sits on the Total board.

For months, the anti-war crowd has insisted that "it's all about oil," that the only reason the Iraqi people were being "liberated" was so that the second biggest oil reserves in the world could be annexed in perpetuity by Dick Cheney and Halliburton and the rest of Bush's Texas oilpatch gang. Instead, it turns out that, if it is all about oil, then the principal North American beneficiary of the continued enslavement of the Iraqi people is the family of the Canadian Prime Minister -- that's to say, his daughter, France Chrétien, and his grandchildren.

-PJ

[sarasmom]

er, they are called snowbirds, not snowbacks.
They come here,to Florida, during the winter, torque off all the waiters and waitresses because they dont tip,fill all the coin machines with worthless Canadian quarters,say snide things about the local citizens, and complain the entire time they are here on vacation about all the foreigners around them, who are not near as snotty as they are, buy a few slums to rent,and go back North when it gets a little to hot for them.They are the least popular visitors in paradise.We semi-officially banned the French long ago.
Snowbirds, not snowbacks.

[birdsman]

Many, if not most Canadians disagree with their government's actions. The province of Ontario (and possibly others) has passed resolutions supporting the U.S. and condeming their own government for not joining us in the war. Yes, there have been anti U.S. outbursts at some hockey games, but then again, there have been even more anti U.S. outbursts in our own country and in the Peoples Republic of Hollywood. Relax, because our true friends up north will show their support for us in their next elections.

[Dog Gone]

Snowbirds are seasonal and they go back home in the summer. I definitely meant snowbacks, as an equivalent to the term often used for illegal immigrants from Mexico who also have no intention of returning home.

[Lucas1]

Quote "Many, if not most Canadians disagree with their government's actions. The province of Ontario (and possibly others) has passed resolutions supporting the U.S.
and condeming their own government for not joining us in the war. Yes, there have been anti U.S. outbursts at some hockey games, but then again, there have
been even more anti U.S. outbursts in our own country and in the Peoples Republic of Hollywood. Relax, because our true friends up north will show their
support for us in their next elections."

Exactly....

[sarasmom]

oops! My misstake then.
I know few Canadians who stick around down here when it gets uncomfortable.

[alwaysconservative]

Many, if not most Canadians disagree with their government's actions. The province of Ontario (and possibly others) has passed resolutions supporting the U.S. and condeming their own government for not joining us in the war. Yes, there have been anti U.S. outbursts at some hockey games, but then again, there have been even more anti U.S. outbursts in our own country and in the Peoples Republic of Hollywood. Relax, because our true friends up north will show their support for us in their next elections.

I agree wholeheartedly. Most Canadians are really ashamed of the actions of their stupidly liberal government, and are strong supporters of the US. Oh that everything west of Quebec would secede!

[SuperSonic]

Some Canucks run amuck.

[jagrmeister]

Let's just be happy that O'Reilly is on our side. This guy is like a mafia don. His show is among the highest rated on all of cable and he uses his bully pulpit mercilessly but not excessively. I've noticed how, like Limbaugh, he is careful to pick his fights. But the language he uses: whether its warning Clinton not to meet with Chretien in Latin America or "bad things will happen to you" or telling some Canadian journalist on his show (after talking possible trade sanctions) that "I wouldn't want the Canadian people to get hurt" (similar to: 'Nice store you have here...it Would be a Shame if something Were to happen to it). He has a great way of bringing home the issues to people.

[goodnesswins]

Yes....many Canadians are ashamed of their "leaders"....one of our friends from BC sent us the article about the Seattle City Council passing a "Support the Troops" measure after all the Iraqi cities had fallen into coalition hands....it kind of works both ways. Many Canadians KNOW they cannot SURVIVE without their US friends, economically....and hopefully, will now have more of a reason to change the current political landscape.