Attention Canadians: How are You different from US Citizens?

I would advance . . .

that most Canadians remember the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
inflicted by the same good ole US of A on the 240,000 innocent Japanese men, women and children,

that now so loudly protest the killing of 3,000 American people in the world trade centre in 911.

I would advance . . .

that most Canadians are a more open minded people than most Americans.

that most Canadians are more respectful of other people than most Americans.

that most Canadians are more passive and less agressive than most Americans.

that most Canadians can't understand how a country like the USA can re-elect a leader who takes them to war on lies, who has put their economy in the dumper, who has driven their national debt to unprecedented levels, who has raised the cost of healthcare for its masses while reducing the income taxes of its wealthiest high income earners, who has destroyed the country and its people's image and reputation the world over, who rejects his own people for loving one and other (gay men and lesbian women), who spends hundreds of billions of dollars on a war of no purpose while his homeless people die daily on the streets of his country, while thousands of his people die of HIV-Aids, while countries the world over cope with mass starvation, genocide and more HIV-aids, while global warming irreversibly changes his country's environment say nothing of the world's, while his actions cause his currency to fall, oil prices to rise to record levels, while he takes jobs from those within his own country to give to others out of country so as to lower costs for big business, who stands there and grins like a child who just messed his pants and then declares he's done it working hard for his people.

that most Canadians are smart enough to see that America's leader is an idiot, a liar, a war mongering killer, a profiteer, a homophobic, a confessed alcoholic, and . . . oh yes, a right wing religious zealot calling himself a good Christian!

that most Canadians are proud to be Canadian because we keep doing the right thing by not supporting the USA while its lemmings stumble along playing follow the leader.

One of the big differences I noticed back in the seventies when I spent a great deal of time in Canada was that God in his infinite wisdom....(nd this also goes for the American girls who live close to the Canadian border) has given Canadian women by and large much bigger breasts and an extra layer of sub cutaneous fat....besides helping to keep them warm it makes them softer and more sensuous than other women....I dig it.....

I will concede that the Canadians I have observed on these threads are very kind, respectful, and inclined to see the positive side of things -- when they are lavishing this kind of praise on themselves.

One sees an entirely different set of qualities when they are speaking about others.

Are there some words that better describe these behaviors ...?

Funny, Lola, I had to cash a cheque the other day, and forgot my bank card and ID. The girl at the desk didn't know me, and we spent some time finding someone there who did, so they could authorize the cash. We did eventually find a manager who had seen me before, and all was well. Before I left, I said to her "thank you for patience" and she said "no, thank you for yours." It's the Canadian way.

Why do I see some internal contradictions here? Just considering this and a few other threads about Canada, a dispassionate observer would have to conclude that most Canadians are much more critical of their neighbor than are most Americans. Polite? Open-minded? Respectful of others? One cannot find evidence of these virtues on this thread. Are most Canadians this self-righteous, narrow-minded, and judgmental?

HIV AIDS is a worldwide problem and it is not the creation of either this country or the Bush administration. My understanding is that Canadians die of it as well. Shall I fault your government for that?

Canadians enjoy, by a large margin, the highest per capita energy consumption in the world - much higher than here in the United States. Are we exclusively to blame for your fantasies about global warming?

I have not ever observed an American on these threads who has referred to Canadian political leaders as "Idiots" or "killers" or who has referred to Canadians as "lemmings". Yet such intemperate mud-slinging is rather common coming from Canadians. Could it be that your self-image as polite, non-aggressive, considerate folks needs a little updating?

U.S. is eager to take further trade steps with Canada, says Rice
08:31 PM EST Jan 18
BETH GORHAM

WASHINGTON (CP) - Condoleezza Rice, in hearings Tuesday on her nomination as the top U.S. diplomat, said plotting the next phase of the free trade pact with Canada and Mexico is central to America's fortunes.

"As we have watched Europe and the European Union integrate its economic policies, I think it has raised questions about what the future can look like for NAFTA," she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"I would look forward to having extensive discussions about how we improve the competitiveness of North America as we face competition from the rest of the world."

Rice, one of President George W. Bush's closest confidantes as national security adviser, also highlighted progress on the so-called smart border accord that seeks to nab terrorists without slowing trade.

"I remember in the very first days after Sept. 11 that some of our efforts to secure the border were actually very quickly going to prevent commerce and so we needed to find the right balance."

Her words will likely offer solace to some in Canada who've worried about all the bilateral trade deals beyond the continent that Americans have been pursuing in the past few years.

And her emphasis on balancing security with commerce is a balm after the sting of past criticism that Canada wasn't taking terrorism seriously enough.