Yesterday was President Obama's first visit abroad, and it was to our neighbor to the North.
Obama:
I came to Canada on my first trip as President to underscore the closeness and importance of the relationship between our two nations, and to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to work with friends and partners to meet the common challenges of our time. As neighbors, we are so closely linked that sometimes we may have a tendency to take our relationship for granted, but the very success of our friendship throughout history demands that we renew and deepen our cooperation here in the 21st century.
Harper:
On the thickening of the border, I just want to make this clear -- and I want to make this clear to our American friends -- not only have we since 9/11 made significant investments in security and security along our border, the view of this government is unequivocal: threats to the United States are threats to Canada.
The first meeting of the two North American Leaders was, by all accounts, a love-fest. And rightly so. Canadians are the kinder, gentler North Americans. Man, I love me some Canucks and I love me some Obama. There's a lot of ugly going on in the world right now, but yesterday's press conference was a beautiful thing. Yes we Canada!
18 Responses to “Friday Open Thread: Canuck Edition”
Hey, what's the capital of Canada? Washington D.C.
And I may have to move to Canada in June.
Kindler and gentler? Maybe smellier (of maple syrup) and more likely to succeed in intramural hockey.
We could go to war with them and take them tonight, but there'd be heavy civilian casualties when the Canucks have their civil war over who gets to drive the tank.
Pwnt.
IRE: Ottawa
Zaid..before all that happens Ontario would break free, and make French the official language and Quebec it's capitol.
And of course the Baldwin brothers would die in a daring Canadian air raid.
But we'd still have Adam, so it's cool.
No Jules, it's, never mind...
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/20/slumdog-oscars/
I was kinda pissed the little kids didn't get paid well and didn't get to go on the awards circuit. If they win I hope they get to go up on stage = )
Today was the bi-annual Filene's of Boston's "running of the Brides" which as now gotten so big they have to hold it at a convention center.
The team began lining up before 3 am..
It takes serious dedication to participate in this ritual.
http://www.boston.com/...le/weddings/gallery/briderun09/
I think they moved it to the Hynes Convention Center because the Filene's Basement where the running usually takes place is closed for renovations.
Is this the best this crowd can do with Canada? Pwnt?? Yeah. Please.
It's naturally escaped the attention of many that behind the Brits, it's the Canadians who are one of the few nations in the world actually willing to consistently fight & die for OUR & Nato's cause in Afghanistan. They've lost at least 108 brave soldiers there so far. Moreover, those peace loving Canucks have also fought beside us in allied coalitions all throughout the 20th century, from WW1&11, to Korea & even in 'Nam.
And yes, for their minuscule armed forces, they're always willing to serve the world over, in hot spots and wherever the UN needs peacekeeping troops.
Despite this, & jokes about overtaking 'The Great White North' belie the fact that besides a wealth of celebrated comedians they've sent streaming south in recent decades, we've always not so secretly coveted their vast supplies of natural resources. So Yes, the US had 'active' invasion plans kept by the War Dept. until 1931. The Navy recently reprised this grand tradition by wryly noting that due to global warming & the naturally Northward shifting growing regions of North America, that starting by about 2050 if not slightly later, much of core of the wheat, corn & food crop growing regions would be safely located within Mid & southern Canada.
And yeah, there's also quite a spirited resource arms race going on for the Arctic too, also due to global warming creating the first real easily navigable 'Northwest passage' in over several 1000 years. The unrequited dream of famed European explorers for at least 600 years has been finally achieved. If you wanted cheaper shipping while dodging the few remaining Polar Bears, it's here.
And the place has been recently reasonably run by Liberals for much of the last 20 years, hence they had a surplus up until this past year, and their market is one of the few that have lost the least in the recent crash.
Ergo, Canada; Not just a great place to visit, a good idea & a decent investment too! There's not many places that we can say the same about either. Cheers, JMP
Being from that region, like most people in that region, I don't think NATO is doing anything except stirring up shit in Afghanistan but whatev.
BTW learn to do a patriotic american circle jerk every now and then mate.
On that note, in the "what the fuck" department:
http://thinkprogress.org/...20/kagan-afghanistan-deaths/
As usual, the typical moronic & needlessly nonsensical blatherings we've come to expect from Z. More great Obama pics of the visit here via the CBC.ca at the link:
[http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/news/1990/].
And happily, I'm not yer 'mate' Z. What part of the Taliban's wondrous program or governance do you support? Is it the blowing up of girls schools, or just the killing of their teachers & intimidation & murder of innocent students? Perhaps the systematic planned destruction of cultural heritage of the nation? Or the autocratic expansive imposition of a certain kind of wickedly reprehensible Sharia Law? Do tell? Hmmm? JMP
Not supporting military solution to a political problem that has only increased the popularity of terrorist-folk = YOU SUPPORT THE TALIBAN!!111
More strawmen from resident British-wannabe?
Yeah I'm trying to toe down on the ad hominem on here because most of the folks are really cool but you pissed me off, Princey.
Other Prezs in Canada Here:
[http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/canada/1987/]
And Z, Let's take this slow, so even you can follow it.
Where was Osama Bin Forgotten ON 9-11? In Afghanistan, as the preferred guest of the cruel & tyrannical Taliban leaders who had previously refused to give him (or his Al Queda compatriots) up to any sort of justice for his alleged terrorist attacks & dealings Prior to the 9-11 attacks. So, Protecting & harboring a well known terrorist mastermind who caused the deaths of over 2,500 Americans, just a 'minor political problem' to your mind perhaps.
What happens to Afghanistan will involve plenty of politics, no doubt. It's been a particularly savagely neglected & poorly fought war, but it's the only one we've got that's yes, justified. You tell us differently, and then tell us how we were supposed to respond differently.
'Stuff was already well stirred before we got there, and will probably remain so long after we're gone. Now what & how this has anything to do with 'a patriotic american circle jerk' as you claim is beyond me. Again, you tell me. JMP
We met this Chinese-Canadian guy on an airplane, and he was still pissed off that W. visited Mexico before visiting Canada. Apparently, it's considered a sacrosanct tradition that U.S. Presidents go North on the first official visit.
"Now what & how this has anything to do with 'a patriotic american circle jerk' as you claim is beyond me."
I think he meant hating on Canada. Self-proclaimed intellectuals should practice some reading comprehension and also keep a strong model of mind in their back pocket.
Hating on canadians is a proud American pasttime, and yes, Canadians do it to America, too. It's all in good fun.
As for those concerned about Waziristan/Baluchistan (there is really no "Pakistan/Afghanistan/Iran" to the Pashtun), I reccomend you read this by two women who are both concerned about the region's women and understand the foolishness of NATO's chosen strategy:
http://www.thenation.com/...an_women_and_girls?rel=hpbox
The pomp-and-circumstance guy might think better than to call a Bihari sympathetic to the Talibanis, but that would require a level of sophistication that the guy doesn't have. Doing pomp and circumstance bullshit is faux politeness, it's condescension. Accusing those who disagree with policies of being on the side of people like the Taliban really are no better than those in 2003 who accused me of being in Saddam Hussein's pocket after I (mostly) accurately predicted everything that would happen in Iraq as a result of an unprovoked US invasion.
It has no place in civilized discourse.