3.03.2005

the hatfields and the mccoys

Two articles from ALPF form an interesting juxtaposition. On the one hand, we have a report by "a high-level group of 70 American and Canadian opinion leaders" (what exactly is an opinion leader?) called "Renewing the U.S.-Canada Relationship".

The report says that Canada and the US are increasingly reliant on each other, yet increasingly distrustful. According to the PR News Wire summary, "the report notes that emergence in the United States of a worrisome anti-Canadianism, but the problem 'pales beside the disturbing and persistent currents of anti-Americanism in Canada.'" Ah, those disturbing and persistent currents. That's what you get when you let fascists throw elections. Summary about the report here; report itself referenced on URLs in that story.

On the other hand, we have a Canadian in a lather about John Manley and the Task Force for the Future of North America. I haven't heard of this nut job Manley before, so I don't have a context in which to place him and his grand scheme to merge the US, Mexico and Canada. (Take a wild guess who gets control?) But in this article on ViveLeCanada.ca, an anonymous, possibly tin-foil-hatted, author says:
...Policy recommendations that will finally kill off the meager amount of political sovereignty that remains in Canada after years of corporate-driven NAFTA rule. ... Here is what the corporate-state leaders want from their immediate neighbours. They want control of everything they don’t already control through NAFTA, like Canada’s water and Mexico’s oil. They want to further integrate the military command structure of Canada and Mexico into US power. Using "security concerns" due to the never ending, so-called "War on Terror" as an all-encompassing excuse, they want to harmonize immigration and foreign policy.
He drifts off into a general rant about the US, impending fascism, and a country "where the citizens re-elect a war criminal president and don’t seem to care about the killing of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis in an unjustified and illegal war? Where reports of torture elicit little outrage yet suggestions of same-sex marriage provoke hysteria?"

This is disturbing. The author should know that at least half of American voters did not vote to elect a war criminal, and millions of us care passionately about the war. There is no general hysteria over same-sex marriage; that stems from a tiny, but influential minority. It's disturbing that this author doesn't distinguish between a government and a people. No one blames Koreans for Kim Jong Il, or Iraqis for Saddam Hussein. Please don't blame us for W. Believe me, we hate him more than you do.

He concludes:
If Manley fails, another will surely pop up. As long as the moment is here, the man will appear. It is up to those who want Canada to survive to change the moment, to inform and encourage the citizens to rise up and stop the destruction of their national political space and their popular sovereignty. When John Manley can no longer suggest destroying his country in order to save it without destroying his political career, we will know that the time for a more independent Canada has arrived.
So while I wouldn't be too concerned about John Manley, this article's outraged tone speaks volumes about some Canadians' image of the US.

Meanwhile, Ontario passed the pit bull ban. Time to buy Buster a Golden Retriever costume to wear over the border. Not that he's a pit bull or anything...!

12 comments:

Kyle_From_Ottawa said...

What scares me is the possiblity of the U.S. running itself aground.

The U.S. government is bleeding red ink on all levels, its military is stretched to the breaking point across the globe, its leaders seem intent on a utopian quest to remake the world in their own image, American consumers are up to their eyeballs in debt, and the rumor is Iran is going to be invaded in June.

If the U.S. invades Iran, that's the end of U.S.-Europe alliance. Unlike Canada, Europe (and Asia) is more than strong enough to stand on its own. I'm afraid we Canadians will be stuck riding a sinking ship called America and there won't be any lifeboats.

I'm probably being melodramatic, but there is an awful lot of red flags going up.

laura k said...

Well, the US is running aground. I think that much is clear.

Some of what you say - such as American consumers being in massive debt - is nothing new, and isn't changing no matter what the political climate.

Most people think that the Iran campaign will be covert, a stealth operation, not a ground war.

But yes, there are tons of red flags going up, there have been for a long time, as the US moves away from democracy. I don't think it's melodramatic, I think it's obvious.

What I don't understand is your characterization of Canada riding a ship called America. You play to that image of Canada as a kind of 51st state. Why?

Rognar said...

Actually, John Manley was a highly-respected Liberal MP and cabinet minister from 1988 to 2003. He was even our deputy prime minister for two years. He took a run at the leadership of the Liberal party in 2003, but dropped out of the race when it was clear Paul Martin would win. He retired from politics at that time.

Rognar said...

Kyle is right, Canada has a largely export-based economy (like Japan, but unlike the US). Over 80% of our trade is with the US, so as the US economy goes, so goes Canada's economy. We are a de facto economic colony of the US.

Kyle_From_Ottawa said...

We're not a 51st state, but the U.S. is our economic lifeblood. We tried diversifying 30 years ago, but places like China and Europe weren't ready yet.

They're ready now (although I don't think Rob believes me), but I'm iffy if we can diversify in time. For now, most of our eggs are in the American basket, and if it goes down that's very bad for us. If they don't though, and we can diversify we won't have to worry about every economic snifle south of the border. We're approaching one of those moments in history where both the opportunity and the risk are extermely high.

Rognar said...

China and Europe, what a choice. An emerging market with a human rights record that makes George W. Bush look like Desmond Tutu or a moribund, economic has-been with a growth rate less than half that of the US. The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.

laura k said...

John Manley - thank you! Now that you put it in context, I do recall the name. This story makes him sound like a wacko, but obviously he's more than that. I'll read up.

Economic lifeline - fair enough, I see what you mean. But in that sense, Canada is not tied to a sinking ship. The US's import economy will continue. It's democracy is in an extremely sad state of affairs, but the dependence on imports is only going to increase.

But either way, I'll bow out of this and maybe you guys will discuss it where you usually do. :)

laura k said...

The US's human rights record is probably about the same as China's right now. Both abominable, but China's got the booming (exploitive) economy.

And as much as I generally respect your opinion and perspective, Rob, your description of Europe is right out of Neocon 101. Give us a break.

I personally find this discussion incredibly boring and am going elsewhere...

Rognar said...

Don't get me wrong. There is much that is admirable about Europe. But the economy of the EU has been in the doldrums for decades. Some of that has been the problem of trying to integrate the weaker economies of Eastern Europe, but a lot of it has to do with socialist economic practices of countries like France and Germany. Germany's unemployment rate is now higher than Canada's, something that would have been unthinkable 20 years ago. This isn't a neoconservative perspective, it's simply a conservative perspective.

Kyle_From_Ottawa said...

Moving onto another subject, I hope you can bring Buster in without problems. The media's gone all ga-ga about "murderous, bloodthirsty dogs".

laura k said...

Oh thank you. It's a little scary, and makes me somewhat nervous. Buster is perfectly safe, but, like a lot of animals who suffered early abuse, he doesn't let strangers touch him. Although the people who love and trust adore him and think he's a great dog, he wouldn't pass any temperament tests.

He is never off the leash except in the apartment, and we are scrupulous about keeping him out of any situation where he might freak out or cause others too (eg, groups of boisterous kids). But still, if people are hysterical, by definition they aren't seeing things rationally.

We might give him a mild sedative before we physically drive over the border - and when we first meet our new landlord...

Anonymous said...

What's the matter with drinking a little blood? ...

"These fingers are making me thirsty!"