Our "friends" at Fox news have taken their pot shots and one of their points was that Canada could relax because we shared a border with the U.S.
I'm posting Silver Donald Cameron's response to (then) Ambassador Paul Cellucci when he made a similar comment.
To: Ambassador Paul Cellucci,
Embassy of the United States of America,
490 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, Ont.
DEAR MR. AMBASSADOR:
Your recent remarks about Canada's policy with respect to Iraq were inaccurate, inappropriate and offensive. Prime Minister Chretien is maintaining a delicate balance between U.S. pressure and Canadian opinion - a familiar position for Canadian prime ministers - and he will not tell you to go pound sand. But someone should.
Fundamentally, you argue that the United States would instantly come to the aid of Canada in an emergency, and Canada should therefore participate in your ill-advised attack on Iraq.
"There is no security threat to Canada that the United States would not be ready, willing and able to help with," you are quoted as saying. "There would be no debate. There would be no hesitation. We would be there for Canada, part of our family."
Codswallop.
And that's being diplomatic. The primary threat to Canadian security has always been the United States. A monument in Quebec honours my earliest Canadian ancestor for repelling an invasion from your home state of Massachusetts in 1690. The very first instance of military co-operation among the 13 colonies occurred in 1745 under the leadership of James Shirley, your predecessor as governor of Massachusetts, whose army invaded Nova Scotia and captured the Fortress of Louisbourg. Thirty years later, during the American Revolution, your privateers sacked our ports. We were at war once more in 1812-15. The birth of Canada in 1867 was prompted by fears of a U.S. invasion. That's why our railroad runs along the Gulf of St. Lawrence, far from the U.S. border. Do you remember manifest destiny, the 1840s U.S. doctrine which held that your country had a God-given mission to rule all of North America? Do you remember "Fifty-four-forty or fight," the slogan that rallied Americans to threaten an invasion in 1902 over the Alaska boundary?
Yours is the only country that has ever invaded ours, and it would do so again in a wink if it thought its interests here were seriously threatened. And how does your sentimental mantra of perpetual willingness to spring to our assistance apply to the First World War, which we entered in 1914, while you stayed out for three years? We went to war against Hitler in 1939, while you were moved to join your sister democracies only after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor two years later. A million Canadians fought in the Second World War, and 45,000 died.
We need no lectures from Americans about the defense of liberty and democracy.
Nevertheless, despite the strains of our history, we are probably as close as any two nations in the world. Many Canadians - I am one -have family members who are American citizens. Our two nations fought together not only in two World Wars, but also to repel the invasions of South Korea in 1949 and Kuwait in 1991. And when great catastrophe strikes without warning, our people have indeed been there for each other. As governor of Massachusetts, you must have been present at the lighting of the Christmas tree in Boston each year - an annual gift from Nova Scotia to commemorate the immediate and massive assistance of Massachusetts after the Halifax Explosion in 1917.
Our chance to reciprocate came on Sept. 11, 2001, when Canadian communities took in, on an instant's notice, 40,000 passengers from U.S. planes forced down by the terrorist attacks. Halifax alone hosted 7,200. We housed them in our homes and schools and churches, fed them and comforted them and treated them as family. We probably gave more immediate and practical assistance to Americans than any other country. Yet when your president later thanked nations for their help, he did not mention Canada. The Iraq conflict, however, is not an unforeseen disaster, but a deliberate choice. Your president has squandered a world wide outpouring of sympathy and solidarity in less than two years - an astounding diplomatic debacle. Your own remarks, with their dark hints of economic revenge, are entirely consistent with the Bush administration's policy of diplomacy by bullying, bribing and threatening.
A huge body of opinion, even in the U.S. and Britain, judges this war to be illegal, reckless and irrelevant to the fight against terrorism. Your government appears to have forgotten Osama bin Laden, and not to have noticed that the Sept. 11 terrorists were mostly Saudi, not Iraqi. They lived not in Baghdad but in Hamburg and San Diego. The Iraq campaign is a sideshow, a grudge match, a distraction. It will breed more martyrs, and more terrorists. Back in Massachusetts, in 1846, a young man was arrested and jailed for refusing to pay taxes, to avoid supporting his government's deplorable policies. He explained this in an essay, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, which has ever since inspired people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
His name was Henry David Thoreau, and no doubt the governor of Massachusetts thought he was a pretty poor American. He was not; like King, he was a voice for what is finest in American life and values. And the issue on which he took his stand may sound a bit familiar.
He was opposed to an imperial war - the unprovoked U.S. invasion which stripped Mexico of 40 per cent of its territory.Good citizens - and good friends - oppose bad policies. By telling you the truth, they strive to save you from folly. They may be mistaken,but they are not your enemies.
That is the message you should take back to the White House, whether or not there is anyone there who will understand it.
Sincerely,
Silver Donald Cameron "
23 March 2009
Leaves me speechless
No one likes a bully. Bullies aren't funny or smart - they are insecure and weak. And this right here is why the rest of the world eyes America with such suspicion. I know this is not reflective of the views of the majority of Americans (or at least I hope it isn't) but coming on the heels of a weekend where we lost our 113th, 114th, 115th, and 116th soldier in Afghanistan, it is remarkably cruel - even for Fox News
19 March 2009
To Sweetpea, on her birthday
It is Sweetpea’s birthday today and though I asked, it is apparently NOT a national holiday. Having recovered from that injustice I have racked my brain with ways to suitably mark the day. She shared last week that she has asked her two fabulous children to write her letters for her birthday and because I know a good idea when I see one, I’ve opted to do the same.
I had heard stories of Sweetpea long before I met her. Her reputation as tough, strong woman was almost overwhelming and one of my first encounters with her was when she called me to her office to discuss one of my employees. I thought of a number of excuses to get out of going – sudden outbreak of measles, helping old ladies across the street – but in the end I put on my big girl underwear and went.
I learned two things in that meeting:
1) She is tall. Very tall.
2) She is ridiculously articulate and nothing escapes her notice.
How little did I know that first meeting was the start of a great friendship.
It turns out there is truth in her reputation – she is both tough and strong – but her reputation barely scratches the surface. She is one of the smartest people I know. I have watched her grapple with complex problems and politically sensitive problems and she always finds a solution. She isn’t afraid to consult others, ask questions, do research, even deal with people she would rather not deal with because in the end, what matters to Sweetpea, is not her ego but rather ensuring the right result is reached.
She has testified in front of Parliamentary Committees and in court. She has given speeches and presentations to hostile audiences but she has always kept her cool. I have watched in admiration as time and again, faced with verbal assaults and challenges, she stayed calm, made her point and didn’t back down.
There was a time when we worked together when it very much seemed like the professional world was crumbling on her shoulders. There were whispers, always unkind, and rumours and she was very aware of them. It would have been easy to lash out, to throw a tantrum decrying the unfairness of it all but she didn’t. She held her head high and showed up for work every day and did her job. She would have been excused for not choosing a path of grace during that time but that’s just not who she is.
There are many things I admire about Sweetpea. She is unfailingly honest about herself and with others. She has enormous self-awareness and always strives to be better and to learn from every experience – both good and bad. It is easy, sometimes, to miss her softer side but she is a perceptive person who feels things deeply. There is no quit in her. Ever.
Her life has had more than its share of challenges and yet she refuses to lay down and be defeated by any of it. In this life it really is the getting up from the mat after being knocked down that matters and no one I know gets up with more dignity than she does.
Sweetpea’s kids are some of my favourites. They are both smart, witty, kind and generous. I love the stories she tells of them both because they are great kids and because it is a reflection of the parent she is (and the parent her husband is). The world needs great kids and the little Sweetpeas are that for sure.
Lest this all get too serious, I should also point out that she has a wicked sense of humour. I laugh daily with her – over email, in person or on the phone – and her laugh (as Trixie and smartJohn can attest to in NYC) can turn moderately funny things into screamingly funny.
Sweetpea has also seen me through some tough times and her support and friendship are immeasurably valuable gifts to me. I have been on the receiving end of her compassion, her kindness, her advice and her honesty on multiple occasions and I always come away richer and better for the experience.
So happy birthday Sweetpea! I wish you a year of dreams fulfilled and successes realized!
xoxo
Tink
I had heard stories of Sweetpea long before I met her. Her reputation as tough, strong woman was almost overwhelming and one of my first encounters with her was when she called me to her office to discuss one of my employees. I thought of a number of excuses to get out of going – sudden outbreak of measles, helping old ladies across the street – but in the end I put on my big girl underwear and went.
I learned two things in that meeting:
1) She is tall. Very tall.
2) She is ridiculously articulate and nothing escapes her notice.
How little did I know that first meeting was the start of a great friendship.
It turns out there is truth in her reputation – she is both tough and strong – but her reputation barely scratches the surface. She is one of the smartest people I know. I have watched her grapple with complex problems and politically sensitive problems and she always finds a solution. She isn’t afraid to consult others, ask questions, do research, even deal with people she would rather not deal with because in the end, what matters to Sweetpea, is not her ego but rather ensuring the right result is reached.
She has testified in front of Parliamentary Committees and in court. She has given speeches and presentations to hostile audiences but she has always kept her cool. I have watched in admiration as time and again, faced with verbal assaults and challenges, she stayed calm, made her point and didn’t back down.
There was a time when we worked together when it very much seemed like the professional world was crumbling on her shoulders. There were whispers, always unkind, and rumours and she was very aware of them. It would have been easy to lash out, to throw a tantrum decrying the unfairness of it all but she didn’t. She held her head high and showed up for work every day and did her job. She would have been excused for not choosing a path of grace during that time but that’s just not who she is.
There are many things I admire about Sweetpea. She is unfailingly honest about herself and with others. She has enormous self-awareness and always strives to be better and to learn from every experience – both good and bad. It is easy, sometimes, to miss her softer side but she is a perceptive person who feels things deeply. There is no quit in her. Ever.
Her life has had more than its share of challenges and yet she refuses to lay down and be defeated by any of it. In this life it really is the getting up from the mat after being knocked down that matters and no one I know gets up with more dignity than she does.
Sweetpea’s kids are some of my favourites. They are both smart, witty, kind and generous. I love the stories she tells of them both because they are great kids and because it is a reflection of the parent she is (and the parent her husband is). The world needs great kids and the little Sweetpeas are that for sure.
Lest this all get too serious, I should also point out that she has a wicked sense of humour. I laugh daily with her – over email, in person or on the phone – and her laugh (as Trixie and smartJohn can attest to in NYC) can turn moderately funny things into screamingly funny.
Sweetpea has also seen me through some tough times and her support and friendship are immeasurably valuable gifts to me. I have been on the receiving end of her compassion, her kindness, her advice and her honesty on multiple occasions and I always come away richer and better for the experience.
So happy birthday Sweetpea! I wish you a year of dreams fulfilled and successes realized!
xoxo
Tink
14 March 2009
Home sweet home
I have to apologize. I have done a poor job updating from the road - it was almost impossible to find the time between meetings and travel to get anything up here. I do have some good stories to share and will get to them in the coming days.
It was all very amazing and exhausting. I lost track of all the timezones but saw some amazing sights. I got to spend some time with Trixie, I re-connected with old friends in NYC (hello M and Jody) and made a new one (smartJohn - who is, in fact, very smart).
I hope you have all been keeping well. In the mean time here are a few photos of the Great Wall of China - I finally made it!
2 March 2009
Ways to know you are losing the jet lag battle
I'm on my third country in 7 days and don't seem to be getting ahead of the jet lag. I'm pleased to tell you that 4 am looks the same and elicits the same groans in Hong Kong, Beijing and now Sydney.
In case you were wondering what it felt like to be jet lagged out of your gourd, here are a few symptoms that will help you recognize it.
1) You trip. A lot.
2) Folding the newspaper to read becomes an engineering exercise and you contemplate asking the waiter, after they are done putting the napkin in your lap, if they can untangle the newspaper from you and fold it for you.
3) You spill things. A lot.
4) You put your underwear on backwards. And inside out. And don't notice until half way through the day.
5) You can't seem to figure out how to get the bracelets off your wrist though you know that you got them on.
6) You start the rank the stories on CNN by preference as you have seen them so many times.
If any of these happen to you after lots of flying, find a bed, a sleeping pill and go to sleep.
In case you were wondering what it felt like to be jet lagged out of your gourd, here are a few symptoms that will help you recognize it.
1) You trip. A lot.
2) Folding the newspaper to read becomes an engineering exercise and you contemplate asking the waiter, after they are done putting the napkin in your lap, if they can untangle the newspaper from you and fold it for you.
3) You spill things. A lot.
4) You put your underwear on backwards. And inside out. And don't notice until half way through the day.
5) You can't seem to figure out how to get the bracelets off your wrist though you know that you got them on.
6) You start the rank the stories on CNN by preference as you have seen them so many times.
If any of these happen to you after lots of flying, find a bed, a sleeping pill and go to sleep.
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