Comments by Americans

[dancing kali]

Reading the Vancouver Sun (Saturday September 25, 2004). Article about the proposed War Resister statue in Nelson. It seems that some US Vets are not happy about this. Here are some quotes from the article. My interest here is in the quotes... not the entire article.

... "After all of the things the United States has done for you people I am outraged that you would build a monument to the cowardly acts of a few," writes Richard A. Smith of Warrenton, Ore. "Then as I think more on the subject I realize that you are just stupid, and backward-thinking ingrates mimicking whatever Frances (sic) way of thinking at the moment."
Steve Terrell, Sr. of Knoxville, Iowa writes that Canada is a "country of cowards."
"Say what you want about us Yanks, you should know one thing, we're smarter than you, tougher than you, and we will kick your inbred ass," he writes. " ...

Any thoughts?

[Wat_Tyler]

1. Maybe when I stop laughing.

[OneBlueSky]

2. dude needs a big does of Dale Carnegie . . .

winning friends and influencing people doesn't seem to be his strong suit . . .

[Demit]

3. We can be so utterly charming sometimes. Good at math too!

(Like Mr. Terrell with his "one thing".) These guys are the Ugly American personified. I'm not sure if this is a forum for Canadians only? If so, apologies to our neighbors for such ignorant thinking. We are currently suffering through a 4 year period of this kind of attitude at the top of our government but we are hoping it is soon to end.

[Owlet]

4. This Steve Terrell, Sr has a website

here http://www.angelfire.com/ab/powmia/poopy.html.

Or, for those inclined to direct action, here's his email:

[e-mail]

As Michael Moore observed, "Canadians are just like us - only nicer". He must have had Terrell in mind.

[calico1]

5. Wow, whoever this Frances is

she sure must have a lot of influence on Canadians!

[yvr girl]

6. Nice things... like trying to invade us, annex us?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-American, and I believe that there is much to admire about the country (even more when you get that despot out of the White House) but a Canadian is almost by definition someone who has chosen not to be American. (A choice made by themselves or their ancestors.) Vive la differance! We're like cousins - we have similar histories, but we grew up in different households.

A few points:

Mimicking France? If he'd said Great Britain, I could understand the argument - they used to control our foreign policy after all.

Inbred? The only reason we have a growing population is because of immigration - always adding new blood. Doesn't seem like inbreeding to me.

Backward thinking? I would hazard a guess that if the two countries were analyzed, Canada would come out as more progressive.

Cowardly? Peaceful does not mean cowardly. When Canada has gone to war, we have acquitted ourselves quite nicely, thank you very much. Vimmy Ridge, Juno Beach. Hell, the Dutch still send us flowers every year.

Smarter? I would say that there are smart people on both sides of the 49th. You can thank Canada for: insulin, heart valve operations, the telephone, TV basketball, the zipper and many more.

http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa090100a.htm

I would say that the US is better at marketing things.

Oh, and let's see what we've done for the US.

On September 11, we let all your planes land here. We also offered shelter and comfort to thousands of stranded people.

We joined you in Afghanistan - you know the real war on terror.

They like our oil and many other natural resources.

We've been friends and allies for decades.

[canuckforpeace]

7. excellent post. thank you! n/t

[Huckebein the Raven]

8. good post

I apologize as well for the comments of one of our wingnuts. This is what you get when you introduce Fox News into the natural habitat mixed with the epidemic of anti-intellectualism here personified by the dim bulb squatting in 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

[yvr girl]

9. It is amazes me how ill informed some people are

When I was growing up, we watched Canada AM (much less fluffy than US equivalents) during breakfast. Around dinner, we would catch local BC news and local Washington news followed by US national news. Before bed, we watched Canadian national news. We also received a daily paper.

I remember Nixon's resignation, and I was only 7 when it happened. Did I understand all the issues - no. But I clearly remember watching Ford being introduced as President of the United States after he was sworn in. I knew it was a different guy.

[Huckebein the Raven]

10. I think you can attribute some of it

to the dumbing down of the U.S over the years by the Info-tainment news media we have here. Also, a lot of Americans are very ignorant in regards to history and especially world history. They would prefer to believe to sugar-coated Disney version of history they get in movies.

Coupled with the statistic that somewhere around only 7% of Americans have a passport and have been outside of the country and you get the picture.


What gets me is people have access to the internet which allows to get news from just about anywhere in the world and don't use it.

[yvr girl]

12. 7% have a passport - that's insane

I've heard that Canadians travel more than Americans, but I didn't know it was that bad. I heard a statistic that 9 out of 10 Canadians have been to the States. I've met many Americans who have never been to Canada. Granted, its easier for us, as we are clustered around the border, but come on. I don't understand not having a desire to see the world.

[HEyHEY]

13. look at shrub

he never even went to Europe until he was elected. Money has never been a problem for him - how intellectually unambitious can you be?

[Huckebein the Raven]

14. Well, when you're indoctrinated here about how we're

"The greatest country in the world and other countries don't have the freedom we do" and other phrases from the day you are born, a great many people don't see any reason to learn about the world and the people who live outside the U.S beyond the context of school. I know it's sad and believe me I envy you guys but that's what we are dealing with down here.

Also, it goes back to what Michael Moore brought up in "Bowling for Columbine" about the culture of fear that the media plants in the public's mind. I believe that a good many (my parents and grandmother included) of the other 93% (those who aren't paying attention) buy into that everyone hates us b.s and deluded themselves into thinking that as soon as they leave U.S shores something is going to happen to them. I not talking about the various hot spots around the world but places like Canada & Western Europe. Yeah, it's crazy and but I'm slowly trying to deprogram them.

[HEyHEY]

16. For many years I was scared of the USA

I mean I didn't want to go there, always thought I'd get shot or something

[Phil214]

18. Canadians and Passports

On the other hand, your Commonwealth Membership allows you easier access to Britain, Australia, and other such countries. Then you get the idea "if we have traveled this far to the UK, then why not to France, Belgium, and such?".

[iverglas]

19. not any more!

Because of the UK's membership in the EU, Canadians travelling to the UK are now just plain old foreigners.

Each EU country applies entrance requirements on behalf of the others, basically. So when I was there 10 years ago, we went through the whole customs/immigration process at Heathrow (and were stamped in for a limited period of time as visitors) -- but our jaunt over to Calais, France, just involved showing a passport and getting waved through, no passport stamp or anything. (Canadians are visa-exempt for both the UK and France, as I'm sure USAmericans are.)

Huh, I'd assumed that Canadians were visa-exempt for Australia (and vice versa). But no: Canadians require a visa, although this new-fangled ETA (electronic travel authority) is the modern way:
http://www.ahc-ottawa.org/visa/visitors.html
Australia and New Zealand have a mutual visa exemption, but that seems to be the only exemption they grant.

Australians are not visa-exempt for the US:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/northcarolina/0246020010.html
"British subjects and citizens of New Zealand, Japan, and most Western European countries traveling on valid passports" do not need visas to enter the US if they have round-trip tickets, but Australians do. I expect that the rule is reciprocal, since once one country imposes a visa requirement the other country usually does the same, out of spite if nothing else. Yup: http://www.passportexpress.com/default.aspx?page=show_visa&action=Australia

USAmericans don't require visitor visas for France, e.g.:
http://www.passportexpress.com/default.aspx?page=show_visa&action=France
or for the United Kingdom:
http://www.passportexpress.com/default.aspx?page=show_visa&action=United_Kingdom

So all in all, Canadians and USAmericans are on essentially the same footing for most foreign travel. Of course, we can go to Cuba. ;)

[Huckebein the Raven]

21. I would like to visit Cuba at least once in my life

to see the island for myself. But that's not going to change down here until we change our policies toward Cuba and not pander to the RW Cubans in S. Florida.

[HEyHEY]

11. "Backward thinking?"

These people aren't even on the metric system yet for christ sakes.

[Huckebein the Raven]

15. We tried during the '70's but it failed here

because it's so difficult to use a system based on the number ten.
:eyes:

[camero]

17. The Vancouver Sun is Canada's version of Fox

No surprise here. Like the National Post.

[Lefty48197]

20. Yes, we have some very stupid people here in the states

.

[gjb]

23. Don't beat yourself to death. We have lots of stupid people here too.

[Spazito]

22. My, my, my....

We, Nelsonites and Canadians, seem to have irked Mr. Smith, awwwww. Seeing as the monument is a private undertaking and, therefore, not a Canadian decision, simply a decision taken by individuals, Mr. Smith hasn't a leg to stand on or a brain to realize it.

[gjb]

24. Canadian Wup Ass Discount. Your first three punches are free..

...I'll give you the fourth at the regular price.

[Jackie97]

25. Yeah.

They don't represent all americans. I'd say at least half don't think that way since it was almost half that voted against Bush.

Doesn't matter. The world hates us anyway because of those bastards.

[Aristus]

26. Pity us. We have to LIVE with this shit down here.

Bright side: We have invaded Canada twice in our history, and got our asses kicked both times. I don't think we'll try again.

[Blue_Tires]

27. what an assclown