Guest Entry from My Stepdad
Hello, Canada,
As of 12/27 I finally see the sun shining in Montreal. But then, we can go for weeks in Minneapolis under clouds.
My only previous trips to Canada were to Thunder Bay, and that’s not Montreal. Now, this is Canada. For the first time I wish I had grown up in a bi-lingual culture. I see here what good and not-so-good differences that can make.
Growing up in the South makes me glad to see that Canada never had racial slavery. Much of what is wrong with the USA to be seen in the culture of the Confederacy. It was a fearful, greedy and violent world. The slaves did not make that culture: the plantation owners did. To our great sorrow, the culture of Confderacy, with its darkened religion, fear of the outside world and lust for dominance is rising again. We need Canada and other successful secular democracies to hold an example of moral authority to challenge out backward plunge into neoconservatist triumphalism. We need to be reminded that power without wisdom is self-destructive.
Your wonderful anthem says it well, “Stand on guard for Thee..” The guns are obsolete. Values, ideas and courage are the security of the future. So, stand by your genuine human values. The world needs you.
An American patriot,
Phillip Griffin, Sr.
As much as us Canucks undoubtedly dig Canada, it’s not all milk & cookies. I would love to agree with you word for word and certainly do in spirit, but there’s also a lot unsaid about Canada that needs to be said. The anthem also says “the true North glorious and free” and quite a bit about god, patriarchy and patriotism (“true patriot love, in all thy sons command” .. eek.. “god keep our land glorious and free”.. everyone has the deity working for them these days it seems ). Not to mention the “native land” bit which a few err, natives might quibble about. If you ask me it’s a sorry, ugly little anthem that bears all the marks of a church hymn.. and yah, we never had racial slavery, at least not officially, but that’s just Canadian history giving the slip — under Britain we did, as a colony.. and the French influence is no less tainted.. just a covert, hidden history of genocide, colonialism, internment camps for Canadians of Japanese descent during WWII and church control of Quebec until the 1960s (no separation of church & state)… Toronto has a spiralling murder rate and it looks like Conservative leader Stephen Harper is seeking to become our next PM. Bienvenue au Canada ..tV
Let me just add to that, and help to demystify as Canada has a history of slavery which is rarely discussed. From French colonies various slaves were brought to Quebec, and the Brits shipped many over from African countries. Aboriginal people were also used as slaves. Canada is hardly blameless in the history of exploitation.