Yeah, Both Countries have the Same Fast Food, but...
Immigration is the backbone of this country. The Americans speak of it through Emma Lazarus from another time;
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore."
Of course, all of these people are required to forget ( as quickly as possible, along with their passports ) where they came from to become " Americans" The past is counterproductive to joining the " great enterprise"
Despite this, there is still a place called Canada that takes in new immigrants with the understanding that in a given city they may eventually outnumber the original european immigrants from another time. There is also an understanding that without being born in their adopted nation they can still become it's leader. This is not so in the United States, because you can't fully trust an "immigrant" to lead the great enterprise. The Canadian ideal of the "mosaic society" has lost a step lately, but it yet survives. It is of course the idea that we need to value the original countries of our new Canadians, because it makes them...
better Canadians. These people are in the truest sense of the word "free" to be themselves instead of the obligation of the revolution to the south that says the maintenance of their origins will divide and tear the place apart. It's all part of that strained patriotism you see down south that shows up in the overkill of flags everywhere. It almost seems like a national display that reveals a lack of confidence instead of the intended result. It is much likened to the bravado of an adolescent wearing his school colours onsite so that you will know that he's "o.k." or that he fits in. It is a whole new peer pressure
that always makes me feel a slight sense of strain or tension when I am there. When I was in Seattle for a visit, I spoke with a cabby who had immigrated to the U.S. from Somalia 6 years ago. ( most cabdrivers in Seattle seem to be from Somalia ) He spoke of Somali's he knew in Vancouver and said that he always felt the "pressure come off of him" when he crossed the Canadian border to see friends. he spoke of a sense that the United States is a society with less compassion. He finished by saying there is a greater pressure to look to your own needs so much that it is hard to see other people. Yes, we can still see to other people's needs in this country, but it has faded somewhat in recent times. To many American officials medicare is a sloppy concept that interferes with the efficiency of private institutions that seek to make a profit . To many Canadians medicare is a statement that says we have a minimal obligation to care for all Canadians on some level without financial demand for service beyond their means . We must protect the sense of compassion we still have here for new Canadians. Never forget that the American revolution was not the poor of Paris storming the Bastille , it was in fact New World Smugglers who wanted the freedom to pursue their profits without the interference of British Regulation. The flowery rhetoric of the leaders demonized the Brtish and convinced suffcient numbers of common people who rose in their support. Goebbels once said " The bigger the lie, the more believable it is." How true. Just ask George Bush.
Immigration is the backbone of this country. The Americans speak of it through Emma Lazarus from another time;
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore."
Of course, all of these people are required to forget ( as quickly as possible, along with their passports ) where they came from to become " Americans" The past is counterproductive to joining the " great enterprise"
Despite this, there is still a place called Canada that takes in new immigrants with the understanding that in a given city they may eventually outnumber the original european immigrants from another time. There is also an understanding that without being born in their adopted nation they can still become it's leader. This is not so in the United States, because you can't fully trust an "immigrant" to lead the great enterprise. The Canadian ideal of the "mosaic society" has lost a step lately, but it yet survives. It is of course the idea that we need to value the original countries of our new Canadians, because it makes them...
better Canadians. These people are in the truest sense of the word "free" to be themselves instead of the obligation of the revolution to the south that says the maintenance of their origins will divide and tear the place apart. It's all part of that strained patriotism you see down south that shows up in the overkill of flags everywhere. It almost seems like a national display that reveals a lack of confidence instead of the intended result. It is much likened to the bravado of an adolescent wearing his school colours onsite so that you will know that he's "o.k." or that he fits in. It is a whole new peer pressure
that always makes me feel a slight sense of strain or tension when I am there. When I was in Seattle for a visit, I spoke with a cabby who had immigrated to the U.S. from Somalia 6 years ago. ( most cabdrivers in Seattle seem to be from Somalia ) He spoke of Somali's he knew in Vancouver and said that he always felt the "pressure come off of him" when he crossed the Canadian border to see friends. he spoke of a sense that the United States is a society with less compassion. He finished by saying there is a greater pressure to look to your own needs so much that it is hard to see other people. Yes, we can still see to other people's needs in this country, but it has faded somewhat in recent times. To many American officials medicare is a sloppy concept that interferes with the efficiency of private institutions that seek to make a profit . To many Canadians medicare is a statement that says we have a minimal obligation to care for all Canadians on some level without financial demand for service beyond their means . We must protect the sense of compassion we still have here for new Canadians. Never forget that the American revolution was not the poor of Paris storming the Bastille , it was in fact New World Smugglers who wanted the freedom to pursue their profits without the interference of British Regulation. The flowery rhetoric of the leaders demonized the Brtish and convinced suffcient numbers of common people who rose in their support. Goebbels once said " The bigger the lie, the more believable it is." How true. Just ask George Bush.
posted by mark at 11:14 PM
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