Posted on 03/23/2005 5:50:49 PM PST by quidnunc
Every Canadian student of foreign policy knows the story, but few Americans remember. In 1965, at the height of the Vietnam War buildup, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson suggested to a college audience in Philadelphia that the United States stop bombing North Vietnam in the pursuit of a negotiated settlement.
President Lyndon B. Johnson was not amused. When the courtly Canadian leader stopped by for a visit to Camp David, Mr. Johnson grabbed him by the lapels and accused him, in so many words, of soiling his rug.
Emotions are a bit lower now, and President Bush is likely to be a lot more polite on Wednesday when he greets Prime Minister Paul Martin, along with President Vicente Fox of Mexico, at his ranch in Crawford, Tex. But things could be tense nonetheless, with differences over trade and Mr. Bush's planned missile defense system adding to past strains over Iraq.
There is nothing really new about that. With the possible exception of France, no traditional ally has been more consistently at odds with the United States than has Canada.
Canada refused to take part in President Truman's Berlin airlift, withheld full support from President Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis and retains diplomatic and trade relations with Fidel Castro to this day. Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau made a distancing from Washington a centerpiece of his foreign policy, going so far as to welcome draft dodgers during the Vietnam War. Ottawa criticized President Ronald Reagan's interventions in Central America and more recently split with the United States by pushing vigorously for the International Court of Justice, an international land-mine treaty and the Kyoto climate control accord.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
He may be guilty of stretching the truth a bit to make his point, for example
"The aircraft were supplied and flown by the United States, United Kingdom and France, but crews also came from Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand to help. Ultimately, 277,804 flights would be made and 2,325,809 tons of food and supplies would be delivered to Berlin".
nevertheless many of us feel shamed and embarrassed by the recent actions of our inept liberal government.
Who gives a flying donut what Canada thinks?
Let's keep Alberta, and give the rest to France.
No. France can have it. I don't want Quebec deciding our elections.
No, I'm suggesting a BOC. (Butt Out, Canada)
--Boot Hill
Because we have to cover the wusses in this hemisphere that can't fight their way out of a paper bag, That has this fine DART team but no planes to get them anywhere. Thats pretty smart Al Quanada.
And another thing......Hey DUmmies! Go to Canada now! They let flamers marry each other, They'll legalize your wacky weed any week now, and just this week they started giving away HEROIN PAID FOR BY THE GUBMINT!!! What are you still here for? RUN FOR THE BORDER!
"How come so many of your citizens know so little about other places? I’ve met a lot of Americans and only three of them knew that Ottawa was the capital of Canada, and most of them had college degrees."
Canada has a capital? Knowing the name of canada's capital is as important as knowing the name of the dogcatcher's wife in Upchuck Montana.
Did the Canada guy poop on the White House rug?
Maybe its "a high honor" in their country.
"...accused him, in so many words, of soiling his rug."
Mathew Good, Canuknucklehead extraordinaire.
So many of them and so little time.
I don't know the capitol city of Canada because I honestly don't care. I am sure that Canadians are nice people and everything, but as a country, what have they done that is significant to the US or the world...outside of hockey?
Actually the Dog Catchers wife in Upchuck Montana is Mary. My boss is from Red Lodge which isn't too far from there... the dog catcher is also the local game warden/animal control officer.
Sorry, every now and then you get someone that is a worthless book of friggin knowledge....
this my friend is me...
NEXT QUESTION!
Gog Gone, and all my freeper friends.
I know I don't have the time to respond to all the comments on this thread tonight, but rest assured not all Canadians are liberals. As for me and my house--and the people that I associate with--we are extremely grateful for what the USA stands for, and does --especially this administration. Not only are we grateful, but we are also trustful (especially under this administration), thankful, honored, respectful, humbled, and supportive of what America does--even during the Carter, Clinton era we stood up for America (that's when I started to follow American politics).
My American friends keep up the fight, and DO NOT ever let liberals rule for too long, or America will end up the same as any socialist country is.
I kind of love Alberta, my birth province, and a great supporter of America. My grandpa, an American, moved to Alberta. Deep down, I kind of wished Alberta would decide to become a state of the USA. This American at heart would love to join his many American born relatives, and university friends. I'd be proud to be an American.
Take heart for what you are, and for what you do. THERE is NO OTRHER NATION that does what the UNITED STAES OF AMERICA does. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
Here's what is reported to have happened:
Ss the war escalated, relations between the two nations deteriorated. The lowest point was in April 2, 1965 when Pearson gave a speech at Temple University in the United States which called for a reduction in the bombing of North Vietnam. A furious Lyndon B. Johnson met with Pearson and apparently grabbed the much smaller Canadian by the collar and held him against the wall, and yelled, "You don't come here and piss on my rug."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/canada_and_the_vietnam_war
I do get a little tired of listening to smug and unsolicited criticisms, especially from a country so bereft of basic human freedoms that you can't even espouse a biblical interpretation of homosexuality, nor own a firearm, and so overrun with socialism that patients are put on long waiting lists for surgery (there are more MRI machines in Detroit than in all of Canada) and so short sighted that they won't even defend themselves from a missile attack and that allow Middle Eastern terrorists to make themselves at home in their country.
Other than that, they are delightful neighbors.
--Boot Hill
--Boot Hill
He had motive and opportunity along with contacts with Al-Queda.
2) How come so many of your citizens know so little about other places?
They are really not that important, you must admit.
3) How come so many of your citizens know nothing about the history of US foreign and covert policy? Why aren’t they taught about American involvement in places like El Salvador, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Iraq, Iran, and a very long list of other places around the world?
It was brainstorm by Karl Rove. He figured back in the 1970s that by putting the biggest flakes and fools in charge of our colleges and network news shows, and having them harp on this constantly, people would just tune them out.
4) How come most of your citizens supported the invasion of Iraq?
Hussein was a bloodthirsty, terrorist maniac desperately trying to get the bomb. Fool me twice and all that.
5) After the world found out that there weren’t any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and President Bush announced that he was calling off the search for them, why didn’t your citizens demand that President Bush be impeached?
Because to do so would require
calling Bill Clinton a liar
Which would only further pain the poor people of Canada
After all, they tried to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about getting a blow job — and no one was even killed because of that.
Except for some Sudanese in an asprin factory.
6) How come some Americans think these sorts of questions are bad?
Because we are a compassionate people and we wish not to see Canadians continually look foolish and ignorant
7) How come your citizens don’t care that the CIA and the Department of Defense don’t have to disclose information to them, even though the Constitution says that they do?
See. This is what I meant in my answer to number 6.
8) You make more weapons than anyone else in the world. How come America?
You can never tell when 32 million mind-numbed zombies might come charging from the north.
9) How come it’s legal to own an assault rifle but two men or two women can’t get married?
We believe in being responsible with your rifle AND your gun.
10) Why do you spend more money on defense than education and healthcare?
We have to defend Canada as well as ourselves.
Exactly. Barely a pot to pee in. I lived in Seattle for many years and my wife and I often went to Vancouver. She likes to shop, but I always thought that the whole place was crap. Canada is a joke. We could snuff them with a cigarette butt. Why are we even talking about Canada??!! They are just our buffer zone in case a stray, aging former soviet missile lands short..and it will).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.