h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here's but one of hundreds of 'positive' stories coming out of the situation in Canada.

On one plane a British couple was on their way to Los Vegas to get married. They had brought about a dozen relatives and friends along with them for the ceremony and subsequent honeymoon holiday. Tuesday found them all sitting on a back runway in Halifax.

After they had been processed off the plane and through customs and interrogation (Wednesday) they found themselves transported away from the overcrowded airport by bus and stranded at the big public shelter in a sports arena with hundreds of others. (Luggage!)

From here they were soon (Thursday) all taken in to the homes of local residents and on Sunday, the wedding, with all the trimmings including a Mountie (suitably mounted and in full dress reds), took place in a suburban back yard with everything donated and provided by the neighbours.

It made me proud to be a Canadian to see them all enjoying a suburban barbecue wedding feast in borrowed formal wear. They all expressed joy, surprise and delight at the hospitality they had recieved, and seemed almost recovered from the ordeal of the first two days. "This is better than Los Vegas", they said.

There are still hundreds of other passengers here being sheltered by locals. Slowly they are making their way by bus, train, rental cars and a recovering airline schedule. Most will have a tale to tell, and the best part will be the hospitality of the folks here in Nova Scotia.

They are the lucky ones. I pity the other thousands of poor b****rs who were forced down in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Whitehorse...
But, St.John's Newfoundland would have been a wild party, fifteen thousand in an airport that can hold maybe three hundred.
peace
jwf

It's nice to see the ever present Canadian sense of humour. Right on!I think it's pretty cool that an American Citizen thanked us. We know it could take an awfully long time for the government to say anything. Especially since Mexico became there "best friends" last week. But I want to appeal to my fellow Canadians logged on right now. Have you heard that the States wants us to move our border to the coast line? Do they really expect us to give up our Sovereignty?

Border? Coastline? Which coastline?

Sounds like a bit of fabrication, to me. It would make very little economic sense for the US to 'annex' Canada, don't you agree? After all, the way things are currently set up, we provide a conveniently nearby virtually untouched pool of resources, very very cheap resources.

And think of the discrepancy between our 'loonies' and the US 'greenies' Or don't think about it -- it will depress you.

Ah, the Province of BC becomes the State of BC!

And what would happen to Quebec? Can you imagine? Hilarious

Nope, I think this is just another fantasy, but I would certainly like to hear more details..

Peace

Or do you mean the offshore boundary? Fishing and all that.. quite possibly.

But that will never happen. Canadians may be mostly harmless, but it that was ever seriously attempted, all the unemployed fishermen from both the Atlantic and the Pacific would float their leaky dinghys south, and invade Florida and Southern California. Very bad for the tourism industries in those places to have thousands of fishy-smelling, disgruntled Canucks, speaking incomprehensible marine slang, littering the beaches with empty Kokanee and Moosehead cans..

And there is little point anyway, because the Atlantic fishery is pretty much a dead mackerel, and the Pacific one is quickly succumbing to the same stupid greed, from both countries, that depleted the other

Ah, somebody stop me, before I lose my zany Canadian sense of humour, and begin an inappropriate rant about environmental idiocy

Peace ( Piscus )

So would I. I think we need more details. But what I have heard so far is that the States would like our eastern, Northern, and Western coastlines to be the place of entry into Canada. That way it would be connected to the American coastline, therefore, giving the American Government say over who we let in the country. They had a brief article about it on the Star online paper. In my eyes that's just crazy. My sister has also been recieiving calls from American clients that have been slamming Canada for apparently letting these crazy lunatics into the States. First of all there is no hard evidence of it, and Second, anyone getting into America from Canada has to go through American officials. I can see that this lashing out is clearly from a very deep pain. I don't think I could fathom what it is they are going through as a Nation. I really do feel for them.

Very silly. And would not work, anyway.

BTW, it has been my experience, although I have not taken any international flights for a few years, that Canadian security compares favourably to that of the Americans. For example, passengers at Canadian airports are not even allowed to carry penknives on to either domestic or international flights.

I admit our immigration policy could use a bit of work, but many Canadians have been protesting for more restrictions for years, anyway.

On the upside, forcing us to use the coastlines as sole entry points would potentially be a boost to the tourism industries in those areas

Seriously, the security of both our countries needs to be beefed up, and the Americans are just as guilty of lax pracises as are we. We forget so much of our own recent history, and our own abilities in the area of security and intelligence, that sometimes I despair.

But the Yanks are just letting off steam right now, and we can be good natured Canucks and let them. They will calm down, once the mess in New York is cleaned up, and the dead are decently buried, and both countries can put together a rational plan for tightening our respective and combined security. Hey, we've done it before -- ever hear about Intrepid?

The Americans know in their hearts that we are, and always have been, counted among their closest friends and allies, and that they can count on us to stand at their side.

Peace

I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanx for taking the edge off for me!
Cheers!

I thank you also Taliesin, I hae always liked Canadians.

Ben

Going by the way CNN and other America 'news' channels have spent the last 12 hours talking about money, I guess things are getting back to normal in the land of the rave and the twee.

For anyone interested in more stories about Canada's role (including a first person account from the former head of the FBI's foreign operations bureau who spent a few nights on a cot in an ice rink here in Halifax) there are links on my page to all three Canadian TV networks.
The one I work for (Global) recently took over most of the newspapers in the country too, and has a site that gives nationwide access. Look for the Nova Scotia section, the story headlined "Thank you, Nova Scotia"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A625745

Hmmm... I think I may be wandering a little late... but I've always known Canada kicks ass, and it's nice to know more Americans are starting to see this too. Too bad it had to be under said circustances...

And something else to add to the list of great things from Canada, Jones Soda!

Thank you for continuing to be our great neighbors to the north, especially at the time we needed you most.

Thank You again.

*grumble mumble*


In his "if ya ain't with us you're against us" speech last night George the Second read out a list of America's friends.

Canada was not on it.

Hmmmmm.....

jwf

Don't listen to that *sshole.... he doesn't know what the h*ll he's talkin' about... Though I don't understand how his puppeters could have forgotten you guys! Sheesh, if the terrorists don't get us, I say you guys should invade, and take out the government because they suck *ss! I'll move up to Canada first though, so give me a little warning, will ya?

I am sure that the slight was not intended.

Ben

Well that does it!

~hollars out to the shed~

"No more Kokanee for the Yanks, Doug!"

I read somewhere that the one "good thing" about Canada is they are the only country to invade the USA and burn its capital to the ground.

Is this a bit of netlore or did it really happen - I guess many 100s of years ago?

ChawkE

Wasn't that the British in the War of 1812?

Technically, yes.
"Canada" did not become the first independent country of the British Commonwealth until 1867.

Our pioneer settlers (from England, Scotland, and Protestant Germany) joined with the French (long established in Quebec) and the late-coming 'United Empire Loyalists' (who had escaped the mob rule of the Yankee revolution of 1776). Their common goal was to fight US political and mercantile expansionism. Canucks fire-bombed the White House. And a lot of other red, white and blue ones too!

But please note:
Their success was mainly due to an alliance with almost all the aboriginals from the northeast regions of North America who were promised a 'homeland' by Queen Victoria.
The Treaty that ended the War of 1812-1814 established the Great Lakes as the northern border of the US. The area Victoria had promised to the 'Indians', Michigan, Indiana (etc) was signed away.

One of the more famous battles along the Canadian border produced that lovely poem about the star-bangled banner:

" ..and the rockets red glare gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."

Yep, the rockets mentioned in the star bangled banner were Canadian rockets aimed at Yankee freebooters.
It was written at the battle portrayed in the LAST of the Mohichans. (Yep, ethnic cleansing was one of the main issues of the war.)

The only truly British manned engagement (other than naval encounters) was the debacle of New Orleans, fought and lost by the British, two weeks after the peace treaty had been signed in 1814. It's the one battle anyone remembers because of Johnny Horton's famous song 'The Battle of New Orleans'.


peace
jwf

Thank you for all the history that the stupid American school system never gaves us! It's nice to know someone in this world still gets a good education.