Let me start off by saying this is not a piece about the American people in general but rather about those who either don't know what is happening or don't care. To those of you who I know through this medium , I apologize in advance. It is not about you. This is about how the some of the electorate in the U.S.A has let " BIG BROTHER" and George Orwell's "1984" come to fruition. Hopefully it will enlighten some people as to why a sizable portion of the world has a negative attitude towards the U.S.
For many years the United States was considered the bastion of freedom and democracy. It represented what was right and was the defender against the Russian communists. People around the world looked up to the Americans and their way of life.
With the fall of communism, who was there left to be defended against. It should have been and should be a good thing. And then came 9/11. One of the most atrocious and horrific acts ever to take place in human history. President Bush promised that Osama would be brought swiftly to justice and that Al Qaeda would be destroyed. Good! That is what should have happened. Afghanistan , which harboured these terrorists was invaded and the Taliban routed. But then Mr. Bush , knowingly acting on false information, Invaded Iraq. A great ploy to take out Saddam and gain control of Iraqi oil. For a while it worked. Then people found out the truth. There were no weapons of mass destruction. Many countries have vilified the U.S. for this and call for a troop pull-out. The administration's response has been, that they must stop terrorists and secure the U.S. borders. Understandable .
Since 9/11, the Bush administration has been quick to blame Canada for many things pertaining to terrorism. Our lax security of people coming into Canada, Allowing terrorists to cross the border into the U.S.( Not true), harbouring terrorist cells( not if we can help it), poor border security( again, the U.S customs controls your border, not Canadian).
We were the first country to come to the U.S. aid after 9/11. We allowed American planes to divert to Canadian airports without hesitation. That is why the skies were able to be cleared so quickly.
We have taken the insults and still said the Americans are our friends. Our government has worked hard to step up border security in conjunction with the U.S Homeland Security Department. We have implemented our own "no fly" list" , again in conjunction with the U.S. We are implementing the passport control for those entering or leaving Canada to or from the U.S.
We are still you biggest trading partner. Believe it or not, we still like most of you.
We carry passports when we fly to Mexico or Cuba or the Caribbean in case we have to land in the U.S. for an emergency.
Today, however, Homeland Security and Ambassador Wilkins have gone overboard. They are demanding flight lists of all planes flying over the U.S. to southern destinations even if they are not landing in the U.S. Fair enough. We understand this. What we don't understand and DO NOT LIKE, is they also want the itinerary of the passengers. Not just names, age and gender, but where we are going, how long we will be, when we are returning where we are staying. All in the name of security. IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. WE ARE NOT STOPPING IN THE U.S.A.
Where we go and for how long is our business, not the governments and certainly not the U.S governments. This is a matter of personal PRIVACY. You are not the police department of the world . Get over yourselves. You have few friends left, don't alienate them with this stupidity.
How to lose friends and influence people negatively! Your administration has it down pat!!! Do not allow your country to become so afraid that you let personal freedoms be destroyed. it is not just our privacy that is in jeopardy but yours as well. Speak out against this ridiculous idea. Keep your friends by treating them like friends. We are
not the enemy.
Some have said if we have nothing to hide what does it matter. It matters to us, to you and the rest of the world because YOUR constitution says so. If you were flying to Alaska or Europe over Canadian airspace, do you want your private information given to the Canadian government.Write your Senator or Congressman and let them know how dumb this idea is. Put some pressure on your Homeland Security so you can keep your private life free from government inspection for no reason.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Has it really gotten this far? Bizarre, this fear-mongering, but just the position that radical extremists want us to feel. What a shame so many have caved in to this fear.
Bonita: Yes, unfortunately it has gotten this far. As I said, this is not the American people I know but rather the ones who want to control everything. They are such good spin doctors that hey say they are making it safer for Canadians to fly.Many her think it is an information fishing expedition to find out which US citizens are coming to Canada to fly to Cuba foe a vacation. They also say the information will only be kept fpr a week-Yeah ! Right!
moose, there are those of us who see the presence of 1984 in America, not Britain.
Because of the lack of teaching, in schools here, of our true American heritage and what it means, we are expected to swallow the lies and evasions of our political leaders. I suspect, if a poll of some 100,000 Americans were taken, the majority would agree that it is ok to lie to "protect" our freedom.
Some of us, moose, are fighting back. We seem to be a minority, but we're chipping away at them.
Cat: My friend, please keep chipping away. You and others are the reason why I said NOT all Americans and why I apologized in advance.I just cannot for the life of me figure out why we, as neighbours, are no longer close and respectful of each other. We used to be proud to have the longest undefended border in the world. I must be getting old.
Once long ago, me and dad caught a glimpse of the Englishman Alistair Cooke, bad-mouthing "our" form of govenment, the lies, the cover-ups, etc. I asked my dad, "Who does he think he is, cuttin' this country down, and such?"
My dad told me, "No, son---most of what he's been saying IS true. Sometimes it's better to listen to someone who IS NOT an American, for the most truthful opinions."
I was only about 12 or so, at the time. Six years later, I would find, as Mark Twain said it, "I was glad to see the old man getting smarter, as I got older!"
Or somethin' to that effect....!
Bruno: it is amazing how smart our parents got as we got older.
Like I said, this is mot about the Americans as people or your way of government. It is just about the way this administration and Homeland Security operates.
Post a Comment