[PRCo] Re: PRCo] Re: Europa (Foreign Languages)

[Fred Schneider]

I can't help but wonder if the the regulations on this side of the  
border which Canada has been forced into going along with haven't in  
some small way lead to that ... example converting the "hello, what  
is your citizenship, have a nice day" border crossings into a two  
hour ordeal with passports.   I know it's intended to find terrorists  
or perhaps to make the average person feel more comfortable but I  
doubt that we would recognize a terrorist if we fell over him.   Take  
is bomb or gun away and he probably looks just like you and me.

The U. S. A. has also done a lot of minor things to infuriate  
Canadians without even knowing we've done it.   Little things like  
chopping off the television weather maps at the Canadian border.    
Pretending in our news programs that Canada doesn't even exist.    
Calling Canadian currency "funny money."   I heard that last one in a  
restaurant in Buffalo.   Don't we recognize that over half the  
Canadians can pick our television stations with nothing more than an  
antenna?   Do we not understand that more than half of the support  
for Buffalo Public Television comes from Toronto, Hamilton, Ste.  
Catherine and Niagara Falls, Ontario?   I guess Americans are simply  
clueless that most Canadians live south of the 49th parallel, which  
is the dividing line out in the prairies.   About 12.5 million of the  
32+million Canadians live in Ontario and most of them are south of  
Milwaukee.   Most of the 7 million in Quebec are south of  
Minneapolis.   And now we've covered 2/3rd of the country.   Oh yes,  
of the 4 million in British Columbia, most are within 40 or so miles  
of the U. S. border.

I suspect, Bill, there was also a lot of animosity that developed  
during those years when the value of the currency reversed and the  
Canadian dollar was worth less than the U. S. dollar.   After many  
years when we would come up there and buy a Canadian dollar for a  
premium, it reversed and you people were screwed on vacations.   And  
I imagine the people on this side of the border gloated a little.    
Well, it's your turn now.

I know it's a Pittsburgh Railways website Bill, but it had to be  
said.     I like all people ... Black, white, gay, straight, male,  
female ... no preferences.   I have a big problem when we blindly  
insult our neighbors.

To get back to the original discussion ... the man in the diplomatic  
group that burst into flames spoke of 12 million _________ trying to  
control a country.   I'm not going to tell you what he called the  
Quebecois.   It wasn't very diplomatic.
I know that Montreal had been the banking capital of the nation until  
the French Canadians started to stir the pot in the middle to late  
1960s causing a tremendous growth in Toronto and a migration of a lot  
of capital.   Is it possible that 5 million people moved from Quebec  
to Ontario at that time?   Or were his numbers way off the mark?


http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo02.htm

On Nov 9, 2007, at 7:24 PM, Bill Robb wrote:

> Quebec also has a very severe intolerance of virtually any  
> minority.  Not only does Quebec have language laws, but it is  
> proposing "Quebec citizenship".  Your answers better be right and  
> don't wear a veil when you want to vote. This seems to be a growing  
> trend here in the rest of the country too. Your Canadian or you're  
> out. Ties with the United States are no longer viewed as important  
> except by business leaders.
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