JUST SAY NO TO ANSCHLUSS

A possible resolution for border problems between the U.S. and Canada could be a treaty like the Shengen Agreement that makes travel in the European Union as easy as driving between provinces. However, I join Canadians in being wary of a customs union, fearing that it could be a step towards political union with the U.S. This is not so different from the idea of Anschluss, when Nazi Germany wanted to make the neighboring German-speaking country of Austria no more than a province of their Third Reich. It was a bad deal for Austria, and Anschluss would be a bad deal for Canada as well. I think Canadians are right when they say the U.S.-Canadian border is like a oneway mirror. People in Canada can look across and see the United States, but people in the United States look across and they can only see themselves. Only in the U.S. could Anschluss be mistaken for a good idea. Not just the attitude of many of the people, but the diplomacy of the U.S. government suggests that underneath a thin veneer of respect is an obvious sense of treating their relationship with Canada as anything but a partnership of equals. As they do with other countries, the United States tries to remind Canada that they are large and in charge, by keeping a visible and uncomfortable presence. The U.S. embassy in Ottawa is enormous. While its size alone is intimidating, the architecture and setting of the U.S. Embassy seems to be meant to play mind games. Most of the foreign embassies are in a quiet residential area, but the U.S. put their embassy amongst one of the most popular pedestrian shopping sections of town. It towers over the surrounding buildings and blocks out the sunset. If that was not enough, the design of the embassy is cold and domineering. It seems like it was meant to radiate a sense of power without

compassion, as if it was built by robots trying to enslave the human race. In fact, it looks like it came straight out of the movie Tron.

ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US The people of Ottawa voted this building as the citys biggest eyesore with good reason. Only a small fraction of this monstrosity fits in this picture from Wikipedia. As if it wasnt bad enough, Ottawa consented to partially block off the streets that go past it. This security measure has caused gridlock for commuters, and affected the accessibility of local businesses. Many in the world would see this building and its effects as the perfect metaphor of how the United States acts in the world. It is like a big clumsy giant that doesnt even notice the people it steps on, and wouldnt apologize if it did. The location of the U.S. Embassy suggests that it is meant to intimidate a lot more than the little people on the street. From its vantage point, near the Rideau Canal which was built as an escape route in case of a U.S. invasion, it is in direct line of site of Parliament Hill, as if daring Canada to do anything audacious without getting their blessing first. It could make some question where the real law of the land lies. The United States also shows contempt for Canadian sovereignty by claiming the Northwest Passage as international waters. Long sought after in the early days of exploring Canada, the Passage was too far north to provide sea access from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Now, the melting polar ice caps mean the waterways between the Canadian mainland and the Queen Elizabeth Islands are becoming passable. Just as they did with the Panama Canal, the U.S. hopes to take commercial advantage of this new trade route, disregarding whose country they are cutting through.

Yellow: Canadian territorial waters in the Arctic Ocean that are claimed by the U.S. Contempt was again shown when the U.S. extradited Leonard Peltier from Canada. As an activist critical of the federal governments relations with the Native Americans, it is believed that his conviction, based on questionable evidence, of murder was politically motivated. He was arrested on February 6, 1976 while seeking refuge in Alberta, but based on falsified information he was returned to the United States to face life in prison. The following comes from a website advocating his release: In addition to being in violation of Leonard Peltiers rights, the United States government committed fraud on the court during the extradition proceedings and violated the sovereignty of Canada. (www.freepeltiernow.org/extradition.htm) There are also concerns that free trade agreements are more for the benefit of corporations, mostly based in the United States, rather than Canadian workers. These Canadians seem to agree.

National Geographic VOL. 177, NO.2 February 1990 p. 112

The United States has violated its own free trade agreements by seizing the hemp birdseed. It does however still use NAFTA to invade Canada with genetically engineered crops. With gene manipulation, we have begun patenting life itself. Since the dawn of humanity, a plant could be seen as a part of the commons, for use by anyone. Farmers might now, even by accident, be growing crops that they do not own the rights to. This lead to the Supreme Court of Canada case 1 S.C.R. 902; 2004 SCC 34 Monsanto vs. Schmeiser. By a narrow margin, the court ruled against Farmer Schmeiser. While walking around the streets of Ottawa near the U.S. Embassy, I noticed shops that were selling flags that looked like this.

Had I seen flags like this being sold in Washington DC I would no doubt see it as a move in the right direction. But I think only in Canada could a flag like this be sold, and that troubles me. I also noticed that the One Way signs in Charlottetown say One Way on them, like they do in the United States. I worry that this might be a harbinger of things to come. *** It is no wonder that most of the supporters for a North American Union come from the United States. What would change for them? They have more than ten times as many people as Canada, which would give the current United States complete political dominance. The proposal for union also calls for reducing the number of Canadian political divisions from ten provinces to eight states, so they would be left with even less representation in Congress. Advocates for annexation by the United States dare claim that it would be good for Canada as well. This proposal sounds flawed like most proposals for Pan-Arabism. There has been a lot of talk of politically uniting all of the Arab states, but the leaders of Egypt, Syria, or Iraq who have proposed it have always seen their country as being the center of governance. Basically they have pictured the disappearance of all other states, but preserving their own to be the grain of sand that the Pearl of Unity forms around. Thus is exposed, by these supposedly benevolent visions for the unification of separated peoples, the timeless nature of imperialism. One of the countries in the merger

demands an unequal sacrifice of identity by others. We ask more of others than we would want asked of ourselves. Demands for change are rarely answered because we always assume that it is only everyone else who needs to change. Forging a united identity is always easier for those who feel that they sacrifice the least and contribute the most to the union. It was easiest for Russians to identify themselves as Soviet citizens, as the Russian capitol of Moscow was the capitol for the entire Soviet Union, and the official language of the USSR was Russian. Likewise, identifying as British might come more easily to someone in England than it does in Scotland or Wales. Not surprisingly, the vision of the U.K. began in England, and the vision of the U.S.S.R. began in Russia. When the two Arab states of Yemen merged, they kept the capitol (Sana) of the smaller state, so the sacrifice of sovereignty would seem more equal. In the event of a North American Union, I think it would be fair to demand that Ottawa be kept as the shared capital. That might be the key to Canadian world dominance. However, even if the union kept the name and kept the flag of Canada, the politics in Ottawa would still be dominated by the old-order U.S. citizens. If, God forbid, there was going to be a North American Union, I might try to see the glass as half full. With the inclusion of the Canadian population, I would hope that the number of liberal-minded progressive voters would finally be enough to ensure that hawkish, undereducated, conservatives never got elected again. This exposes the hidden consequences of empire. It can stretch itself too thin by biting off more than it can chew, and face the threat of counter-assimilation. At least in some parts of the U.S. people might be able to adopt a Canadian national identity. Thousands of Americans thought about moving to Canada after the 2004 presidential election. Indeed, it is safe to say that many of us now feel more connected, despite the border, to our northern neighbor than to the rest of our countrymen. This famous map of Canada including the blue states sums it up.

Original design by G. Webb, and first posted on the internet message board yakyak.org

The Blue States would still end up completely dominating Canadian politics though. California alone has more people than all of Canada. Also, many of the people in the Blue States are not progressive and liberal, and they could undermine Canada. Unfortunately, there is also a traitorous minority within the Canadian population who actually think that they should join the United States. I think it would be simpler if they just moved here, since there are undoubtedly plenty of U.S. citizens who would gladly trade them for their Canadian citizenship. There have even been political parties in Canada devoted to annexation. The Unionist Party briefly had a few members in Saskatchewans parliament in the early eighties. It would be funny how that could have changed the map of the United States.

If any of the provinces were going to join Jesusland most people agree that it would probably be Alberta. Alberta in many ways sticks out separately in the Canadian landscape more than Quebec does. They tend to solidly vote for that dark horse of Canadian politics, the Conservative Party. The Conservative Party isnt called the Annexation Party, yet they try to model Canadian society after the United States. They are trying to make Canadas medical marijuana laws more stringent, thus more like the failed drug policies found south of the border. That must make the pharmaceutical industry happy. If they (both the pharmaceutical industry and the Conservative Party) had their way, Canada would have a for-profit medical system. This would also make Republicans in the U.S. government as well as their rich friends happy, since they are frustrated by the presence of a better alternative that has inspired home-grown calls for universal healthcare.

Under Conservative dominance, the Canadian government has withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol. This piece of international legislation acknowledges the growing problem of climate change, and enshrined the hopes that together the world could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is telling of American diplomacy that the U.S. refused to sign on, and it was telling of the progressive thinking and cooperative spirit of Canadian diplomacy that Canada did. What does it say now that Canada has backed out? Conservatives seek to reduce funding for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) which provides high quality entertainment, information, and educational resources to the Canadian people. Although funded by the government, the CBC is not some mouthpiece for the state, like government controlled media in China. In the true spirit of democracy, the Canadian government supports independent media sources that are not afraid to bite the hand that feeds them, and call out the government on its faults. By promoting criticism of its self, the government thus helps with its self-improvement. If Canada abandons this principle then it is loosing faith in true democracy.

It is because it is subsidized by the Canadian government that it is easy to mistake the CBC for just another for-profit television station, rather than Canadas version of PBS. In the U.S. there is a lot less government support for truly independent media resources, so the programming provided by these TV and radio stations are often of lesser quality. They have to hold frequent telethons to request financial support from their audience, where they clearly state that if you dont give them money then you are a bad person. True, there is no government-controlled media in the U.S. like the USSR had in the form of Pravda, but that doesnt mean the media is free. Most news the American people receives comes from private, but for profit, media empires that like the Soviets have their own reasons to put a twist on information. Pravda is Russian for truth even though it was often reporting lies. Subsequently, media resources in the U.S. that claim to be fair and balanced are usually anything but that. The degree of freedom a country holds is often gauged by how much the government will support independent reporting. On this scale, Canada like many other western countries has a lot more democracy than the United States, and I would hope that would continue to be the case in the future. I noticed that the Conservative Party of Canada likes to promote itself at venues like Christian music concerts. This makes me even more convinced that they are a proxy for U.S. imperialism.

To put it bluntly, most of what is considered Christian music sucks. If you are really looking for spiritual inspiration in music, listen to Bob Marley. Every time I have come across Christian radio, the music sounds like it was meant for an audience of people giving each other hand jobs. It is preachy, obnoxiously self-praising, devoid of substance, and just plain awful, but it somehow has a cult following (in the literal sense of the word) by sprinkling in empty references to God and Jesus. That is why the people who buy these albums are unwilling to see that the emperor has no clothes. I worry that the popularity of this music indicates a disturbing trend of people letting their judgment be twisted by symbolism, and the social consequences that could lead to. The consequence I am most afraid of is that Canada could become a puppet state for Jesusland. Realizing that there could be people who call themselves Canadian but that approach religion in the same way that stereotypical Red State Americans do only makes my fear worse. Some of them even belong to wacky churches based south of the border. I have seen their missionaries going door to door in Nova Scotia. Like the United States, Canada would have a foreign policy that pissed off the entire world, if the Tories (Conservatives) had their way. If Stephen Harper were prime minister back in 2003, Canadian troops might have found themselves stuck in Iraq as well. The man is like the Canadian version of Tony Blair, blindly supporting American diplomacy to the misfortune of his own country. During the Throne Speech in 2011, a young page named Bridgette DePape had the courage to stand in protest in parliament, and hold up a sign that said Stop Harper. She needed to speak out, because she felt that Harper was taking the country down a path inconsistent with Canadian values. For this, she was promptly ejected and fired.

Bridgette DePape: National hero http://nextyearcountrynews.blogspot.com/2011/06/stop-harper.html The Tories seem just a little too eager to please Washington D.C. with their support for NAFTA, and being the only major party in Ottawa to refuse allowing refuge to U.S. military deserters. They even support an economic plan that, like the U.S. system cuts funds for the public welfare in order to provide a bloated military budget.

The militaries of the United States and Canada are already joined at the hip more often then not. This is not only because they are both members of the U.S.-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but because of an increasing number of security agreements that basically extend GI Joes jurisdiction over Canada. Canadians should be concerned that political and military leaders involved in border security talks are also discussing a massive expansion of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) -- the joint U.S.-Canada military aerospace command for North America. The security perimeter talks, purportedly aimed at easing border trade, might leave Canada sacrificing its ability to have an independent security policy and trapped inside a U.S.-dominated "Fortress North America." -From an article entitled Will Canada be Trapped Inside Fortress North America? Steve Staples, March 1, 2011, http://rabble.ca The forbears of the Conservative Party of Canada were actually trying to avoid integration with the United States. In 1891, the Conservatives opposed the Reciprocal Trade Agreement on the basis that completely free trade with the U.S. would be the first step towards political union. But this was in the 19th century, when the British Empire was the greatest power in the world, and they wanted to be their willful stooge. It was in 1989 that the Tory Prime Minister Brian Mulroney forged the similar Canadian-U.S. Free Trade Agreement the forbear of NAFTA. It was a prime minister from the opposing Liberal Party, William Lyon Mackenzie, who promoted greater autonomy from Great Britain. He would not support Britain against Turkey, during the Chanak Crisis of 1922, without the consent of parliament. This is unlike Arthur Meighan, leader of the Conservative Party at the time, who immediately gave his support. Mackenzie also waited a week longer than Britain to declare war on Germany in World War II, unlike the First World War, when Canada immediately joined in. By the way, it was the Liberal Party that opposed conscription during World War I. Now that Britain is long since eclipsed by the American Empire, the Conservatives look longingly towards the United States for the same reasons they once turned away from it. And they are still expecting Canada to play second fiddle.

Beware the wolf in Canadian clothing

In terms of political strategy, the Conservative Party is genius in that it uses the symbol of the red maple leaf to make itself look like their priorities are truly Canadian. Any true Canadian patriot could find faith in symbols such as these, but they should not be fooled by everyone who displays these symbols. There are a lot of evil red-state U.S. corporations that have a foothold in Canada with their fast food restaurants, gas stations, and big box stores. They often incorporate the maple leaf into their symbols to make themselves seem Canadian. If they are going to show their ugly faces in Canada I agree that it looks better with a maple leaf on it. But anyone who is truly proud to be Canadian should choose to spend their money at fast food restaurants, gas stations, and big box stores that are truly indigenous to Canada. The Canadian people must take personal responsibility for maintaining sovereignty, and they can do so by voting with their wallets. Canadians can also vote in the literal sense. But many Canadians have been duped into giving the Conservative Party a majority in Parliament in 2011. They now claim to be the voice of Canada, even though most Canadians didnt vote for them. This is because a lot of Canadians did not bother voting, thus displaying an apathetic attitude towards politics that they should avoid, because it makes them even more like Americans.

Stand Together I am hoping that a coalition of the two biggest opposition parties, the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party, can help keep the Conservatives in check. It is important to remember that these two parties have their differences though, and not try to merge them into one. If Canada had only two major federal parties, politics could start to look like the lame-duck effort at bipartisanship that happens in Washington D.C. Even when the Liberal Party was in control, Paul Martin felt like he needed to appease the U.S. for not joining the invasion of Iraq. He found a sacrifice in parliament member Carolyn Parish, who lost her seat after she stomped on the head of a Bush doll. A lot of Americans have failed to see the dark road we are heading down, because we didnt see our symbols replaced by fascist imagery. Tyranny doesnt need to take the form of a swastika or a hammer and sickle. Decades ago we were warned that when fascism came to America it would be carrying a cross and draped in the flag. Canadians should also notice the warning signs of Canada loosing its sovereignty, even when those signs try to hide behind the maple leaf. In the 1960s, when U.S. president John F. Kennedy spoke in Ottawa he said geography has made us neighbors, history has made us friends, economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies.

On C-SPAN, I heard U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta quote this when he spoke at the 2011 Halifax International Security Forum, along with the part where JFK said no free nation can stand alone. I agree, and I wish more Americans would too. But Mr. Panetta was talking to the Canadians, making it clear he expected them to think they need U.S. even though Americans have often thought that we didnt need them. When it came to the Defense Secretary talking about the United States, I detected what I take to be typical arrogance. I remember hearing we will maintain our excellence and leadership, meaning they would like to maintain all of the control of deciding to unilaterally invade countries like Iraq, but want other countries to help pay for it. Here are some other snippets I heard him make: we stand together as friends that bond is the essential key to security in the 21st Century. join us in meeting common challenges share our burdens more and more effectively with our partners Canada can benefit from its close economic and social ties to the United States, and they should be fully taken advantage of. However, many believe that the U.S. is losing its excellence and leadership. Predictions by the pessimists may be overblown, but if they are right then Canada does not want to remain tethered to a sinking ship. This is why I support the Red and White Ribbon campaign, to stand for no deep Canadian integration with the United States.

A maple leaf turns red in the autumn because it looses all of its green chlorophyll. The red pigments were always there, but unseen. Many think the U.S. has overshadowed Canada. If that is true, and political scientists are right in expecting this to be the beginning of a post-American century, like the last was a post-British century, then if Canada maintains its independence, it could get the chance to emerge from that shadow and present itself to the world like never before.