American Media Hits a New Low

Hey Hey,

I thought my fellow Canadians and the international body may get a kick out of this

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20051...us_cda_bashing

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Last week, MSNBC host Tucker Carlson, a well-known conservative pundit, let loose with a string of anti-Canada rants.

"Anybody with any ambition at all, or intelligence, has left Canada and is now living in New York," he said.

"Canada is a sweet country. It is like your retarded cousin you see at Thanksgiving and sort of pat him on the head. You know, he's nice but you don't take him seriously. That's Canada."

Carlson also said it's pointless to tell Canada to stop criticizing the United States.

"It only eggs them on. Canada is essentially a stalker, stalking the United States, right? Canada has little pictures of us in its bedroom, right?"

"It's unrequited love between Canada and the United States. We, meanwhile, don't even know Canada's name. We pay no attention at all," he said.

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I find this one funny... An American saying we're the retarded ones...

Especially when you see things like this

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Source: http://www.nrrf.org/essay_Illiteracy.html
According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, 42 million adult Americans can't read; 50 million can recognize so few printed words they are limited to a 4th or 5th grade reading level; one out of every four teenagers drops out of high school, and of those who graduate, one out of every four has the equivalent or less of an eighth grade education.

According to current estimates, the number of functionally illiterate adults is increasing by approximately two and one quarter million persons each year. This number includes nearly 1 million young people who drop out of school before graduation, 400,000 legal immigrants, 100,000 refugees, and 800,000 illegal immigrants, and 20 % of all high school graduates. Eighty-four percent of the 23,000 people who took an exam for entry-level jobs at New York Telephone in 1988, failed. More than half of Fortune 500 companies have become educators of last resort, with the cost of remedial employee training in the three R's reaching more than 300 million dollars a year. One estimate places the yearly cost in welfare programs and unemployment compensation due to illiteracy at six billion dollars. An additional 237 billion dollars a year in unrealized earnings is forfeited by persons who lack basic reading skills, according to Literacy Volunteers of America.

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VS

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Source: http://www.worldlit.ca/facts.html
22% of adult Canadians have serious problems dealing with printed materials.

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Now I didn't post a percentage for the US because they didn't have one but if we take their numbers (42 + 50 Million) and the population according to the CIA Handbook (295 Million)... Then we get a 31% illiteracy rate... a good deal higher than Canada's..

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Can Canada really be considered our friend anymore?" he asked in a recent commentary in the right-wing Washington Times newspaper.

"What other question can be asked when the Canadian government not only willingly allows Islamic terrorists into their country but does nothing to stop them from entering our nation?"

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This was another part of the article I liked... I'm not sure who here has crossed the Canada-US border in the past... but it's American Customs Officers stopping you when you go into the US... No one from Canada speaks to you... and Entering Canada you deal with Canadian Customs Officers (no one from the US pays attention to you)... So this comment is interesting... because the US Customs Officers would actually be the one stopping people... How about we use that to demonstrate the level of intelligence in some people.

There are other good quotes too but I'll leave that for you all to read... This really amazes me... All because the US wants to be crooks when it comes to lumber... sheesh.

Peace,
HT

Well looks like it is Canadas turn to be punished for disagreeing with the USA.

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Now I didn't post a percentage for the US because they didn't have one but if we take their numbers (42 + 50 Million) and the population according to the CIA Handbook (295 Million)... Then we get a 31% illiteracy rate... a good deal higher than Canada's..

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Well, in the US defense, those numbers are for stupid people, but calculate the percentage for successfull americans versus successfull canadians :) (by successfull I don't mean rich off drug money [like here in NY :p], instead rich due to inteligence)

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Well looks like it is Canadas turn to be punished for disagreeing with the USA.

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Oh please. The USA gets belittled by predominantly liberal Canadians left and right for disagreeing. If you can't take it, don't dish it out.

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Originally posted here by Raion
Well, in the US defense, those numbers are for stupid people, but calculate the percentage for successfull americans versus successfull canadians :) (by successfull I don't mean rich off drug money [like here in NY :p], instead rich due to inteligence)

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Those numbers are for the entire population... Success does not immediately mean Intelligence... they are two different things... I grew up around sheet metal workers... some of those men were much more intelligent than a lot of University profs I've dealt with... but the profs made a lot more.. especially when you factor in research grants they had.... The sheet metal workers were in the profession they wanted to be in ... no stress, good job, the ability to work where you wanted, when you wanted...

Also I think you'd be surprised if you want to compare wealth... Eliminate all the athletes and musicians and actors (they aren't where they are due to intelligence)... Who's left... you just never hear about Canada because the US Media doesn't like to imply that other countries exist unless it's in a negative light... but like I said originally Success and Intelligence are two different things... The literacy rate is a solid number based on the entire population not just the "stupid" people...

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Oh please. The USA gets belittled by predominantly liberal Canadians left and right for disagreeing. If you can't take it, don't dish it out.

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We disagree when the US does things that are morally and ethically wrong.... there's a big difference.

Peace,
HT

Yeah I love the fact that we were responible for letting in known terrorists (we didn't train them to fly)...The Border works both ways, I mean we just let in whats his name 50 Cent.....isn't he wanted on someone's list...I honestly don't know why this guy with a known criminal record was allowed in to Canada, yet someone who admitted to "experimenting" with pot during the 70's get stopped at the Border......

I have travelled the old tunnel (Windsor/Detroit) on numerous occassions, and it is the US Border Guards that stop you and let you through, we don't get the weird suspicious looks from the Canadian Border Guards because, hey were leaving Canada, and if the US lets you through then okay....

The Wall..............

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WASHINGTON -- A U.S. plan to study building a security wall along the Canadian border makes no sense when what's urgently required are measures to speed the flow of trade, a cross-border business group said yesterday.

The study "on the use of physical barriers" was slipped into an amendment to a bill on border security and illegal immigration passed Friday by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The amendment, sponsored by California Republican Duncan Hunter, also approves building security fences with lights and cameras along more than 1,000 kilometres of the U.S.-Mexico border in four states to keep out illegal aliens and drugs.

"It's an indication of a lack of understanding about what the true challenges are on the northern border," said Scotty Greenwood, executive director of the Canadian-American Business Council.

"Just the fact that it would quietly pass is scary. They'll study it and it isn't going to be controversial.

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Source

You can't stop Illigal Aliens from coming up your arse,(all of South America and Mexico included) what makes you think it is going to stop people from coming from Canada....... The only way you will stop Canadians from going to the US is if you keep this paranoia and insanity up to the point where no one will want to visit the US, and I am sure your Tourism Industry will just love your Homeland Security goons for that.....there is approx 1 Billion worth of goods crossing that border each day, and in case you haven't noticed we are your biggest trading partner, cut us off, who are you going to trade with then.....The Japanese??? The Chinese (maybe) Europe (when pigs fly), so after alienating the rest of this continent, just who are you going to call a friend...I am not speaking for the UK members, (I have a lot of relatives their) but if you think that just because Thatcher and Blair got into bed with US politics that they are your most favored ally, then think again, the UK has it's own problems (Euro) to really give a rats ass about the US Domestic issues, because this is what this is......you have politicians of every stripe, jockeying for the next elections, and everyone is suddenly an expert of foreign relations...

Yeah that has stood America well in the past, lets piss off the neighbours, create this thing called "Free Trade" then we will move all of the jobs to Thailand/Mexico/Indonesia etc wages are nice and low, no benefits, no unions, no grief, no enviromental controls, yada yada yada....

Stop looking for someone else to blame, we know we have security problems, we don't need the US Gov't meddling in our affairs, want to build a wall, fine start laying the bricks, and once you have walled yourselves in, throw us the keys and we will ensure that no one bothers you as I am sure the Mexicans will do the same for the South...

As far as that bowtie commie pinko Tucker Carlson and Fox news, they just like to hear themselves talk, if you can't pick on someone your own size, then lets bully the little guy.....typical schoolyard antics, if I can't play I am taking my ball and bat and going home....boohoohoo...........

MURACU

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Well looks like it is Canadas turn to be punished for disagreeing with the USA.

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Thats fricking scarey...cause its not just the lumber they want...its our fresh water and oil too.

And we dont allow terrorists into the staes..HT is right...you speak to American customs when you enter the states...

And those planes that slammed in to buildings 911...none of them took off in Canada....and all those guys had been in the states for a while.....and bushypoo was too busy playing golf to pay any attention to the warnings....


Tucker Carlson is a facist redneck...a typical non tolerant american bigot.
Cant deal with the problems in his own backyard....but likes to stick his nose in everyone else business

Dont get me wrong...I know all americans are not like that...cause I just had a visit down there in Sept.....alot of them were making fun of the right wing administration...

So I know you guys arent all bad ;)

MLf

I think this is just all silly. We need to send Rick Mercer back down there to do a "Talking to Americans Part Deux". :D

In all seriousness, many nations use elections to gripe about neighbours or those that they don't agree with. It makes the finger-pointing-politician look better because he says "Look at how bad they are doing compared to us.. Nyahh-nyahh!" The US does it. Canada does it. I'm sure Britain does it. It is the voyeuristic nature of society.

Is it worthy of our time? Hell, no! The Canadian election this year is a joke and a crock (Me?? Cynical?? Never.. all those years in the PCs didn't piss me off one bit). We're screwed no matter who ends up in power here in Canada and/or the US.

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its not just the lumber they want...its our fresh water and oil too.

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Got any fish, crabs, we'll take them.
:cool:

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We disagree when the US does things that are morally and ethically wrong.... there's a big difference.

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So that's the only time you can pick on someone for disagreeing? Who made up that rule?

IMHO -- It's simple.. the dude who talked negatively about Canadians is ignorant, bar none. I wish HTRegz and MsMittens along with the rest of our "friends up north" or whatever, would not judge all Americans based on him. However, it seems (and HTRegz, you know this to be true..) that you just seem to not like Americans. Which is fine, you are entitled to that. Thankfully, in America, you ARE entitled to that.. but I won't get into that.

To say Canadians overall are smarter than Americans:

1. Some figures are based on a percentage, ones that can easily be scued (sp?).

2. Is that based on test's given? Because I know American standards are ALOT higher than Canadian standards, and that's fact..

3.

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According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, 42 million adult Americans can't read; 50 million can recognize so few printed words they are limited to a 4th or 5th grade reading level; one out of every four teenagers drops out of high school, and of those who graduate, one out of every four has the equivalent or less of an eighth grade education.

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I find that to be a crock, then again it says itself that it was a conducted survey -- not fact. Not to mention that I HIGHLY doubt one of every four graduating students has the equivalent or less of an 8th grade education. Think about that.. again, surveys and whatnot can have faults. Regardless, I have more on this from my opinion (and can look up facts, if needbe).

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Carlson also said it's pointless to tell Canada to stop criticizing the United States.

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I agree with that, actually.. but that's applicable to every country out there, especially those who criticize the U.S.

EDIT: So that I'm not mistaken -- HTRegz, I agree with you. For the most part (and by most, I say 95% of the American Media), the American Media is very low and can be downright retarded. No disagreement there..

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I wish HTRegz and MsMittens along with the rest of our "friends up north" or whatever, would not judge all Americans based on him.

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I never do. I just you based on the number of APs I get. :D (ROFL)

Morgan la fey

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its not just the lumber they want...its our fresh water and oil too.

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Dont forget the beer. Might be a bit strong for the majority of Americains though. :D

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Might be a bit strong for the majority of Americains though.

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Actually, that's a myth. Alcohol percentage in beer is the same for both nations but measured differently: I think US is by weight and we're by volume (so bit misleading).

I know, MsM.. I shouldn't have said wish. Maybe "hope" would have been more appropriate.. :)

Damn! I never give you AP's! :D

Given hypocritical posts elsewhere, I am not really surprised at this diatribe from a "moderator"

Does STFU make any sense to this person?

Perhaps I should go elsewhere.................?

:mad:

Tuker carlson is a smuck, hes a right wing pundent, a lobotimy comes with the job title.

Thias one is easy to figure out though...the war in iraq is a failure, the war on chirstmas is a joke...some one must have shown bush a copy of Canadian Bacon thus launching our next great crusade.

I love most ( not all) Canadians and most ( not all) Americans , my gf is Canadian.... in a week im going to Sask to visit and hopefully after i get back i will still have all my fingers and toes and still love Canada lol. :)

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Originally posted here by nihil
Given hypocritical posts elsewhere, I am not really surprised at this diatribe from a "moderator"

Does STFU make any sense to this person?

Perhaps I should go elsewhere.................?

:mad:

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Ahem. This is "Cosmos". There are supposed to be NO APs given to people who are expressing their opinions first, and second, what in the HELL is the beef with you and HT? Lol, and people were worried about MY professionalism?

gore: how can people worry about something you don't have :)

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There are supposed to be NO APs given

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Wasn't that policy changed, or am I making up my own memories again?

If it was changed there wouldn't be a sticky.

Well, to begin with, I hate the Media, and sure as hell hate Tucker Carlson. I think his bow-tie needs to be loosened so that some blood and oxygen reach his brain. I don't agree or even generally condone much of anything that comes of out his mouth, or even the morons he invites on his show. I personally never understood the whole ill-will between the US and Canada and always thought it stupid from as young as I had learned about it.

In regards to the numbers represented in this study, meh. They seem to be pretty flawed. The US has close to 9 million illegal immigrants alone. Therefore, they are not actually US Americans... That alone greatly impacts that impromptu percentage supplied by the thread creator. Canada has just under 32 million citizens, the US has about 295 million; that's a 9:1 ratio. I think the challenges of educating the US are a touch more difficult, especially considering the much greater amount of cities were it's even harder to keep kids in school. Also as mentioned, placement tests in the US are substantially more difficult...

All in all though, it doesn't really matter if someone thinks the US is full of nothing but retards. They're only insulting themselves in doing so. I mean, someone calling the most dominatant economic, political, intellectual, and military force on the globe retarded would be classifying their nation and countrymen as something even more inferior?

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Wasn't that policy changed, or am I making up my own memories again?

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No Antipoints in Cosmos, plain and simple...The rule hasn't changed :)
It's not being enforced (because it's not possible), but it is being looked into...

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Originally posted here by Evil Moo
[B]Well, to begin with, I hate the Media, and sure as hell hate Tucker Carlson. I think his bow-tie needs to be loosened so that some blood and oxygen reach his brain. I don't agree or even generally condone much of anything that comes of out his mouth, or even the morons he invites on his show. I personally never understood the whole ill-will between the US and Canada and always thought it stupid from as young as I had learned about it.
[b]

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It's pretty easy to understand... We're a nice... easy going people... polite and courteous.. we don't like our rude obnoxious neighbours to the south (When I say obnoxious I'm looking at you Spyder :D)

Here's what it comes down to...

We're loved for our kindness and openness.... The US is jealous of the love we receive..

The US is feared for their brutality and dictatorial approaches.... We're angry with your "the world is ours... we're the best at everything attitude"

Both countries are respected... some for the right reasons... some for the wrong reasons

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In regards to the numbers represented in this study, meh. They seem to be pretty flawed. The US has close to 9 million illegal immigrants alone. Therefore, they are not actually US Americans... That alone greatly impacts that impromptu percentage supplied by the thread creator. Canada has just under 32 million citizens, the US has about 295 million; that's a 9:1 ratio. I think the challenges of educating the US are a touch more difficult, especially considering the much greater amount of cities were it's even harder to keep kids in school. Also as mentioned, placement tests in the US are substantially more difficult...

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The percentage makes sense... You may have more citizens but that means more money to put into services and it should mean more choice in selecting a higher calibre of teacher... (at least based on your belief that size matters).... In reality everything is a ratio and size doesn't matter in the least... On average more of your citizens fail at reading when compared with us..
I don't see why ou have more challenges educating in the US.... perhaps because the president is an idiot so people think dropping out and becoming idiots will mean money and power... but seriously.... it's no different... I'd also love to see your proof that placement tests are harder.... I grew up in a border town.. A number of my friends went to an American University (my town didn't have a real university... just a college and a University College (University but the degree comes from elsewhere)... They all had to write either the SAT or the ACT... the majority of them were offered scholarships for their high scores.... Maybe you just find the tests more difficult because your level of education isn't up to par with what it should be by the time you are entering university.

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All in all though, it doesn't really matter if someone thinks the US is full of nothing but retards. They're only insulting themselves in doing so. I mean, someone calling the most dominatant economic, political, intellectual, and military force on the globe retarded would be classifying their nation and countrymen as something even more inferior?

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I love people like you... Wipe out the US... no one's going to miss it.... What product that the US manufacture solely that can't be found elsewhere? wait.... none.... a Dominant political force (i'll assume you meant dominant and typo'd since "dominatant" isn't a word)... have you seen your President.... the only place you have a dominant political force is in countries your over sized military has invaded and conquered (speaking of which... why does so much money go into your military when people are starving on your streets???)... Let's see... intellectual... agin... i hope this is a joke... I'm not sure that anyone see's you as an intellectual force...

Peace,
HT

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What product that the US manufacture

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They manufacture..........movie stars..that become presidents

They manufacture media that is propaganda

They manufacture War

They manufacture Consumerism

I could go on..............

I am sorry...........but the American media is unrealistic.......I hate the advertising
constant fear mongering

Like I have said in previous posts.............its not americans.....there is bad and good in every society.....religon..........country.............every human

Canada is a great Nation

And my Canada includes Quebec ;)

We are a tolerant society.........I am Canadian...........and am very grateful to be one :)

My .02cdn

;)

MLF

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It's pretty easy to understand... We're a nice... easy going people... polite and courteous.. we don't like our rude obnoxious neighbours to the south (When I say obnoxious I'm looking at you Spyder )

Here's what it comes down to...

We're loved for our kindness and openness.... The US is jealous of the love we receive..

The US is feared for their brutality and dictatorial approaches.... We're angry with your "the world is ours... we're the best at everything attitude"

Both countries are respected... some for the right reasons... some for the wrong reasons

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There's nice and easy going people in the US ... Just like there is plenty of rude and obnoxious Canadians ...

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You may have more citizens but that means more money to put into services and it should mean more choice in selecting a higher calibre of teacher... (at least based on your belief that size matters).... In reality everything is a ratio and size doesn't matter in the least... On average more of your citizens fail at reading when compared with us..

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Just because they have more people does not mean that they are gonna have more money ... Just because they have more money does not mean that that money will be used wisely ...

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The English language contains approximately half a million words. Of these words, about 300 compose about three-quarters of the words we use regularly. In schools where the "whole language" is taught, children are constantly memorizing "sight" words during the first three or four grades of school, but are never taught how to unlock the meaning of the other 499,700 or more words. Reading failure usually shows up after the fourth grade, when the volume of words needed for reading more difficult material, in science, literature, history, or math cannot be memorized quickly enough. The damage to children who have not been taught phonics usually lies hidden until they leave the controlled vocabulary of the basal readers, for more difficult books where guessing, or memorizing new words just does not work. The result is that textbooks in the middle and upper grades are "dumbed" down to a fourth or fifth grade reading level.

This is the real reason why the SAT scores have dropped to such low levels during the last three decades.

From the time the alphabet was invented until the time of French scientist and mathematician Blaise Pascal, reading was taught by memorizing the sounds of syllables, and then stringing them together to make words. But Pascal found that by separating the syllables into their letter parts, one could learn to read more effectively and efficiently. His method was intended only to assist in the very beginning stages of reading, when a child is learning the printed syllables of his own language.

Former teacher and researcher Geraldine Rodgers puts it this way: "It was only for this purpose that Pascal invented it [phonics], to make the previously almost unending memorization of regularly formed syllables . . .unnecessary. But phonics works, and has since 1655. So it is not surprising that it was invented by one of the most towering mathematical and scientific geniuses in history, Blaise Pascal . . ."

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Begs to ask the question : Do Canadians get taught to read ??

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I love people like you... Wipe out the US... no one's going to miss it....

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I love people like you ... Wipe out Canada ... no one's going to miss it ... humm I wonder how Amerecanized this country has become ... Just take a look around and you'll see ....

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They manufacture..........movie stars..that become presidents

They manufacture media that is propaganda

They manufacture War

They manufacture Consumerism

I could go on..............

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And many Canadians love all of the above ... Great isn't it ??? ... Especially the movie stars gotta love the movie stars ... Ever see Troy pretty good movie dont you think ?? How about Titanic ??

Stuff like this don't foster good relations eitherInvade Canada

Sure it's just a stupid site for trolls......?

Just once I wish we could have a Government that would invade someone else and trample on their sovereignty, maybe we could go after the Magdalen Islands and kick those imperious French out..

I gotta laugh at the education thing, back in the late 60's and 70's we were required to learn about the US, the Civil War, learn the states and their capitals, I probably learned more about the US history then I did my own....(I resented that)


My belief is that, because the majority of US citizens could care less about what happens outside their little worlds, or outside their own borders, that when a blowhard like Carlson whips up his rhetoric a lot of US citizens take their heads out of the sand and go what's that? Canada is now the place to invade, those pesky Canadians are at it again, we should march on their capital Toronto(insert sarcasm re: geography 101) and take over. (economically you allready have).

I love my Country just as much as you love yours, I respect your decisions where they effect your own citizens, I don't like other countries trying to meddle in my backyard...I also don't like our stupid politicians which try to use the Anti US tactic in the run ups to elections, just as I don't like your politicians for doing the same thing.

I also don't appreciate having a gun put to my head and threatened that if we don't sign up to that "Star Wars" thing then we won't be protected, (we don't need protection from the rest of the world, just you).

We try to abide by the rules in this Free Trade Crap your President Reagan and our PM Mulroney put together so that the rich could get richer and the poor will just die...yet every time we take the US to the WTO court and win the judgements, you guys renege on the issues, yet if you were to win the judgement you could bet your last dollar that we would be forced to pay up...

Lets cut the crap....you stay in America and I'll stay in Canada...

:D

Here's to you, and here's to me
May we never disagree
but if we do FU
Here's to me and here's to you...