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An Apology to Our Good Friend: Canada. |
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Dear Canada,
I love my country, and I’ve always loved you Canada…
I honestly don’t know many people who love hockey that don’t love Canada. Players are our nations and others play side-by-side on our teams. Personally, I’d like to thank you for Bobby, Clarke and Bernie Parent.
This is not a political letter. I received many emails about the booing of the American national anthem in Montreal, and I didn’t wanna get into it, but I believe that an apology is due…. I posted something similar on Facebook and was urged by friends to put it up on hockeybuzz because of it’s relevance. After sending you this letter, I will be immediatelygetting back doing what we both love to do here together. Talk hockey, rumors and have some fun.
So here goes..
Canada, I am truly sorry.
I get it. My dad was a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, I don’t love my anthem being booed, but in this case, I get it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that a country’s sovereignty is being threatened by an American President, and the booing was NOT targeted at the vast majority of Americans who think it’s very wrong to be threatening you.
Please know the vast majority of Americans feel awful for what’s happening right now. People in charge down here are treating our closest friend horribly. We are being a very bad friend. You’ve always had our back. You’ve always fought alongside us in every conflict we ask you too.. Some that were iffy for sure, but you still were there for us. If anything we took that you granted..
On our President. Many people down here voted for him because he promised to clear up corruption, crime, and help the economy. Personally, I didn’t vote for him, but I was taught to give your President a chance, even if he’s not the one you choose. I had hoped that as a business guy, he could do some good. I’m not here to judge someone who voted for him. The guy was elected by millions of people who were hurting, felt forgotten about, and found some hope in what he was telling them. Also, I truly believe that most of the people who voted for him weren’t driven by hate….
Because here’s the thing, Canada. When our current President was out there campaigning to get elected, never once did he say, “ People of America. If you vote for me, I promise I will invade and force other sovereign nations to surrender to us. Canada as a nation will be no more!”
Can you imagine if he said that while he was campaigning? He would’ve looked like one of the worst dictators this world has ever seen. And he didn’t want look that way, he would’ve lost most of his base and would’ve gotten destroyed in the election. Those who voted for him had no idea thiat this was his disgusting plan for you.
It truly sucks because some tough and ill-informed guys in Boston will boo your anthem when played in this tournament. They will boo as a retaliation for what happened in Montreal, because they won’t look beyond the surface…..they will just see the Montreal booing as an attack on America. They aren’t really thinking about the brutal situation you’ve been put in by our government. They will just boo to boo… The inane are rarely original.
I will say this to those who boo the Canadian anthem… you have a right to free speech, but before you boo the Canadian anthem, maybe ask yourself how you would react if Trudeau suddenly said, “We are claiming New England as our 11th province.”
Simply put, if a President puts this much hate into the universe, the most hateful and beer-muscled will jump on the bandwagon. Why? Because it’s easy…It’s way easier to go along with hate than it is to self-examine the reason for the hate or research the actual circumstances or situation.
Canada, you have done nothing wrong. Anyone putting the narrative out there that Canada has taken advantage of America for years is either insane or has been asleep for the last few centuries.
Canada has done NOTHING to hurt us economically. Sure….Canada occasionally competes with us in the marketplace. But they aren’t immoral about it. They aren’t hiring cheap labor or violating human rights. If anything, the value of their dollar makes them have to work even harder…and yet they turn out some solid competitive goods and services. Wanting to be better, that should spur on American companies.
What the hell? Are we afraid to lose? That doesn’t sound like America to me. But one thing I know is America doesn’t win anything by sending our opponent home and winning by forfeit. That’s when we get lazy, and that’s when quality falls. You’ll never get better that way. History has shown this again and again and again.
So I’m really sorry, Canada. Many if us are. Sorry one man is making his own insecurities about you. Sorry he feels threatened by a country that deals with so much within their own borders that you don’t need this kind of manipulation from your neighbor..…. Sorry our leader is bullying our closest friend. Who has 10% America’s population and whose GNP is 2.7 trillion versus America’s 27 trillion…. Bullying you makes America look insecure and pathetic. Canada, this is not how most Americans raise our children to act, and that’s not how we should ever accept someone hurting our neighbor.
I pray we will be better… and soon.
Ek
PLEASE NOTE:
We have a general rule at hockeybuzz that we don’t talk politics … the reason we stay away from that world is because we come to a hockey website to talk about the sport we love… I have a strong desire to make this place a place you go to escape that ridiculousness. There are plenty of places on the Internet where you can talk politics or yell at the clouds. This is a hockey story, because unfortunately this tournament will forever be tied to what’s happening between Canada and America right now…. In the comments, I asked one thing. We are talking about a specific treatment of our best friend. Ask yourself if Canada deserves this. State your opinions on the THAT and let’s try not to turn this into sticking up for your own side or party.. Be better than that.. I’m a registered independent because I think both American political parties screw up all the time…. Because I want to look at what they do not who they are .. hate the actions not the actor. As long as you’re respectful to your fellow commenters and don’t attack anyone else’s personally it will be allowed for this one blog. Don’t get into a pissing match. Remember, at the end of the day, we are North American hockey fans who never criticize a player because they come from a different place. If they can play, we want them on our team.
I will delete comments that are disrespectful and bring nothing to the conversation… and I will post a rumor blog later today and get back to what we all love… talking hockey and what might happen next as we get to the trade deadline Thank you for your cooperation.
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