You think 1812 was bad for you. We rescued Andrew Jackson's ass and he repaid us with a death march to Oklahoma 26 years later and ignored the Supreme Court that agreed with us. "Justice Marshall has made his decision now let's see him enforce it." Andrew Jackson
At least you have a country and a national day. REH -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of D & N Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2012 3:28 PM To: [email protected]; RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION Subject: Re: [Futurework] 2012 On 30/06/2012 10:31 AM, Mike Spencer wrote: > Daryl wrote: > >> Here's to the War of 1812. > I'm not so sure that we should celebrate. Here's a piece that sees > 1812 as a major and lasting setback for Canada: > > Like most Upper Canadian Tories in those days, Catherine and > William believed that, in the years after the 1815 Treaty of > Ghent, Canada's U.S.-born majority had become potential traitors, > the border was something that had to be sealed tight against both > invaders and immigrants, and such concepts as democracy, public > education, religious freedom, church-state separation and > industrial capitalism were dangerous Americanisms to be kept at > bay. Much as the U.S. is doing to itself now? > While the United States flourished, colonial Canada became a > paranoid, insular place, with a sparse population and an economy > limited to resources -- a condition that would poison its growth > for almost a century and leave an even longer legacy of choked-off > development. Perhaps the result of an over-bearing Monarchial system raping the land and the workers. Which was then transferred to beating up on the Native populations. > > http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/my-ancestors-and-the-worst- > thing-that-has-ever-happened-to-this-country/article4285769/ > > I only came to Canada from New England 43 years ago and at that time, > I recall noticing something similar that I inferred was a divergence > emerging from the American revolution. When the 13 colonies declared > independence, they abruptly lost the supply of manufactured goods from > England. The result (or one of the results) was that every town, > hamlet and farmstead undertook to produce what they needed because it > would no longer be supplied from foundries, smithies and mills in the > old country. No longer was colonial iron bar shipped to England, > forged into axe heads and door latches and shipped back to Boston. Which is one of the ways I have suggested Canada act by getting out of trade agreements with foreigners and building this country from the inside. We have everything we need to live as free people in a healthy environment if we kick the greed out. > I surmise (without having made a scholarly or even serious amateur > study of it) that, consequentially, an attitude (and practice) of > self-reliance and entrpreneurship emerged in the newly independent > nation in a way that never happened in Canada. Indeed. Staying on as an Empirical colony (???) did not help our independence but yet even we managed to slaughter or imprison the Native populations. We never have become a true manufacturing nation only a place for other countries to set up shop until we demanded too high a salary and then they leave. And when there was a chance of it, one or the other federal parties would stymie the initiative (Avro arrow as an example) and allow either Britain or the U.S. to take the credit and the profits. > The above-cited author says that the War of 1812 served to amplify and > reinforce the effect. > > - Mike However. I am not the one that is constantly playing the 1812 rah-rahs about Fort York in Toronto on CBC and other local stations and how Laura Secord aided the Canadians in getting the information to the Mohawk who then took her and the info. to the military at the time thus heading off the coming attacks. Nor do I enjoy paying homage to any monarchy as I do not believe they deserve it. Whether the land and peoples are raped by Baronys or by multi-national corp's makes no difference - it is still rape, still unjust, still power over for the greed of profit. But, as I said above, it is now the U.S. that is closing its borders, stomping on education, mixing religion with politics and beating down the masses. The problem here in Canada is not that we were there but that we are about to follow and fall into it again. My original comment was one of sarcasm toward a government that is covertly doing something that I cannot figure out (other than the "slam NDP" ads that are very easy to figure out) But maybe someone else has an idea??? Darryl _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
