America's Imperial
Wizard Visits Canada
By John Chuckman
06 December, 2004
Countercurrents.org
We
are getting stories about increasing anti-Americanism in Canada, mainly
coming from sources that are the Canadian equivalent of the Voice of
America. They are pretty much the same people who told us we must support
a friend who goes to war, neglecting to distinguish the case of a friend
who has gone stark raving mad and decided to burn down someone else's
house.
I think you can
only have anti-Americanism if you first have Americanism, which is certainly
not the same thing as simple love of country. Americanism is a cult
centered on a belief in national exceptionalism. In modern times, there
has been no better representative of the cult than George Bush, its
current Imperial Wizard. Everywhere he goes, he projects the self-satisfied
image of an America happy to dump its untreated effluent into the world's
supply of drinking water so long as Americans themselves feel they are
doing the right thing.
If you want to understand
why George Bush is responsible for any increase in the world's stock
of anti-Americanism, here is a brief summary of his recent visit to
Canada. If you can believe it, the visit was intended to heal the rift
over Canada's not signing on for the needless killing of 100,000 Iraqi
civilians. (For the latest revelation of American behavior in Iraq you
might want to see: http://ancapistan.typepad.com/photos/navy_seals_torturing_iraq/navyseal8.html
)
Bush went to Canada's
capital, Ottawa, where his advisors were so fearful he might face catcalls
by a few Members that he did not address Parliament, having been formally
invited to do so. Maybe it was just that the electronic communications
gizmo he wore on his back during the Presidential debates was out of
order, but I think it more likely he was displaying the behavior of
all bullies who have no tolerance for anyone who questions their posturing.
Security was so
tight during the visit that some Members of Parliament were refused
entry into the building for lack of a special one-time security pass,
an act which actually is against the laws of Canada. Americans never
hear of the grotesque measures taken when Bush travels abroad. After
Bush's stay at Buckingham Palace in London, the Queen was horrified
by the damage done to the Palace grounds. They were left looking like
the parking lot at a Walmart two-for-one sale.
In Ottawa, thousands
of demonstrators outside were kept away from Bush's sight, a practice
followed wherever the Imperial Wizard travels.
Instead of addressing
Parliament, Bush's staff suddenly decided to bundle him off to Halifax,
Nova Scotia. Did we hear that right, Halifax, Nova Scotia? Why in God's
name would a President go there? Could it be because it's a quiet, quaint
little city whose officials would be swept off their feet by such an
unexpected event? Could it be that going there with almost no notice
assures you a lack of organized opposition? And it just might be the
kind of place you go when you have very little to say.
It took a while
for Air Force One to take off for Halifax, Canada's weather not being
totally amenable to the Imperial will, but I'm sure Bush spent his idling
time productively, perhaps watching old episodes of Cops on the plane's
splendid entertainment system. We can just be grateful that Imperial
Vice Wizard Cheney didn't tag along for the trip or they never would
have made it to Halifax. Cheney never goes anywhere in the U.S. without
a fleet of ambulances and chase cars, lights flashing and sirens blaring,
just in case his heart implant ever fails during vitriolic speeches.
Precious stuff, being Imperial Vice Wizard.
Bush's stated purpose
in going to Halifax was to thank Canadians who were so helpful to large
numbers of American air travelers stranded by 9/11. Canadians were indeed
helpful at that awful time, but Bush's visit and pat few words of thanks
came 3 1/4 years after the help. Not to mention the fact that Bush went
to the wrong place, Halifax being roughly 600 miles by air from St.
John's, Newfoundland, where the bulk of Americans were actually stranded,
receiving remarkably generous and kind assistance Bush never acknowledged
until the day he wanted to avoid Parliament.
In the course of
all this heady activity, Bush offered nothing for the legitimate grievances
Canada has over high-handed American trade practices. On the issue of
soft-wood lumber, American claims now have been rejected by every international
tribunal governing trade. The WTO only recently declared America's actions
in violation of the organization's rules. It's been years of pointless
grief for Canada's industry and years of American home buyers paying
a premium price for home-grown lumber. But, no, you wouldn't expect
a gracious concession, America is going as far as it's possible to go
in seeking an extraordinary tribunal for its imagined grievances, and
who knows after that? I may be wrong, but I just don't think you build
friendships that way.
Bush deliberately
brought up a subject that members of Canada's government had every reason
to believe would not be brought up on his visit. So much for courtesy
and thanks. Bush brought up his addled anti-missile defense scheme and
embarrassed the government by speaking publicly about it. Again, that
is hardly the way to build friendships. But Canadians are used to this
kind of behavior. Paul Cellucci, Bush's Ambassador in Ottawa, has set
a world record for diplomatic rudeness and sticking his nose into Canada's
internal affairs. If a diplomat from any country at a Consulate in Texas
acted the way Cellucci does, he would simply be lynched. Canadians are
too decent and polite for that, but I think they can be forgiven for
being dismayed and disappointed.
Canada's head of
state, as opposed to its head of government, is the Governor General.
The current holder of the office is Adrienne Clarkson, a distinguished
Asian Canadian. It was said that at the official banquet, Ms. Clarkson
kept a noticeable distance from Bush. After all, the last time Bush's
father had a meal with an Asian, the Prime Minister of Japan, he puked
all over the front of his suit. (Thanks to columnist Jan Wong for this
last observation)