Apologies Accepted

Apologies accepted. Now how can I help?

So many Americans feel so bad about the last election, they have apologiesed to the rest of the world. The last election was more than an internal American issue. The United States is the one super power and how they view the world affects all of us.

The war on terror, the Iraq war, Access to Cheaper drugs, Gay rights, HIV/AIDS treatment and support, fair trade, the war on Drugs and a host of other issues.

Former Canadian Prime Minister, PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU once said, "Americans should never underestimate the constant pressure on Canada which the mere presence of the United States has produced. We're different people from you and we're different people because of you. Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is effected by every twitch and grunt."

This is true not only for Canada, but also the rest of the world. In Canada, 80% of Canadians expressed support for John Kerry over George W. Bush. Its no mystery Canadians prefered Kerry over Bush. Traditionally we have always leaned toward the Democratic ticket up here. The Democrats tend to lean a little more our way of thinking, though the democrat would be more like our right wing Conservative party.

It was a Canadian that defined the Axis of Evil, David Frum, a noted speech writer for George Bush. David could not make it in Canadian politics, he was just too right wing for our system. The Canadian people let our Government know we did not want any part of the war on Iraq. We have a strong and growing anti-war movement in Canada.

George Bush then attempted to charge either you are with us or against us. Canadians still decided not to join the Americans in the Iraq invasion. The decsion not to support the war created the frostiest relationship between Canada and the US since the war of 1812.

On other issues like the War on Drugs and the creation of a Safe Injection Site for users of illegal drugs in Vancouver BC, the American government has been very forceful in expressing their disapproval, threatening tighter border controls and possible sanctions.

Canadians wish there could have been another result in your country, a result that may have led eventually down the road of working together on international issues, from a place where No one country can or does use its size to get what it wants.

Good luck and if I can help from here, let me know, I am sure many Canadians will offer the same.

Check out Peace, Earth and Justice website in Victoria BC.