the mild-mannered Canadians are girding for conflict
 

the mild-mannered Canadians are girding for conflict, reports the BBC:

Canada is sending its navy back to the far northern Arctic port of Churchill after a 30-year absence._._._.

The move follows a spat between Canada and Denmark, over an uninhabited rock called Hans Island in the eastern Arctic region.

A visit there by Canada's defence minister last month angered the Danes.

We're totally on the side of Denmark, which is such a loyal U.S. ally that--unlike Canada--it actually celebrates the Fourth of July. The Canadians may be outmatched here anyway; remember that Denmark already has a vast Arctic empire, including the world's biggest island.

- Opinion Journal

Hey we kick the US ass back in 1812... and now we have a tank :D;):D

We all know how this will be settled... in a classic game of which ship can drink more...

Okey Okey Dokey Coop!:)

I've heard of the War of 1812, but the US History texts don't say Canada won.

My impression is that we fought the British in the War of 1812.

For your reading enjoyment:

In 1814, we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson
Down the mighty Mississip
We took a little bacon
And we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British
In the town of New Orleans

(CHORUS)
We fired our guns
And the British kept a coming
There wasn`t nigh as many
As there was a while ago
We fired once more
And they began to running
On down the Mississippi
To the Gulf of Mexico

We looked down the river
And we seed the British come
And there must have been a
Hundred of em beating on the drum
They stepped so high
And they made their bugles ring
We stood behind our cotton bales
And didn`t say a thing

(CHORUS)

Old Hickory said we
Could take em by surprise
If we didn`t fire our musket
Til we looked em in the eyes
We held our fire til
Ee seed their faces well
Then we opened up our
Squirrel guns and gave em, well

(CHORUS)

Yeah, they ran through the briars
And they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes
Where a rabbit couldn`t go
They ran so fast that the
Hounds couldn`t catch em
On down the Mississippi
To the Gulf of Mexico

We fired our cannon
Til the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator
And we fought another round
We filled his head with cannonballs
And powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off
The gator lost his mind

(CHORUS)

Yeah, they ran through the briars
And they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes
Where a rabbit couldn`t go
They ran so fast that the
Hounds couldn`t catch em
On down the Mississippi
To the Gulf of Mexico

Hut, hut, three, four
Sound off, three, four
Hut, hut, three, four
Sound off, three, four
Hut, hut, three, four

Hey DA, I had to learn that song in second grade. My second grade teacher was into patriotic songs and we learned a bunch of them. I think that was the last time I thought about or heard that song...lol.

Native Canadians (more often called First Nations up here) fought on the side of the British/Canadian forces... under the leadership of Techumseh - the Native Canadians were praised for their actions and promised numerous consessions from the British Crown... but these were ignored by the Canadian government and much of the land granted to the defenders taken by settlers. It is one of the major legal issues regarding land-claims in that area of Southern Ontario that has been brought to courts during the last 2 decades... including some "hostile" confrontations over "Native Lands" that led to the death of Dudley George over the occupation of a Canadian Forces Training Base.

Hoosier - of course your textbooks don't say you lost ;) but I know that they can't say the US won - after all the US declared war on Britain and it's North American colonies and invaded what is now Canada in order to annex it... however the US forces were repusled in battles that served to unite the English and French, and while York (now Toronto) was breifly captured and burnt - it was Canadian and British forces that captured Detriot and burnt Washington DC.

DeltAlum - Canada didn't exist as a nation or dominion then, just the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec)... and while obstensively the US was fighting British troops, however more than half of the British forces were Canadian militia.

Take a gander at this site listing the forces of each side
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812
I consider it a victory for Canada and Britian simply because they sucessfully defended British North America from a force roughly 6 times there size and strength - and even launched successful counter-attacks

.... and of course for your reading pleasure ;)
The Bold Canadian

Come all ye bold Canadians,
I'd have you lend an ear
Unto a short ditty
Which will your spirits cheer,
Concerning an engagement
We had at Detroit town,
The pride of those Yankee boys
So bravely we took down.

The Yankees did invade us,
To kill and to destroy,
And to distress our country,
Our peace for to annoy,
Our countrymen were filled
With sorrow, grief and woe,
To think that they should fall
By such an unnatural foe.

Come all ye bold Canadians,
Enlisted in the cause,
To defend your country,
And to maintain your laws;
Being all united,
This is the song we'll sing:
Success onto Great Britain
And God save the King.

written in 1813

Perhaps Canada could do us another favor, and burn Washington, DC, again. Ditto, Detroit.

As far as the US wanting Canadian territory, we continue the policy of not seeking foreign territory, while defending the weak, poor, and desperate around the world, only needing enough foreign land to bury our dead.

They try it every "Devil's Night." The masquerade as gang members and juvenile delinquents can only go so far.

:D :D :D

Funny guy.

-Rudey

The War of 1812 did give us two of our shortest-lived Presidents, Taylor and William Henry Harrison.

To be fair, it also gave us Andrew Jackson, one of our better early Presidents.

If I remember correctly, my history textbook in high school mentioned it as a loss, in that the U.S. didn't acquire the territory it set out to annex.

Really though, the Native Americans were the real losers; the U.S. came out of the war pretty well.

No true Macon Magnolia would have such a foul mouth.

This is such a random song (yes, I have had the pleasure of hearing it)

ETA: (on the radio)

I pretty much stand by my post, adding the qualification that I figured you had some affiliation with Macon, GA, home of both Mercer Univ. and Wesleyan College, where I think two GLOs were founded.

But apparently you are from the sports side of Macon, as the former hockey team "Macon Whoopee".

I find many people who use foul language pretty boring and lacking vocabulary, but I am able to only judge you by your posts.

Saying that our nations capital or any other city should be burned is not funny.

Detroit takes a bad rap -- some of which may be deserved -- but I lived and worked in TV there for five years and found it a pretty good place to be.

There is a Canadian Parody of that song that goes something like this:

oo come back proud canadians
before you had tv
no hockey night in canada
there was no cbc

in 1812 madison was mad
he was the president, you know
well he thought he tell the british
where they ought to go
he thougth he'd invade canada
he thought that he was tough
instead we went to washington
and burned down all his stuff

and the whitehouse burned burned burned
and we're the ones that did it
it burned burned burned
while the president ran and cried
it burned burned burned
and things were very historical
and the americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies
wa wa waaaa
in the war of 1812

now hillbillies from kentucky
dressed in green and red
left home to fight in canada
but they returned home dead
its the only war the yankees lost
except for vietnam
and also the alamo
and the bay of... ham
the loser was america
the winner was ourselves
so join right in and gloat about
the war of 1812

and the whitehouse burned burned burned
and we're the ones that did it
it burned burned burned
while the president ran and cried
it burned burned burned
and things were very historical
and the americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies
wa wa waaaa
in the war of 1812

in 1812 we were just sittin' around
mindin' our own business
puttin' crops into the ground
we heard the soldiers coming
and we didnt like that sound
so we took a boat to washington
and burned it to the ground

oh...
we fired our guns
but the yankees kept on coming
there wasn't quite as many
as there was a while ago
we fired once more
and the yankees started runnin
down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico
they ran through the snow
and they ran through the forest
they ran throught the bushes where the beavers wouldn't go
they ran so fast that they forgot to take their culture
back to america, gulf, and texico

So, if you go to Washington, its buildings clean and nice,
Bring a pack of matches, and we’ll burn the White House twice!

and the whitehouse burned burned burned
but the americans won't admit it
it burned, burned, burned,
it burned and burned and burned
it burned, burned, burned,
now, i bet that made them mad
and the americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies
waa waa waah!
in the war of 1812!

I agree - I haven't heard nearly as much about Devil's night as in the past (born and raised in Windsor - though no longer there).
I was in detroit 2 weekends ago. It was my very first time driving in the states and I was all alone, and all the damn highways are under construction! At least I was just going to Redford.


and back to the original topic. it's interesting how noone cared about this island for 30 years until now. But for strategic reasons they both want it, although I think US would be happy if neither claimed it, or it doesn't matter to the US as long as the surrounding waters stay international. Of course I'm in favour of claiming the island - and making the surrounding waters Canadian.

I dunno, maybe we should have a drinking contest with Denmark to see who wins?

When I read the first verse, I thought you were talking about 2005!!!!!! Well, the last two lines, anyway :D