tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post3256882502880168452..comments2024-03-28T16:15:19.319-04:00Comments on Saideman's Semi-Spew: Annoying Canadian nationalismSteve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-969180023776495232013-12-17T11:06:34.804-05:002013-12-17T11:06:34.804-05:00canadians are annoying with their smugness. do the...canadians are annoying with their smugness. do they realize their country has benefitted tremendously over the last 8 decades from having the United States as its nearest neighbor? everything happening in the United States motivates discussion in canadian media - in other words, we're fun to watch. without the american market, there probably would not be a quality professional hockey league. one can go on and on, but the fact is that the United States has suffered (much more) for having to be the policeman in this world. there is no way to identify the tangible benefits of the American presence in world politics, but it exists. we as a planet are much better without Saddam, with the Arab Spring (thanks to the minimization of Al Quaida), etc. so when i recall that image (somewhere on the internet) of that young woman holding a sign saying "at least we have health care" (apparently at an international sporting event) i grimace at the callousness. and i think of maimed, disfigured, or dead american men whose service in the big picture allows places like canada and germany to live without these stresses. the world should thank the US. Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17856083745079421915noreply@blogger.com