Thursday, November 10, 2011

"Never met a war like you before"

Oh, there they go! The Conservatives I mean (who else?) and their glorious plan to remember the dead from a war that happened 50 years before Confederation. A war that happened FIFTY years before Canada became a nation, when the 'dad's of confederation' were in diapers or not at all. A war, largely fought by British troops, who, given the average lifespans at the time, would have been mostly dead by the time 1867 rolled around. Many would well have returned to the British Isles once their garrison time in the colonies was at an end. Did the colonists, let along Aboriginals (those in contact at least), even think Canada ought to be anything but a Crown colony?

It was and only could be a British and American war fought for absurd reasons on colonised and usurped Indigenous land. But this won't stop the Conservatives from adopting it for political purposes to promote their very weird ideas about nationhood and glory. Canada as a state simply didn't exist.

Stay tuned next year when the Conservatives announce events memorialising Canada's role in that other World War and the importance of Britain's Canada's victory over France Quebec at the Plains of Abraham to nationhood, the English language, and the purity of assorted precious bodily fluids. "Remember 1759" they'll say, especially if Quebec stays communist pinko orange. Because "you know, pinko-orange was the colour of the uniforms of 18th century French colonial garrisons."

Of course, they'll have to conveniently forget the 1690, 1711, and 1775 Battles of Quebec and "Canada's" roles in those expeditionary wars, which may make "Canada" look bad because "we" lost some of those. 

Just awesome.

6 comments:

sassy said...

If it involves weapons, loss of life and (especially amongst the young) Harper will celebrate it.

POW POW, lets play WAR!!!

Heard a good term to describe Harper's mandate just this morning (I think it might have been a quote from Bob Rae?)

"Jets & jails"

900ft Jesus said...

cast out the beaver, don't consider the elk. Both are food, prey. So naturally, the killer polar bear is the perfect symbol for harper's re-design of what's Canadian.

uniforms, guns, gettin' tough on ev'rythin'

beautiful post.

Beijing York said...

Once he's done with the scientists, he'll go after the historians next to make sure they don't contradict Harper's manufactured history.

double nickel said...

I wish BY was kidding.

Alison said...

How about a Remember the Alamo Day? Now that we're all North Americans and all.

Anonymous said...

I still think its is important to acknowledge the importance of this battle and its impact on Canada's development. Yes, it was fought primarily by the British and their Native allies against the Americans. Canada would be vastly different had the American prevailed. I think that because of this reason it is important to acknowledge this conflict.