Booing the Anthem
This is not an indictment of Canada for not agreeing with the U.S. lead war against Iraq. As a U.S. citizen who believes in the freedom of speech, I believe citizens and fans have the right to express their opinion. I also believe that the heavy French population in Montreal and Quebec has vastly different opinions from those in Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver as shown by the attempts to become a separate country. However there is a time and place for everything and a hockey game is not the forum to express those opinions.
What happened at the Montreal-Islanders game Thursday night was a disgrace. Americans are putting their lives on the line trying to oust a dictator who has used weapons of mass destruction against his own people as well as neighboring countries (Iran, Kuwait). The U.S. has tried through the U.N. for over a decade to follow “diplomacy” as the French put it to get Hussein to comply. He has not mainly because countries like France and Russia have economic interests in Iraq and know France will stand up for him to protect those interests. The BS being thrown around about “blood for oil” is ridiculous. We import 50% of our oil from that region and the majority of it is from Saudi Arabia. If France were to lose hundreds of millions in trading, it would hurt their struggling economy.
The Islanders are mainly made up of non-Americans. Most notably, players like Peca, Scatchard, Wiemer, and Asham are Canadian, yet they felt embarrassed after the French Canadians booed the U.S. anthem. The Isles used that as motivation to flat out bury the Canadiens and their playoff hopes.
Canada might be free, but relies heavily on the U.S. military might of the South. The U.S. freed occupied France in WW II and helped French soldiers in Vietnam. The U.S. recognizes the Canadian help provided in other conflicts and respects Canada.
That’s not to say the U.S. doesn’t do stupid things. Islander fans booed the Canadian anthem last year, but that had more to do with the thuggery of the Maple Leafs against Peca and Jonsson than a disrespecting of Canada. Toronto fans have repaid the favor since.
However freedom is something that you have fight for sometimes. Unfortunately it seems that the French want freedom on the backs of others. It is not a coincidence that France stated it would back the U.S. if chemical weapons were used in this war. They would enjoy the spoils of freedom while not putting their own soldiers in the line of fire. France would not want to lose face, so it would go from the peace bandwagon to the winning bandwagon.
Last night was just a hockey game. It was a benefit of freedom. However to boo a U.S. based team, it’s fans and citizens is a sign of disrespect. I just hope Canada doesn’t face the terrorism we have. If you do, I hope the U.S. lets France intercede.
Did help them overthrow the only democratically elected leader, who was a dove, in the whole muslim world and put Saddam in place. No this started before you are right, but your hands are not clean.
I love that he missed that. Canada would have had so much more personality if Montcalm had cleaved Wolfe’s head off.
It gets lonely here in BC with PQ all the way over there, across Ontario.
It’s true. The “fucking-A” one was pretty witty, I objectively thought. And quick too. With an ironic bit. Tasty despite a seemingly rough format and questionnable political correctness. Two thumbs up again.
Whatever dude, I really don’t feel the need to prove myself to you.
Allright I’m done!
So what you are saying is, if someone murdered your relative, you’d rather pay to keep him alive and in jail for the rest of his life? I feel the punishment should fit the crime.
I understand what you are saying. I also agree that everyone has their own opinions. But what bothers me is most of the anti-war people are just bashing America. What about Britain and the other countries that are helping and/or supporting this war effort?
I hate the idea of war. But I also hate the idea of a dictator who rules his people through fear and terror. Saddam is also the richest(by far) man in Iraq. Bush is not even in the top 100. And Bush still needs to go through Congress before he does anything. So in all actuality…… it is just as much Congress’ fault for allowing our troops to fight as it is Bush’s.
The people of America…. North America…. have the freedom to do just about everything. People in Iraq do not.
I think everyone should be aloud to express their opinions. But too many people on this topic are JUST pointing at Bush! There are over 40 countries that are involved in one way or another.
I have counted your comments… but there wasn’t one half decent one! And it wasn’t fun!
You were close… but I wouldn’t expect you to get it right.
Was it Freedom of Speech… or just Disrespect???
In order to disrespect something it has to be respectable at first. Bush’s behaviour makes it’s whole nation not respectable by its disrespect of others beliefs.
Hey, it’s only a joke.
I just have no idea what your talking about!
Hello? Yoo Hoo? I wasn’t sure you could see me with your head up your ass…
Now that I have your attention – The Middle East (all of the Middle East, not just Iraq) accounts for only four percent of the oil consumed by the United States. Your argument is as imbecilic as Arianna Huffington’s rants about “SUV’s” supporting “terrorists” (why not limos? They get worse gas mileage!). Only three to five cents of every dollar spent on oil in the U.S. goes to the Middle East (again, all of the Middle East, not just Iraq).
As to why we don’t go after North Korea, I imagine the reasons are one of the following:
1.) Their leader is an even bigger freaking lunatic than Saddam Hussein.
2.) They have nuclear weapons.
3.) They haven’t overtly started killing people in this country.
By the way, I have dual citizenship, and I think booing the anthem is classless. However, I was at a Colorado Mammoth lacrosse game the other night, and the girl singing the anthems forgot the words to the Canadian anthem. That was, in my opinion, even more classless.
In closing, I agree with most others on this site, that sports and politics do not mix. I would think the looming lock-out possibility would be much more of a source for discussion.
“As for Einstein, Does this mean that he was all for the use of Atomic weapons that he helped create?”
Albert Einsten wrote a letter to Dwight Eisenhower telling him not to use the bomb, because he knew what damage it would incur. Eisenhower received the letter, but died before he could do anything about it. Harry Truman thus didn’t receive the letter and used the bomb anyway, not knowing what dangers it would lead to.
RealityCheck
Since then we have been on a mission to kick-all-ass associated with Terrorism and guess what, we havent had an attack on the US soil since.
true (unless news are wrong), they waited for you to establish a camp in Koweit…
9/11 has nothing to do with going after Iraq.
There is no connection between Bin Laden and Hussein. That already has been proven.
W have just done is to align enemy camps in the Arab community to join together against the US and sent thousands of American Soldiers into a dangerous situation without a just cause.
Awww Jay where is all of that man-love you were talking about earlier?
Bravo!!
It’s all for you big boy!! All for you!
Typical french thinking….Go cower in the shadows and hope the problem goes away.
So Bush is the ONLY one to blame here? Maybe you should open your eyes and realize that there are over 40 countries involved in this. NOT JUST THE USA!
So trying to protect civilians in another country is not respectable? IGNORANCE IS BLISS!!
So I guess your behavior makes your nation not respectable either? We all have our opinions. Unfortunately, too many people, including you, have tunnel vision and you are blaming just one person. Considering Tony Blair is involved, should we burn him at the stake? And considering Bush can not do ANYTHING without Congress’s approval, maybe they should go too?
You will not listen anyway… so why bother?
well, yeah, ok, you’re 26, good for you… but hey ! what about acting like it…
Actually, the French started the Vietnam war, then hid behind the U.S. Again, the Vietnam war is a bad example, because the Vietnamese didn’t commit terrorist attacks in other countries besides ther own.
And what’s with all this francophone / anglophone latent hostility? As Rodney King and Reginald Denny so eloquently put it – “Can’t we all just get along???”.
Or, as Mikey “I’m on this medication to keep me from killing you” Tyson even more eloquently put it – “That’s just ludicrous. Hey – that’s a big word !!!”
Nah
I am going to assume that you meant Franklin Roosevelt and not Ike in the above statement since Ike actually threatened the North Koreans with Atomic Weapons while President to help end the Korean War.
Still in the original quote, “Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.”
Since Einstein did work on the Atomic bomb, can we then infer that his work was not done against his conscience? Or this another case of someone tell us do as I say, not as I do?
Either way, I still contend that it is a poor example of a quote to use for an anti-war stance.
When you get a chance you may want to work out those United States envy issues you have.
Your beginning of condeming the Sept 11 attacks and telling us that you think Saddam is like Old Yeller at the end of the book is nice, however you quickly move on beyond that like it was a forgotten dream.
Oh yes, the no blood for oil speech. I just wish for once, someone could come up with something intelligent.
So now it is the United States that has straved Iraq for the last ten years. That’s really great. What happened to the United Nations in all of this? Where they just simply standing on the side lines while the Unied States did this?
Of course not. Those were United Nations sanctions, not United States sanctions. Remeber that great UN body that everyone keeps talking about.
You know what, all I can decipher in anti-war speechs is misinformation and no blood for oil and basic anti-American feelings.
Oh shock, Ben Laden worked for the US? You are kidding me? What was he doing? We have gone over that before, but since you don’t get it, maybe you can inform all of us of the reason for his employment.
So you tell us the world is a bad place with bad people running them, however why should anyone stand up to them? I mean people may be upset if we tell them no. They could be angry with us. Why by all means that is the way to be like a super power. Don’t do anything because someone might not like it.
Being a Superpower means you have to make diffiuclt decisions. Not everyone is going to agree with those decisions. It is the nature of conflict that no matter what you do, someone will be upset by it. Are we going to live our lives by the fear of what others will do to us if we do what we think is the right thing?
Maybe that is how you would like to live your life, before to long maybe you would be living under the boot of oppression, but porobably not since you would undoubtably enjoy the protection of the United States and its armed forces who will protect you even from your misguided self.
Now it is the Turks that we have let in is it. Since we have no troops based their in Turkey, yet we do have troops working with the Kurds.
Maybe Canada could do us a favor and handle the situation then. Maybe tackle the North Korean problem. Go on. Take the French with you and show us how diplomacy works when you are dealing with two bit dicatators. Don’t worry if you fet in over your head, you know that the United States will back you up.
Of course this means that instead of spreading more anti-United States propaganda that the leaders of Canada would actually have to do something probably disqualifies you.
Finally just because something appears on United States televsion does not make it wrong or incorrect.
In closing Xenophobia can be cured. Maybe you should just give peace a chance.
40 countries, yeah most of them you can’t even name or point on a map, simply countries (apart from Australia and England) to whom the US promised money or other advantages. Trying to protect civilians! you must be kidding they do not give a shit about Irakis, all they want is to exploit their resources and erase a possible menace.
i wouldn’t mind speaking German, i always wanted to go there. Our army made the first major victory at WWII to send the nazis packing. I am forming my own opinion unlike you. You just make up BS since you have nothing to say for yourself.
I’m not french
We stand up for what’s right the proper way not going in and killing thousands of people for oil. I’d never call on the US for anything besides sucking it.
Just maybe we should go down to Washington and burn down the White House again
a pussy like him would do nothing in the gulf besides take up space
usa has done nothing for the last 50 years besides create wars and starve the world by going into their country and destroying their crops
finally somebody that knows what their taking about
Your whole argument is based on the thinking that it’s just about oil. We haven’t been getting oil from Iraq in how friggin long? As someone stated in a post above, we only get 4% of our oil from the Middle East.
Were you awake on 9/11 and the months following them? The terrorists admitted how the majority of it’s funds came from Iraq. Do you not see what kind of ruthless and dangerous dictator Saddam is/was? Yes, there are many other dictators in this world that the U.S. should take care of, but no other dictator hates the U.S. as much as Saddam does and has the military force to back it up.
You mentioned earlier how Korea is as much of a threat, and yes, I agree with you to a point. However, as much as the Korean situation is escalating, there is a huge chance for peace there. Korea doesn’t want to fight us as much as we don’t want to fight them.
As for Montreal Fans booing the U.S. anthem. Well, Fuck them!
Would you be so naive if he had our army and we had his? No, I don’t think you would be b/c we’s all probably be a province of Iraq. Hell, we’d all probably be a province of Germany b/c World War II would have turned out much differently.
On another note, would you be so brave if you didn’t have our army protecting you?
All I can say is that you are a complete idiot. All I can say is I’m glad you’re not American. We have enough idiots in this country and we don’t have room for anymore.
Move to Germany then. Canada would be a much better place without you.
All your comments on here are about you calling people names.Like blind ,narrow minded discraced ,arrogant ass and blind patriot.Then you have the nerve to cry because your the one being labeled.Where is your evidentiary support to your name calling and lableling?Blatant truth?What Blatant truth?I know we don’t have a perfect sociaty.No one does including you.Yes you.You must have indivduals in your sociaty to be disgraced of.I am sorry about this anthem boonig.That is an unexplainable undefendable act.I think the Canadian National Anthem is a beautiful song.I know it by heart from having watched so many games.I can sing it and do so from time to time.Yes I get some funny looks from friends who don’t know it.Look around the world and you will see that we do have a pretty good relationship when compaired to other counrties.Understanding that our counrties have different political and national defense policies will go a along way.Bashing them will not. Some of us here in the USA do appeciate having a nation such as canada at out northern boarder.
“war is an ugly thing,But not the ugliest of things.The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling that thinks that nothing is worth war is much worce. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight,Nothing which is more important then his own personal safety,is a miserable creature and has not a chance of being free unless made so by better men than himself.”
All your comments on here are about you calling people names.Like blind ,narrow minded discraced ,arrogant ass and blind patriot.Then you have the nerve to cry because your the one being labeled.Where is your evidentiary support to your name calling and lableling?Blatant truth?What Blatant truth?I know we don’t have a perfect sociaty.No one does including you.Yes you.You must have indivduals in your sociaty to be disgraced of.I am sorry about this anthem boonig.That is an unexplainable undefendable act.I think the Canadian National Anthem is a beautiful song.I know it by heart from having watched so many games.I can sing it and do so from time to time.Yes I get some funny looks from friends who don’t know it.Look around the world and you will see that we do have a pretty good relationship when compaired to other counrties.Understanding that our counrties have different political and national defense policies will go a along way.Bashing them will not. Some of us here in the USA do appeciate having a nation such as canada at out northern boarder.
“war is an ugly thing,But not the ugliest of things.The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling that thinks that nothing is worth war is much worce. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight,Nothing which is more important then his own personal safety,is a miserable creature and has not a chance of being free unless made so by better men than himself.”
HAS EVERYONE FORGOT WHAT HAPPENED ON SEPT 11TH!!!!!! If we do nt do something about it now we can have that happen again and it did affect the hockey world remember Ace Bailey & Mark Bevis! It started with Bin Ladden and who do ya thionk funded him? I will tell ya saddam did!!!! so all the protesters are speaking out about no fighting well what happened when we came back from Vietnam and those same protesters were calling OUR troops “Baby Killers” those guys fought for the flag and the right to sing the anthem and they come back to these protesters calling them that !!! people need to get a life!!!!!
HAS EVERYONE FORGOT WHAT HAPPENED ON SEPT 11TH!!!!!! If we do nt do something about it now we can have that happen again and it did affect the hockey world remember Ace Bailey & Mark Bevis! It started with Bin Ladden and who do ya thionk funded him? I will tell ya saddam did!!!! so all the protesters are speaking out about no fighting well what happened when we came back from Vietnam and those same protesters were calling OUR troops “Baby Killers” those guys fought for the flag and the right to sing the anthem and they come back to these protesters calling them that !!! people need to get a life!!!!!