Or, as one reader emailed, “Are these guys on acid???????????”
No, they’re not. Acid induces temporary psychosis, not terminal stupidity.
(That, and it outlines everything in your world with neon, not that I’d know anything about that.)
From the comments – “Does this scream HEAD FAKE to anyone else?”. Yeah, it does.
A terminally stupid head fake.
“As far as I can tell, the entire song is a giant Human Rights Commission complaint waiting to happen.”
Well JJM I guess you had to be there. When we were forced to sing O Canada was during Trudeau’s false patriotism drive. We were proud to be Canadian because it was just so darned good being Canadian. That was also the era of the fading Monarchy’s prestige in Canada. In other words they were two false songs that simply grated on me. Oh and by the way Western Canada was settled in spite of Britain and Ontario not because of them. Even those who came directly from Britain, like my mother’s family, resented Britain. My grandparents were basically driven out of Britain for having too large a family. I don’t know but putting a family with 13 children onto a quarter section of scrub land that wouldn’t feed a jack rabbit, complete with a two bedroom, non-insulated granary for living quarters in 1928 might have something to do with their resenting Britain. But then again leaving a thousand acre sheep farm in Britain that had been in the family for hundreds of years to live such a lavish Canadian lifestyle worked out well (for their descendants) even if the 1930’s were a little cruel to the transplanted farmers. They added nicely to the German/American, Russian ethnic mix of the local townsfolk.
I see the Tories want to remove God from our national anthem. Way to appeal to your voter base Harper. You know those God fearing types that got you elected in the first place. If Harper and his fellow Tories push this through then I will be forced not to vote in any following federal elections until the name God is restored back to our national anthem. I mean when the so called Conservatives turn PC who is there left?
Is it possible “in all thy son’s command” may be a reference to Christ? Or am I wrong?
Is it possible “in all thy son’s command” may be a reference to Christ?
Please tell me this is a joke.
No, Warren, it’s not a reference to Christ. it’s saying that our home and native land commands true patriot love in all of its sons.
“Well JJM I guess you had to be there.”
I was there.
Neither the national anthem nor God Save The Queen offends me in the least. I’m proud to sing both of them. One represents Canada, the other the constitutional monarchy that made this country possible in the first place.
“Oh and by the way Western Canada was settled in spite of Britain and Ontario not because of them.”
Well, it’s clear you’re more expert in grudges than history.
I’m not quite sure why you’ve singled out Ontario though. Did you once get a speeding ticket from the OPP while on holiday there?
Can’t take credit for this, but I’m partial the the suggested rap vesion:
Yo’ Canada…True patriot love in all thy peeps command…
“No, Warren, it’s not a reference to Christ. it’s saying that our home and native land commands true patriot love in all of its sons.”
Indeed. However, the lyrics of the original French-Canadian song are (not surprisingly) quite openly Christian and Catholic in nature.
Only the first verse of “Ô Canada!” has become the French version of the national anthem. If you read the original beyond that, there are all kinds of religious references, ending in these lines:
“Et répétons, comme nos pères,
Le cri vainqueur: «Pour le Christ et le roi!»
Le cri vainqueur: «Pour le Christ et le roi!»”
Waterhouse: I am merely asking a question because judging from the structure of the wording it may be construed as such.
I am merely asking a question because judging from the structure of the wording it may be construed as such.
No it may not. Firstly because there’s no apostrophe, secondly because “son’s” would have to be capitalized and thirdly because it’s grammatically nonsensical with an apostrophe.
Actually Waterhouse I have have seen it spelled a variety of ways,Sons, Son’s son’s sons. Google it you’ll see what I mean.
No-One wrote: “Also, I was referring to the species of Maple Tree that syrup is made from. To my knowledge we don’t make syrup in AB, SK, or BC…”
Google Maple tree syrup in B.C. and you will find that it is a cottage industry in B.C., the Forest Dept. stages every season an “how to tap a maple tree” classes.
Having grown up swinging from vine maple trees and having to rake piles and piles of the big maple leafs every year in West Vancouver — Believe me. We have ‘native’ large leaf and vine maples in B.C. It is still fun to jump to and swing from vine maples in the bush.
Vit they already had my vote. But this pc stuff is getting on my last nerve….kind of like your smart-a** comments.
I wish Kate would take over the readers tips section. Puh-leeeeaaase.
It’s clear they are floating this trial balloon for the ever-elusive “wymmmin’s” vote….pathetic, though
I owe you an apology for my 9:06 PM comment
yesterday, Soccermom: mea culpa. Sorry ’bout that.
Apology accepted, Vit!
Elizabeth; I’m in the Southern Interior of BC-no maple syrup bearing species in my neck of the woods. I did google and apparently, to my surprise, there are species of maple trees in every province, but most are not the syrup producing kind. I was already called on this and stood corrected, as I should be.
I’m starting to feel like I’ve missed out on some right of passage or something; have not had the pleasure of jumping into a pile or raking Maple leaves in the fall.
I do enjoy real Maple syrup though, it contains malic acid which is important for maintaining the bodies Krebs’s(sp)cycle.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-krebs-cycle.htm
The words are fine and refer to our present flag, though the original song was used when we used the Red Ensign. The pettiness of marble-mouth Pearson would not allow for a flag with blue in it because it was not a Liberal colour, this despite the fact that both the Union Jack and the French tricolour did. Our present flag is a Liberal logo. Also the fact that the country is bounded by oceans (blue ones) on either end.
JJM I surmise by your answers that you are from Ontario and possibly a descendant of the UEL. In other words you weren’t where I was and I’ll close by saying I don’t harbour grudges but here in Alberta nobody likes a bully. Having forced Albertans to shop Ontario for decades to the detriment of Alberta, having forced Albertans to market their production through Ontario’s government (federal)continuing to this day to the detriment of Alberta, when Albertans can’t raise the funds from Canadian sources to develop their natural resources only to have the Ontario government (federal) take over the proceeds when Alberta starts to make money, when Alberta is unable to fix its healthcare system because Ontario thinks that the Canada Health Act is Holy Writ. The problem is that Ontario thinks that it IS Canada not just a part of Canada. I don’t wish any ill on Ontario but for heaven sake let all provinces be equal.
As for the Monarchy: If ever there was a lame excuse not to be our own country the monarchy is it. We hid behind the skirts of Britain for so long when Britain lost its dominance we ran and hid behind the American’s skirts. Oh yeah we are a real mature democracy. Our ‘head of state’ is an unelected foreigner represented in Canada by some media hack with a pretty face. If nothing else it gives an unscrupulous PM a tame media.
Don’t mess with the Anthem and don’t mess with the Flag. Period.
And stop pushing French on everybody. When Quebec recognizes English in Quebec then maybe we could consider French ( the French Canadian version that French in France claim they cannot understand AT ALL) in everything from our morning cereal to the anthem. Until then, they can shut up and we can continue to argue over idiocies like ‘gender neutral’ lines in the anthem.
GEEZ…and we just came off two and a half weeks of AMAZING solidarity… except for weasel Layton and Iggy mewling inanities.
Enough already. The ANTHEM is THE ANTHEM and The Flag IS the FLAG…
I would suspect that the 1909 version of Oh! Canada! was changed during the First World War – ‘true patriot love in all thy sons command’ would have been a summons for all Canadians to send their sons to war to defend their nation ( and the ‘motherland’ – Great Britain). Since we no longer jump to every tune that the ‘New Britain’ dishes up, I have no objection to returning to the original words. I still sing the old words and I don’t know the French version but I think that we are stuck with a tune that has no emotion, maybe if the country would stop ad hoc ing the original and hired a decent band to play our Anthem it would make us more enthusiastic and if we sang all the verses (we did when I was a kid) we would get to sing some of the lines that inspire the imagination.
I did not like the way the young girls/boys wiggled and jiggled in the final show of the Olympics, while singing ‘Oh Canada!’; it made a mockery them, our country and us . People should stand at attention when they sing the National Anthem; it is a show of respect to this beautiful country.
I always liked the ‘Maple Leaf Forever’, it was the Anthem of the soldiers in WWI and WWII. Turdo was hobnobbing with the Communists during WWII so he didn’t like the song of the soldiers – that is why he wanted to change songs, IMO. Liberals/Dippers/Blocheads have a tradition of being cowards without a cause. Pathetic. The Liberals changed the flag too and alienated the soldiers but by the time Turdo tip toed on to the Federal stage their were enough resentful whiny sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation to out vote the older generation, the citizens with brains and courage. Turdo lowered the voting age for a reason…and silly women voted for him because he took his women out for champagne and wore a rose in his lapel – their men, at home, paid the bills, worked most of the time (including Saturday and Sunday) and they liked to go to the Legion to be with their friends if they went ‘out’. Not too romantic for women who wanted to be ‘wined and dined’ ..so many of them voted for the romantic vision that they had be cheated out of (by the Dirty Thirties and the war) in their youth. Most of the older ladies that I knew only voted for Turdo once but that was enough; by the time four years had lapsed there were enough ‘dope smoking, free love’ hippies ‘protesting’ anything and everything that their parents had grandparents had stood for to assure another win for the Liberanos/Dippers.
It was not easy to be a soldiers child because we did not have any achievements that we could hold up as “Aces” to our parents – they had done so much with sheer grit and courage – and all sons were measured against their Dad’s memories of boys who had fought and died with them (their other family).
We now have a Prime Minister who is, IMO, the best Prime Minister Canada has ever had; he is dignified, honorable and very intelligent; he is not OWNED by UN/ one world commie gument advocator, Power Corp, and he has built moral, economic stability and pride in this country. We should all stop and think about what this country would look like now if the Green Stick (Dionski) or the Troika were running the show. To all of you who are stomping your feet and throwing a mini tantrum; put yourselves in the Prime Minister’s boots for a day. PMSH is the Prime Minister of all of Canada and being Prime Minister of such a MEME nation requires great courage and fortitude. Our Prime Minister does not do things without thought, we are so accustomed to the ‘paper/hollow men that have been Prime Minister for as long as most of us can remember that we see a tin lining in every silver cloud.
We are one vote from Troika rule; we should never forget that fact.
“The Maple Leaf Forever” is certainly a rousing tune; the pipe and drum version that was used as the theme for “For King and Empire” on History Television is one of the most powerful pieces of music I’ve ever heard.
But the words are not suitable for the Canadian national anthem. Wolfe planted Britannia’s flag on one part of the country only; for the rest of us he’s simply not part of our history. Swapping one Quebec anthem for another doesn’t strike me as progress. My Canada includes the rest of Canada.
“Wolfe planted Britannia’s flag on one part of the country only; for the rest of us he’s simply not part of our history.”
So, er, where do you suggest “our” history begins? With the election of Pierre Trudeau?
(By the way, I certainly wouldn’t suggest “Canadian” history began with Wolfe either; it stretches back beyond the Plains of Abraham, through the days of the ancien régime to the initial French and English colonies.
According to Stephen Taylor‘s blog, the PMO has issued the following statement: