Odd O'blography

Keep the Stove Warm

         O, Canada!

Land of the northern nice,
refuge of the conscientious,
wide wheated plains
gaze up to snowy peaks.

O pure of hearty smiles,
an outstretched hand
and auroral wonder
welcome the weary heart.

I grew up with Canada as our ‘up the road a piece’ neighbor. We often met Canadians on holiday near Flathead Lake and thought of them more as peers than little siblings. Canadian cowboys would compete in our July fourth rodeo and my sister once spent a summer working as a groom at a horse track near Winnipeg. A Canadian master once showed up at our chess club tournament. If he was disappointed in the level of competition, he didn't show it. He even complimented my decidedly average play. I really enjoyed the Great White North skits on SCTV, and I love the corny humor of the Red Green show. For me, Canada has always been a serene and peaceful image of good people and simpler days.

My first thought of moving to Canada to escape the American insanity came in 1973. I had to weigh being hunted in the jungle by the Viet Cong against being hunted in Canada by my Uncle Sam. I would lie awake at night and contemplate the horrific body counts that were reported on the nightly news. Despite the official satisfaction with the lopsided mortality score, I didn't see anything heroic about killing Vietnamese just to spite China. As my high school graduation loomed, I came to loathe the word 'lottery'. Fortunately, the draft faded away like a bad dream and I didn’t have to choose. I still can’t say for certain what path I would have taken.

I next muttered vague threats of moving to Canada when our first Bush-league president was elected in 1988. I was appalled when he hired out the U.S. army as mercenaries to defend Kuwait. But it was an easy win, nobody important got hurt, and H. W. was well paid for his perfidy. Americans didn't care about a few dead Arabs and the 'moral majority' were glad to celebrate the return of U.S. military might. I actually looked into the process of changing citizenship after Bush-league Jr. stole the 2000 election from Al Gore. My wife persuaded me not to leave a good job and not to uproot our kids.

I really thought America had turned a corner in 2008, but I never even imagined the level of bigotry and stupidity that dominates this country today. Now, I feel resigned to my fate. I'm probably too old to make a life-changing move, and running away wouldn’t accomplish anything anyway. My political posts help me to deal with the impotent rage that is so much a part of American life under MAGA rule. My writing may not make any real difference, but at least I'm doing something. And I'm putting myself at some small level of risk by airing my views in a public forum. So, there may yet come a day when I have to choose whether to live on my knees in America or stand on my feet in a free country.

Keep the stove warm Canada, I may join you yet!