Harper and the American Manifest Destiny

Canadians (the people) have always resisted American incursions, militarily, philosophically and economically, in our sovereign affairs. Though for some mysterious reason there are times that the Canadian government has opened its arms to encroaching “Integration”, more often than not in the last 20 years and more deceivingly, if not completely invisible, to the Canadian public.

The book by David Orchard, “The Fight for Canada”, resurrected from my subconscious, or genetic memory (?), a Canadian history to be proud of, for the most part, and particularly our successes in defending our distinct Canadian values derived from survival through co-operation (for the most part), when the "chips were down", as opposed to survival by genocide and theft. As such, I have revised my grade school notions of Canada’s past.

This is what I read and knew in my Canadian bones that I was proud of:

The big slide seemed to start at the end of the 1970’s with the neo-con ascendancy of Margaret Thatcher, PM of Britain (1979 -1990) , not to mention being preceded one year by “Dallas”, the TV series (1978 - 1991) to get us in the ‘mood’.

But, for the most part, the common thread is during the period of the 80’s and 90’s. Thatcher was on a roll in the early 80’s and so was “Dallas”, the most successful American soap opera in the world. On the heels of this trend to economic growth, conspicuous consumption, pursuit of wealth and happiness, was the American Dream come true - two times over, a Hollywood movie star and President of the United States, Ronald Reagan ((1981 – 1989), famous for financing Bin Laden and the Afgan mujahadeen, Reagan’s “freedom fighters”, and ultimately bankrupting the USSR ending the Cold War. The TV series “Dynasty” (1981 - 1989) jumped on the lucrative bandwagon and bloated the national economy – buy, buy, buy debt is cool! And if that was not to beat all Canada got Brian Mulroney (1984 – 1993) and the TV series, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” (1984 – 1995) in the same year!! Is there no end to this neo-con dream?

Another interesting event in 1993, George H.W. Bush was voted out and Bill Clinton came to power. Had North America had enough right-of-centre Conservatism? Not really, part of it went underground and distilled into Neo Conservatism and the other part morphed into the Liberals. Clinton disgraced himself with Monica and several years after that, Chretien disgraced the Liberals with Harper making an incredible noise about Ad Scam and Liberal corruption. I don’t know if Martin was disgraced but it seems he did nothing to disgrace himself except by almost submitting to Bush’s version of American Manifest Destiny. Canadians still had the courage to oppose its government and he backed down much to Bush’s disgust. Nevertheless we were sick of the corrupt Liberals and were angry enough to risk teaching them a lesson – a minority government of Harper's neo-con conservatives. Now we are out of the territory that is covered in “The Fight for Canada” and I would highly recommend it to all before Harper finds a good excuse to get his Conservatives (Note: emphasis on the “his” as he does  the talking and not his ministers) a majority government. 

To give him his due, He stands head above shoulders in laying out his goals and taking action on them. He means what he says and then more so, he means what he isn’t saying. He reminds me of Mike Harris out-kleining  Ralph Klein, and Reagan out-thatchering Thatcher and given Harper’s current unique global profile, he has achieved a reputation of “out-bushing Bush”!

Manifest Destiny - America the New Israel
http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/Joshua/manifest.html
-          The Joshua Website
http://gbgm-umc.org/UMW/Joshua/joshua3.stm
This page is an excerpt from Joshua and the Promised Land
copyright © Roy H. May, Jr

Back to Thoughts from the Cauldron