Happy Birthday Canada

 I won’t lie, most of the following have been borrowed from an article or
two I have read over the past few days.

But my crack legal team advises me to copy from one source is fraud, to
copy from a couple is plagiarism but to copy from several is research.
So let it be said, up front, I have done my research. Having said that I
will give credit where credit is due. Thanks to Jose Rodrigues for
putting in print what most of us Canucks would like to say, and for not
suing me for making a few minor modifications.

Those of us lucky enough to be able to kick back and enjoy life, know a
good thing when we see it.

So on this day, July 1st, let me wish my brothers and sisters, in the
most beautiful country in the world, a Happy Canada Day.

Today is a day to give a tip of the toque and raise our glasses to toast
the Maple Leaf and Mother Canada.  Here’s to you Canada.

If it wasn’t for Canadians, the world would be without insulin, sonar,
pablum and the zipper. There would be no basketball, five-pin bowling
and, quite predictably, no snowmobiles, snowblowers or goalie masks.
We invented the telephone, the TV camera, Trivial Pursuit and the
walkie-talkie.

The first Caesar was poured in downtown Calgary and though we didn’t
invent beer, we perfected it.

Contrary to what our American cousins might say, the light bulb was
first invented by Canadian Henry Woodward, who sold the rights to his
patent to Thomas Edison.

As Canadians, we are free to travel the world with our flag proudly
displayed on our backpacks, our clothing, our bikes and even our skin.

Our heroes tend to be common folk with uncommon determination. We prefer
Terry Fox over Lady Gaga.

We’ll take a Tim Hortons double-double over a Starbucks Grande half-caff
frapuccino any day.

Our character is punctuated with quiet confidence, understated class and
tolerance.

We believe in freedom, but understand that freedom is never free.

The blood of young Canadians helped liberate Europe in the two big wars,
even though at least one Brit still refuses to recognize we sent our
troops across the pond.

The battles at Dieppe and Vimy Ridge stand as testament to our bravery
and sacrifice.

Afghanistan is the most recent battleground where Canadian soldiers have
fought and died to bring the voiceless masses freedoms many of us take
for granted.

We have the longest coastline in the world at 243,000 km, and I dare say
sea levels along that coast rise and fall today pretty much as they
always have.  Inside that coastline we share our forests, mountains and
lakes with moose, geese, bears and beavers and on occasion motorcycle
riders from Utah, Minnesota and Virginia. We have the best backyard in
the world.

We have our own language with unique words like pogey, poutine and
toonie. We say zed, not zee and we ride toboggans, not sleds.
We wear toques out of necessity, not fashion.

The 34 million-plus who call Canada home boast almost 100% literacy and
can expect, on average, to live past our 80th birthday.
We bicker about our differences with Quebec, and at times, some of our
francophone brothers and sisters threaten to leave, but we love them anyway.

In the end, destiny and a referendum always keep us together. Many of us
were not born in this country. We are Canadian by choice and proud to
call ourselves Canucks first. So, no matter how much guys like me groan
about too much government, whine about the weather or harp about the
mindless and obsessive, we’re not dumb.

We know a good thing when we see it. There’s no place I’d rather be — or
be from.

So thank you Canada and happy birthday, eh!


--
Disclaimer
Do not believe a thing I have said, unless you already know it to be
true, or can independently verify it from another source.

Reeky Ride To The Rockies
http://actualriders.ca/reekyrockies.htm

 Calgary (Don) wrote:


                                                          ^^^^^^^
Stop right there, I'm starting to salivate uncontrollably.

(view posting in fixed font, please)

 

I'm curious. Why?

(Incidentally, doesn't every country have its own language with unique
words?)


--
BMW K1100LT  Ducati 750SS  Triumph Street Triple  Honda CB400F
Suzuki TS250  Suzuki GN250  chateaudotmurrayatidnetdotcom
Nothing damages a machine more than an ignoramus with a manual, a
can-do attitude and a set of cheap tools

 Gentleman wrote:

Why the fixed font, or why the salivating?  Fixed font to insure
that the carets that Mark used for emphasis appear under the
correct word:  poutine.

Salivating because poutine is great stuff.  Cheese curds and
french fries smothered in hot gravy.  Yum, yum!!!!


Of course.

--
TJH
tjhiggin.at.hiwaay.dot.net

 T.J. Higgins wrote:
Gentleman wrote:

What he said.