"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Canadian Idiot" from Straight Outta Lynnwood (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary, eh: I considered picking a song by one of the numerous Canadian bands in my music library, but outside of the comedy stylings of Bob & Doug McKenzie none of their output is that specifically Canadian. (I am open to arguments in favor of "Grade 9," et al. by the Barenaked Ladies.) In the end, as you can see, I chose a song that skewers them but skewers us all the more.
Operation AXIOM
One hundred forty-eight years ago to the day, 1 July 1867, the British North American Act, 1867 came into effect, combining the colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, & Canada (itself a consolidation of Upper Canada & Lower Canada, today known as Ontario & Quebec) into a self-governing nation, creating the Dominion of Canada within the British Empire. Canada would gradually expand & gain ever greater independence, achieving its present borders with the absorption of the Dominion of Newfoundland in 1949 (today known as Newfoundland & Labrador) & achieving formal independence from Great Britain with the passage of the Canada Act 1982 in, you guessed it, 1982. '82 is also when Dominion Day was renamed Canada Day, as Canada ceased formally to be a dominion of the Empire. That said, I still prefer "Dominion Day" to "Canada Day" because it was the Dominion of Canada that fought with such distinction in the Great War of 1914-1918, the Dominion of Canada that helped defeat Nazi Germany & Imperial Japan in the Second World War of 1939-1945. Nevertheless, this year, I've decided to respect the Canadians' choice & use "the preferred nomenclature," Canada Day. Canada is an important & steadfast ally of the United States. Our neighbors in the Great White North fight alongside us in Afghanistan for twelve years from 2001-2013 & in Iraq, thought more discretely. Freedom of speech & freedom of religion are gravely imperiled throughout Canada, but is not the same things true of these United States? There is much that is amiss with Canada, but there is also much more that is right & proper. I prefer Dominion Day, but I'll tip my hat to Canada Day. Canada was created as a nation, one hundred forty-eight years ago to-day.
Happy birthday, you hosers!
2 comments:
So, we can't just call it Metric 4th of July??? As that would explain why Canada always have the same holiday as us earlier.
"Metric 4th o' July" might be earlier than Independence Day, but it might also be later. A meter is longer than a yard, meaning later, but a kilometer is shorter than a mile, meaning earlier. A Liter is smaller than a gallon, meaning earlier, but a kilogram is heavier than a pound, meaning later. Not so easy to nail down when Metric 4th o' July would be, I just know that the Celsius temperatures would sound frigid for the height of summer. I remain fondly Fahrenheit.
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