Canadian moosings, eh?

[Isabella Thorne]

I thought maybe we could start a thread with Canadian thoughts on the tragic events that have unfolded ...

i feel like i've been spreading my thoughts Canadienne willy nilly here and there and maybe some other Canadians want to share some opinions or views ... but of course my American friends are always most welcome to speak and / or play ... or Brit friends ... or any huminatarian person on this planet ...

well now i am rambling ... eh, moi? non non, cheri ... never ... ha ha ...

I would firstly like to offer my respect for the 75 Canadians who are missing in the World Trade Centre Towers ... all of Canada is thinking of them ... as we are thinking of the thousands of other people who are missing ... and their loved ones who are left behind waiting ...

i would like to make mention of a story i heard on the radio the other day about and Ontario Provincial Police officer <that is equivalent to a State Trooper i think> who handed in his badge so that he could remain behind .... he issisted on continuing his rescue work at ground zero ... he could not bring himself to leave ... he was visiting his sister who lives close to what was once the WTC ...

... and it was nice to hear that Jim Carrey donated $1 million for relief funds ... and of course the Canadians who selflessly devoted their time to be by the side of their American friends during the telethon ... it was nice to see Neil Young and yes even Celine <kiss kiss cherie> ...

... but i must also comment on Celine Dion's new rendition of God Bless America ... now Whitney Houston must be mad as hell that this little quebecois hussy honed in on her territory ... when Whitney's version i guess was the "unofficial" one before Celine's ... meow ... hey those long nails will come in handy now, Celine, cherie ...

i hope and pray Chrétien will see us through this ... i hope we will stay together as a nation and always remain a strong ally to the U.S. and to all peaceful nations around the world ...

for only with one voice can we overtake evil ... and you know what ... this is eerily becoming an issue of good v.s. evil ... and it is scaring the hell out of me ... i feel like i am having some kind of omen ... it is so surreal ... i wonder if others feel like this too?
__________________________
O Canada!

Our home and native land!
True patriot love
in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts
we see thee rise,
The True North
strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada,
We stand on guard
for thee.

God keep our land
glorious and free!
O Canada,
we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada,
we stand on guard for thee.

 

[Silverlily]

Bella darling, good to see you (so to speak).

Much to my surprise, the first person I connected with 9-11-01 was a dear friend in Calgary. He was the only one at the time who understood how I was feeling. We shared the shock, horror, and rage.

Ever since, I have stopped calling him "my friend from Canada" and started simply calling him my friend.

 

[thumbs2_ca]

very nice

Yes I have shed alot of tears and I know we will help our neighbours as much as possible.
I know there was a lot of calls being made to the Canadian Number for Friday nights fund raiser.
I am anxious to hear how much money was raised.

 

[Isabella Thorne]

... it really lifts my spirits to see the first post from an American friend ... such a dear friend too Miss Kitty ... <big hugs>

that is a touching story ... i tried to write you too ... but my email got returned ...

so if you have a minute ... i'm still at the same old ... same old ... lol ...

and ok Thumbs ... i have to make a confession as to how spaced out i have been lately and with what i refer to as stupid-head ... or maybe "all thumbs" ha ha ...

i actually missed Friday night's telethon ... i mean in the back of my mind i heard there was going to be a telethon ... but i thought it was sometime in the future ... i didn't know it was going to be so soon ... sooooo i am just too stupid to live ... and i had to confess it now instead of having to pretend i saw it when everyone talks about it ...

i did see a bit on the news today and then that's when i knew i missed it ...

has anyone heard if there will be a repeat showing?

 

[MissTaken]

Thank you too all of our Canadian friends and neighbors not only during this time of difficulty, but always.

As I live 12 miles from the border and go there often, I feel a certain kinship and friendship with you.

Canada is a great country and her people are tops!

Oh! The beer is great too.

~hugs to all~

 

[JazzManJim]

Yes....and me as well.

I also want to thank Canada, in the person of the wonderful lady who has posted here, for all her support and comfort.

I travel to Canada often, nearly once a month, and always find it a wonderful, friendly, and charming place to be. Were I not so in love with my own country, I would live there.

 

[Puddles The Wonder Poodle]

Well Sam and I are down here in Okla scarfing up
cheese bits like gold nuggtsand qwishing hey were at least silver.

Lovde to you Bella and Cheyenne and to all that have suported us in this difficult time.

 

[Nathon_88]

I can only speak for myself, but, I'm here for you.

*chuckles* If you ever need an ear to bend, or a PM box to scream at.

 

[Cheyenne]

A friend in Halifax is a friend indeed

Last Updated: Sept. 21, 2001

Laurel Walker


One minute, 66-year-old Henny Feddema was canning freshly picked peaches with her sister in her hometown of Kentville, Nova Scotia.

The next, she was watching televised horrors from America. More people had just disappeared in the World Trade Center destruction than the 6,000 or so who populate her little Canadian community.

Within hours, Henny Feddema and her fellow Nova Scotians were opening their homes and their hearts to people like Mary Sue and Chuck Schiereck of Brookfield, among the thousands diverted to the Halifax airport in the wake of the terrorists' attack.

Oh, Canada! Thank you.

Mary Sue Schiereck sheepishly admits she wasn't entirely sure where Halifax, Nova Scotia, was before Sept. 11.

"Now, I have friends there," she said, back home again.

The Schierecks, both 55, were about five hours into an 81/2-hour flight home from Germany, where they'd visited a daughter. The US Airways pilot announced they'd been diverted to Halifax because of what sounded to them like an air traffic control problem on the Eastern seaboard.

A Friend Indeed

"We thought computer glitch," she said. Then they landed and saw "jumbo jet after jumbo jet just sitting," said Chuck Schiereck. In all, 40 carrying more than 7,000 passengers, according to Halifax International Airport Authority spokeswoman Gina Connell. One of two runways was closed just to park the planes.

Only then did the pilot vaguely explain the terrorist activity. But news spread as passengers - including the Schierecks - called relatives or home on their cellular phones.

"The whole plane was ashen," Mary Sue said. And silent. "Everybody just sat there."

And sat there.

No complaints
The passengers remained on their plane, one of the last to land, on the runway for 10 hours, with only bottled water and Doritos for sustenance. It took that long for the airport to process the sudden onslaught of visitors and find places for them to stay. Still, the Schierecks heard no one complain.

Connell said Halifax, a metropolitan area of about 350,000, housed the visitors in schools that they closed, in sports centers, in private homes and at a military base.

"We were pleased to do it," she said. "What amazed me was that people were so wonderfully patient." As the days went on, she said, "we even had a wedding here, and honeymooners finished up their honeymoon here."

Once at the airport, the Schierecks got their first glimpse of the film footage from the attacks and knew they would be there a while.

After orderly and thorough processing, the Schierecks and about 1,000 other passengers were shipped by bus across Nova Scotia to Camp Aldershot, a Canadian Forces military reserve training facility near Kentville. By the time they arrived at 3:30 a.m., they'd been in transit more than 24 hours.

Military vehicles encircled the parade grounds and shone their headlights so that the arriving passengers could find their way in the dark. Soldiers who'd been training took to tents in the woods, freeing the bunk beds for 12 to 16 people per room.

"They were incredibly organized," Chuck said. Red Cross volunteers were immediately on the spot with water and juice and diapers for children.

"Everyone couldn't have been more concerned or considerate," Mary Sue said. "I was in tears a lot because people were so kind."

Two years ago, Henny Feddema had volunteered for the Red Cross when Kosovo refugees were brought to Camp Aldershot, where they spent three months. When she learned about "the airplane people," as they were called, she automatically went to the base to pitch in.

She and her sister provided rides to the airline passengers whom they saw walking in the streets, and even gave them a guided tour of the Bay of Fundy, site of the world's highest tides and a place Chuck was anxious to see. When they learned there was a shortage of towels, they invited the Schierecks and others to shower in their home.

Their kindness was repeated by others many times over. Local residents offered to take passengers out to lunch and offered their home beds. Meals at the base had abundant food. A physician appeared daily and inquired about medical problems.

In Kentville, some shop owners refused to take payment for some items like walking shoes or phone chargers when they learned the buyers were stranded Americans. Canadian flags flew at half-staff, and prayerful messages appeared on signs.

On the third night at the base, locals arranged entertainment that included fiddle players, a Christian rock group and an impromptu jam session - reminding the Schierecks of other Thursdays at Milwaukee's Cathedral Square for Jazz in the Park.

Friday morning, the Schierecks and others on their flight were told to pack up, given a Canadian Forces box lunch and sent by bus back to the airport. There they joined in an emotional memorial service, with both countries' national anthems.

"There were many, many hugs," Mary Sue said.

As the plane landed in Pittsburgh, their stop before Chicago, "everyone was cheering and applauding," she said.

Happy to be on U.S. soil again, they were filled with gratitude.

"I have an appreciation of Canada. That's what I felt most strongly," Mary Sue said.

"You couldn't have been in better hands, or with better people," Chuck added.

********************

I didn't think anyone would mind a cut and paste article to give you an idea of the reaction from some of the Americans who were directly affected on 9/11 by Canadian kindness.

 

[MissTaken]

I can only speak for myself, but, I'm here for you.

*chuckles* If you ever need an ear to bend, or a PM box to scream at.

Now that is sweet! I am not sure who you were directing your statement at, but thanks

 

[Isabella Thorne]

<handing MissTaken and everyone here too - an ice cold Molson>

<nice to see you Puddles - kisses dear>

... well Jimmy your post is so much appreciated ... thank you ... it's so nice to hear <big hugs darling>

Cheyenne - well that article ... it was so touching ... so heart warming ... i did not read it before ... and it sure makes me proud to be Canadian ...

but i also know that there were many Canadian cities whose airports welcomed American travellers who were stranded in the air when the tragedy occurred ... and whose citizens welcomed them with open arms and strong shoulders to lean on.

 

[April]

That's why I love the Candians.


(8 1/2 hours. Damn, I hate international flights)

 

[Cheyenne]

Cheyenne - well that article ... it was so touching ... so heart warming ... i did not read it before ... and it sure makes me proud to be Canadian ...

It was in a local newspaper here, you wouldn't have seen the article in Canada. Just wanted you to know the praise Canadians were getting in print on this side of the border.

 

[Isabella Thorne]

thank you so much Cheyenne .... <big hugs dear>

and thank you for being such a thoughtful and understanding friend ...

it's very comforting at a time like this to know i have good friends like you ...

and a place like literotica where i can freely write about and post my thoughts ... and know that people will listen ...
______________________
.... ok dammit ... now we are getting way too mushy ...

 

[Isabella Thorne]

Every time I see your picture ...

... well today is a big day for Canadians ....

our Prime Minister Jean Chrétien is meeting with President George W. Bush for the first time since the attacks ...

Chrétien is expected to offer military support and border patrol to our neighbours ..

we are witnessing history in the making ...
____________________________
(My heart goes out to all the families and friends so bravely and tirelessly waiting for news on their missing loved ones with only a picture clutched in their hands to comfort them ...)

Because every time I see your picture I cry
and I try to get over you
One more time ....

ohhhhhhhhhhh
Every time I see your picture I cry

~Luba~

 

[MissTaken]

A bit of an aside.....

I dreamt about Brian Mulrooney last night! :O

Was't he the Prime Minister many,many years ago?

It was all silliness, however, I thought I would share that with my canadian friends.

 

[Isabella Thorne]

Rev. John Bonnard, a retired Anglican minister in Canada sent this along.

21 September 2001

To the members of our Canadian churches after the tragedy in the
United States:

Grace to you and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ!

We write to you as leaders of Canadian Churches to express our deepcompassion for all those who have suffered in the terrorist attacks in the United States. We are part of a common family in which the suffering of so many has affected us all.

Throughout the world people of all nations, races and faiths have felt bound together in this tragedy. Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus and others have expressed a common condemnation of the actions of the terrorists and a common hope that the world might find apath to reconciliation rather than an increasing cycle of violence.

As Christians we believe that there is one God who passionately cares for all the peoples of the world, and who calls us with no less passion to search for a world in which peace and justice prevail.

In the common pursuit of peace, we bring a particular perspective formed by our commitment to following Jesus Christ and by the experience of the Christian church throughout our history.

The peace we seek will not bebased on conquering others, forcing peoples into submission, hurting the innocent, or ignoring the victims and people marginalized throughout our world.

The peace of Christ will take us into paths that lead to reconciliation with God and to reconciliation among peoples through the power of the Spirit of God breaking in among us.

It will be a path of justice, equity, and security for all. It is a path we believe God is calling us to in this important moment.

As we join others of good will, we will enter into new territory without a common road map. As Canadians respond to the events of September 11, we call for actions guided by basic values that are consistent with our Christian faith and with our experience in peace-building.

Bring terrorists to justice.

Those who have planned and assisted in this terrorist action must be brought to justice. This must be done through appropriate national and international law enforcement measures in ways that do not perpetuate violence and further acts of terror.

Military actions that harm civilians are wrong and feed further cycles of terrorism.

Observe due process.

The rule of law is essential for both justice and for legitimacy. In international relations, due process is always difficult. The world is

only now constructing the International Criminal Court. We can help extend the rule of law by slowing down the reaction time to allow for considered and measured responses.

Define the limits to force.

In a response that is already widely regarded as "the war on terrorism", it is vitally important for governments to insist on clear limits to force.

At a minimum, any resort to force must conform fully to international humanitarian law, which precludes attacks on civilian populations.

And it must be focused on bringing perpetrators of terror to trial, on protecting innocent civilians, and on breaking the cycle of violence.

Address the deeper causes.

Careful consideration of the conditions in which terrorism flourishes must be an essential part of any campaign to eliminate it.

We believe that it is possible to acknowledge and understand the deeper causes of terrorism without excusing it. Addressing terrorism must also involve persistent action to address the social, economic and political conditions in which it takes root.

In this context we believe that all of us need to repent, including Canada. It will not serve the greater cause of security for all to ignore the legitimate grievances that do exist. Countless innocent children, men and women have died and are dying in other countries of this world because of poverty, injustice and, yes, as a direct result of actions and campaigns in which we are implicated.

Honesty, not arrogance, is what is required of us in this moment.

Acknowledge our interdependence.

Whatever action is taken must fully acknowledge that we live in an interdependent world. It is no longer possible to believe that we can live in an island of fortified safety in an otherwise unsafe world.

The security of the American people is our desire and is in our interest. So is the security of the peoples of the Arab world and of all the people with whom we share the earth.

Co-operative international efforts to prevent terrorism must be supplemented by co-operation in developing a broad range of agreements that provide for the security of all. International agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol, the International Criminal Court, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, legal limits on small arms possession and transfers, and other international mechanisms are vital building blocks for a world community that cares for the security and safety of all of its citizens.

Recover a justice and peace perspective.

Finally, we must recover a larger perspective in this struggle. It is not morally or spiritually acceptable to speak lightly of war.

A campaign against terrorism is necessary, but only in the context of a broader commitment to justice. In the past, a single-minded campaign against communism in Afghanistan helped create conditions of terror in Afghanistan, including support to the now accused

Osama bin Laden; it spawned the Taliban; and it contributed to enormous instability in Pakistan. So also an unthinking military campaign against terrorism could have immense unforeseen consequences if not guided by due processes of law, appropriate limits to force, and pursuit of justice for all.

In the days following the attack on the World Trade Centre, we have been faced with profoundly difficult questions, many of which we cannot answer. What we can offer is our conviction that nothing of the true God of any of the faiths of the world was to be found in these actions of terror.

We deplore the targeting of other faiths, whose members have been unjustly linked to terrorism by their perceived difference. Muslims, Jews, Sikhs and Hindus have all at various times experienced such attacks.

In this moment we are concerned for many friends and colleagues of other faiths who feel particularly at risk. We therefore encourage Christians throughout Canada to join together with people of other faiths to offer solidarity and courage. Above all let us find a common voice in calling for security and safety for all the world's people.

May Jesus Christ guide our actions and our prayers. And may all of God's precious people know the reality of Micah's vision for our world:

"[T]hey shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees.
And no one shall make them afraid." Micah 4:4

_______________________________

Church leaders who have signed this letter include:

Rev. Dr. Ken Bellous, Executive Minister, Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec

The Rev. Stephen Kendall, Principal Clerk, Presbyterian Church in Canada

The Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy, Moderator, United Church of Canada

The Most Rev. Michael G. Peers, Primate, Anglican Church of Canada

Bishop Raymond L. Schultz, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

 

[Isabella Thorne]

ohhhh that Brian

A bit of an aside.....

I dreamt about Brian Mulrooney last night! :O

Was't he the Prime Minister many,many years ago?

It was all silliness, however, I thought I would share that with my canadian friends.

.... ahhhhh that is not silliness at all dear ... in fact it is very funny to hear .... thank you so much for sharing ... how strange .... was it a <ahem> naughty dream?

hey here is a pic in happier times .... Canadian Prime Ministers Brian Mulroney and Pierre Trudeau, with (the stunning) Mila Mulroney and Governor-General Jeanne Sauvé, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.

.... ohhhhhh maybe we should put Brian in the running for hottest looking world leader .... what do you think MissTaken?

 

[MissTaken]

I would do him.



Of course, I have a soft spot for my canadien friends

 

[Mensa]

Opportunity knocks

Of course, I have a soft spot for my canadien friends

Allow me to introduce myself.

 

[Pokerman]

Reading Cheyenne's story brought tears to my eyes again...

GOD BLESS AMERICA!
GOD BLESS CANADA!!

 

[MissTaken]

Re: Opportunity knocks

Allow me to introduce myself.

Very pleased to meet you!

Hmmmm wondering how long the wait is at the border.

 

[Isabella Thorne]

Pardon my English, eh?

<big hugs Pokerman>

Well I rushed home from work to see if I could catch any CNN coverage of the "big" (ha ha) visit between Chretien and Bush. I found nothing ... nada ... rien ...

I actually thought maybe I was mistaken and today was not the day they were going to meet (I heard it on the news on the car radio during my drive in to work this morning) ...

So I turned on the local news at 6:00 at voila ... there he was ... well you were right Mensa - he was an embarrassment ... he spoke broken English in a slurry Quebecois accent out of the side of his mouth (is that a facial tick???) ...

He is certainly not very good at public relations and most definitely not a good public speaker. No wonder there was no CNN coverage.

(BTW, although Chretien did want to visit NYC, he was asked to please refrain from doing so by the Mayor because there was no time to spare with the rescue efforts underway.)

I miss PM Mulroney right about now. He would certainly have been a good representative of Canada in the way he spoke and the way he carried himself. And of course Trudeau would have been wonderful.

That is really too bad ... but I do know for sure that looks aren't everything and that PM Chretien is a concerned leader who will fight terrorism and will do everything possible to save our way of life ....

And really, in the grand scheme of things, isn't that all that matters?

 

[MissTaken]

~nods~

And heads for the border!

God Bless Canada

 

[Creidhne]

Hi, all.

Just found this thread, cool idea, very cool.

Being a Canadian living in Los Angeles, (only white guy in the state with a green card, I think) it was simply incredible how much has changed here in the last couple of weeks.

What I find interesting, also, is the American attitude about Canada. You know, we don't really count.

C'mon folks, even Muhammed Ali was given a grand tour. And he's nothing but a draft dodging , punch drunk muslim. Guess that shows how well we rate, eh?

Ok, so the U.S. doesn't take us serious. Why should it? That freakin' Cretien in power. Fuck, I'd prefer Trudeau over that mumbling dick-head any day!! And man, I'd pay to have Mulroney back in power. He was high profile enough to be recognized, and not an embarrassment.

Oh, look who's rambling now!!

And what the hell kind of name is "The Mighty Ducks" for a hockey team anyway??

MS.