Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
In today's Toronto Star:
A Dart Goes to: BUD SELIG. For thinking Canada is the 51st state, the commissioner of Major League Baseball ordered all teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos, to play God Bless America at home openers.
A Laurel Goes to: BLUE JAYS FANS. For clapping and cheering the American national anthem and God Bless America during Monday's home opener. It was a real class act.
Side Note: I don't know what went down in Montreal, but I bet that both got booed very heavily. After all, they booed the American National anthem during a Montreal Canadiens game.
On the next page, two letters to the editor, in response to this article.
Letter 1:
"I was gob-smacked though when during the seventh inning stretch Lincoln Alexander, the gentle giant of a man who, I think, personifies everything great about Canada, came out and gave a speech about saluting our brothers and sisters serving overseas. He then asked us to rise and sing along to "God Bless America."
What? I thought this was Canada. I realize that we are part of the American League, but please, can we refrain from importing their brand of blind, narcissistic nationalism?
I stood while the song was being played. I have many American friends and I respect them. "God Bless America," however, has become the battle cry for American warmongers and influence peddlers. Don't ask me to stand and salute them.
Why would I rise and support U.S. forces overseas? My government has already declined George Bush's invitation to go and fight (the wisest thing that our reigning party has done yet).
Sure I will salute our Canadian brothers and sisters overseas who are working as peacekeepers and providing war relief, but don't ask me, in my own country, to be a hypocrite and stand for 'God Bless America.'"
Letter 2:
"Paul Godfrey appears to be very pleased with himself that most fans in attendance at the Blue Jays' home opener did not jeer the playing of "God Bless America." He seems to read this as tacit approval of the song as a seventh inning ritual, if not the war itself. But before he gets too smug, he should understand that the only reason my family and I did not boo was not in approval of this blatant war propaganda, but rather out of a fear that our intentions would be misconstrued as "anti-Americanism." Major league baseball put us in an awkward position and we decided that manners trumped politics. But we do not go to baseball games to be made uncomfortable. And I do not appreciate having my good manners manipulated in the support of an immoral war. Until further notice, I'll just take the kids to a movie."
Comments?
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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Valles
Ex-Member
posted
Yay Canada! At least -somebody- on this bloody continent has some sense.
Referring to the letter writers, of course. The war hawks can rot, and good riddance.
posted
They should have been jeering and booing the Jays, they played like a bunch of pussies.
And no, manners should not be manipulated like that, the league should have had respect for for the internationalism of the players and the teams. Nice to see jingoism is alive and well, how else can you convince people of something ,when you have no credible evidence.
-------------------- "and none of your usual boobery." M. Burns
Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Maybe I should move to Canada. I'm grateful that some people have good sense up there. And I think that that first letter sums up the situation perfectly.
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
quote:Originally posted by Grokca: They should have been jeering and booing the Jays, they played like a bunch of pussies.
GO LEAFS!!!!
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
Play a US song at a Canadian game, that IS stupid.
But don't do it because it's a stupid thing to do, not because of all the rest of that crap.
I never cared for baseball, anyway. Let it die.
Or better yet, let the Canadians form their own league. They could start spring training in, like, June.
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
American anthems have always been played in events where an American team is present. In Baseball, hockey, and Basketball. I'm a little confused, are you trying to say that it is inappropriate for an American anthem to be played at these events? Or are you just against Canadian objections over the song "God Bless America"?
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Saltah'na: American anthems have always been played in events where an American team is present. In Baseball, hockey, and Basketball. I'm a little confused, are you trying to say that it is inappropriate for an American anthem to be played at these events? Or are you just against Canadian objections over the song "God Bless America"?
1. "God Bless America" isn't the US National Anthem, and thusly has no place at either a US or Canadian game, really.
2. It's appropriate to play both teams' national anthems at any international game. But not extra songs.
3. The above two reasons are why Canadians should object to the playing of GBA. They are valid reasons. The other, "I don't like US foreign policy" reasons are not.
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I don't have anything to say about the ostensible topic one way or the other, but this hardly sounds right: "1. 'God Bless America' isn't the US National Anthem, and thusly has no place at either a US or Canadian game, really." "Rock and Roll #2" isn't an anthem either.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Yes, but is anybody trying to MANDATE the playing of "Rock & Roll #2?"
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
In that case: "God Bless America" is not the US National Anthem, and Selig has no business mandating that it be played at a Canadian game, or any other."
Like that better?
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Uh, I didn't "not like" the first one. I am just funing, you know. I mean, baseball is near the rim of the Importance Galaxy.
Registered: Mar 1999
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