This appeared in my hometown paper today (Hamilton Spectator). I'm just putting it out here - feel free to post your opinion, or not. Here's part 1: "I am a proud Canadian without a gun... And luckily no one was hurt when a young male ran into my home. (Brian Hatch) At 1 p.m. on June 17, as I pulled into my driveway after some shopping, I saw a teenage male run across our front lawn and disappear up the walkway to our front door. At the time, unknown to me, my wife was gardening in the back yard. When I got to the porch, the young man was not there. I entered and found him standing in my k*I*t*c*h*e*n. The first word I screamed was my wife's name and the next, to the intruder: "What are you doing here?" My wife responded from the outside with a "yes" and the intruder, who was visibly agitated, said "They are trying to kill me!" I will tell you the ending, but first with the above frozen in your mind, I will tell you: I am a proud Canadian without a gun - because I did not shoot him. The intruder was about my height (5-foot-10), but I had him outnumbered by 50 years and 70 pounds. I am a proud Canadian without a gun - because there is no blood on my hands or on my k*I*t*c*h*e*n floor. The intruder was a black teenage male. I am a proud Canadian without a gun - because a young man who faces more challenges than most of us can imagine, is still alive and will get the help he needs because we both live in Canada. Our surnames are not Martin or Zimmerman. (cont'd in Part 2 - next post)
Part 2: I am a proud Canadian without a gun - because I will not be spending the next decade going through the legal system. I am not sure how many more decades I have, but I do know I don't want to waste any of them in a courtroom. The happy ending: We called 911 and had the police dispatched. We spent the next 20 minutes talking to the 911 operator while keeping our unexpected guest safe and calm. Our guest was a very nice student with autism in a special education class at a nearby school who had a misunderstanding with his teacher. He felt threatened and we were very happy to offer him sanctuary. The police and the teachers arrived and as our guest left hand-in-hand with his teacher, he turned, waved and said "Bye-bye. Thank you, you nice people. Bye-bye." (Brian Hatch was born, raised, worked and retired in Hamilton)
I'm not sure whether it's the nationalism or the arrogant implication that his choice must be right for everyone that I disliked more in this essay.
I would hope most gun owners would ask "What are you doing here?" before going Southern Republican on him.
So you think "Southern Republicans" shoot first and ask questions later? I'd be offended...if I cared about your opinion.
http://www.degreeinfo.com/political-discussions/43567-you-democrat-republican-southern-republican.html
An unarmed 17 year old... An unarmed 17 year old punches an older, larger, armed man. The punch knocks the man down and the 17 year old child gets on top of him and begins punching him. The man's head is over concrete... Sound familiar so far? In this story, the man does not draw his weapon and save his own life. He goes unconscious and the 17 year old child continues to punch him. 2012: Teen accused in El Paso police officer's death charged with capital murder (updated with mug shot) - El Paso Times Look at that angelic face? I bet he likes Skittles. While Molina was talking, Gonzalez "struck the victim on the face and then grabbed his legs and threw him to the concrete. (Gonzalez) then got on top of the victim and continued to punch him in the face," the document states. Police said that Molina was knocked unconscious when his head hit the ground, and that Gonzalez continued the assault despite Molina's being unable to defend himself.
Right. American blowing his own horn = patriotic. To be loved. Canadian blowing his = nationalist. To be despised. Small world. Didn't know things were so simple. :sad: Johann
My mistake. That fact went right past me. In that case: (1) I withdraw my remark (2) I apologize sincerely to Steve. There is no excuse or explanation for my error - but I can say that over the Internet I do "hear" a goodly amount of pro-US nationalism on any given day. I tend to take it in stride and figure other countries (e.g. mine) can do the same with general impunity. Now I am aware that Steve does not approve of nationalistic goings-on in his own country. Of course he has every right to disapprove of them in other places. Sorry. Johann
Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.
My wife and I went down and got our Concealed Carry Permits today...just thought ya'll might should know.
I hear that daily. Many, many Americans feel the same way and are not hesitant to say it. It's their right. Greetings from your neighbour, Canada, a country that's ...uh, somewhat inferior, I guess. :smile: But I like it here! Johann
That's your choice and your right, where you live. It's probably best that I can't do that, here. There are many people that should not own guns -- and I am definitely one of them. :smile: I probably shouldn't even own a fork! Johann
Strike "isn't far from" in favor of "is", actually. It's essentially just a philosophical thing with me, though, since I recognize the difficulty in getting there from here. Anyway, don't worry about it, Johann. :smile:
Now it's called wrong. How does the United States rank… | Ranking America Good news is, we're still in the top 10 for assaults per capita, even if the same can't be said for healthcare and educational outcomes. GO USA!!
"The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there it one. America is not the greatest country in the world." [video=youtube;h__uutzcQXc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h__uutzcQXc[/video]
I like my country. I like Canada too. Some of my very best memories are skiing up there. Red Mountain, Whistler/Blackcomb, Banff, Big White. Stick with whatcha like.