HMCS Toronto and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Pierre Radisson sail past an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Baffin Island. Sergeant Kevin MacAulay/Canwest News ServiceHi again, fellow yahoos and yahoo-ettes(?). And thanks for the emails about what to do with all those older cars, trucks and SUVs the auto dealers (new and used) might have to deal with if that environmental bill in the American House of Representatives goes through.
I was humbled by a reader from the UK who quietly reminded me in that in her country, they do now and have for some while sort, recycle, smelt, and remanufacture. And sometimes, like especially during World War II, they learn to enjoy what’s really important. Thank you, Lady D. I still think my idea about artificial reefs and stuff was cool, though. With all due respect, eh?
And speaking of things seaworthy and also under the heading, “Attitude Is All”, I found it absolutely in keeping with my native land that Canada, whose motto is “From Sea to Sea” is now engaged in a national debate because global warming is melting the Arctic Ocean and opening up, all year around, the Northwest Passage. Much to its chagrin, the “Dominion” needs to add another ocean to its motto. That’s like adding another group to protect under e pluribus unun.
Perhaps more somberly than the word play involved, it also means that Canada is also engaging her citizens (and anyone else tuned in to a quiet channel) in a discourse on an important change in national priorities.
I suspect that Washington, DC and the Joint Chiefs are listening. Canada’s naval (surface and submerged), air and land forces now stand also stand as America’s first line of defense in these regards. For those unfamiliar with Canada’s history in war, this may admittedly be a source of some humor.
But anyone who has ever studied Canada’s combat record and her willingness to commit to the protection of her people probably also has listened to her national anthem and knows that at the end of World War II, Canada had the third largest standing navy in the world. If she needs to again manifest what it took to make that happen then, she will.
She is America’s largest trading partner but she is not now, nor has she been since 1878, a prime candidate for colonial acquisition, across the Arctic Circle or south of it.
The lyrics to her national anthem are not as dramatic as those of The Star Spangled Banner. But then she came of age differently than the States did, for the most part. However, in times of international terrorism and economic uncertainty, I find the last three lines of O Canada very reassuring.
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.
Trust in God and if the Diety is too busy at the moment, eh? Canada didn’t invent it and certainly makes no claim to authorship. And the real kicker for me is that Canada’s sea to sea motto is Biblical. Check out Psalms and then tell me the world’s not weird. (Hint: Psalm 72:8)
About three hours closer to Seattle and for those of you who enjoyed that story about that black bear living the median, guess what? Yep, we got another one running loose but this one’s in greater Seattle, (north of downtown) along the Puget Sound, a lot further west than we’re used to seeing them.
For those a little squeamish about the outcome, nope, they’re not hunting him down to kill him. He’s behaving himself and so are the humans involved. It’s just a matter of catching him and relocating him further east, back across the mountains, just like the one they did south of here.
That black bear and how we’re reacting to it may, at least in part and to a degree, explain what I’m coming to realize from feedback from you folks seems to be not just a regional thing with us but more an awarness/attitude that doesn’t respect maps. But just to test this one out.
We in the Pacific Northwest are just as concerned as anyone anywhere else about what goes on beyond our “borders”. It’s just sometimes we get a little distracted by things that remind us that even as important as human beings and all that goes on with us seems to be, to the rest of the planet and perhaps to the occasional black bear, it might just not be all about us.
As Walt Disney as that might sound, we have bigger forces than black bears and cougars to remind us of what happens here if we do not pay attention to the fauna and flora who are also our neighbors. We have three volcanoes.
I found something else, again by “accident,” that reminded me of how well the rest of the life on the planet was doing before we got here. Beavers are helping the salmon runs here by returning to the tidal mouths of about six percent of what’s left of those wetlands and creating pools in which the chinook among others, can rest and/or spawn. Those wetlands were the first to go when the Puget Sound went first agrarian and then industrial.
There’s never been a scientific record of this before but it’s suspected that it’s probably been going on for a long time. Might account for why the several tribes of First Nation who have shared the Sound never made permanent settlement in these tidal marshes either. They didn’t have gills, webbed feet, feathers or real impressive front teeth. As Washington State experiences its own regreening, this is being given some study, thought and consideration.
Despite the fact that Canada owes a fair share of its history to the international market for beaver pelts, I’m hoping the taste for salmon mitigates the cycle some further north, with all due respect to Quebec and the radical West. I’m reasonably confident that it has in Washington State. And perhaps in your house as well, eh?
Take care, folks, and hang in there. We’re making it and weird is getting cool again. Until next time, then (eh)?
Rusty
(thanks, Bonnie)
From: Senator@murray.senate.gov
To: minstrel312@aol.com
Sent: 5/22/2009 8:48:48 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time
Subj: Response from Senator Murray
Dear Mr. Miller:
Thank you for forwarding me an article from the Northstar Journal blog. It was good to hear from you.
As your Senator, it is important for me to know your concerns and opinions. I seriously consider the views of all of my constituents, and I want you to know I have made note of your concerns and forwarded the article to my staff.
I appreciate the time you have taken to share this article with me. Please keep in touch.
I hope all is well in Seattle.
No comments:
Post a Comment