Glen, it is after all the huge celebration of the victory of Canada over the USA and it's invasion force. We beat them back and they stayed there, lesson learned. It is 200 years

I have often wondered what would have happened had Canada became a republic and cut ties to England. I would wager good loonies that we would have been invaded until 'they' won.

I just can't imagine a citizen having to register to vote. And they can't imagine life where you have to register to work.

The fact that the English and the French would not tolerate any kind of action against us acts as a deterrent. At best the feeble attempts at trade embargoes has always failed.

I won't see it but the resources we have should continue to enrich lives for generations. We need to start producing more end products and stop shipping raw logs, and oil south. I think Alberta should build huge refineries and sell finished goods on the market. We seem too often ready to sell the dirt with the farm.

But the opinions of one old man in a sea of stock traders and speculators seems a lost voice in an open pit mine.

I laugh at things from the perspective of those masterpieces of literature, the Sunshine sketches of a Little Town. I can see the pocket watches, the cigars, and those big magnets now as they sail first class over my little town, headed to Toronto to try and run Canadian Hockey from New York. Like they really know anything about it. If it wasn't that so many people stranded in downtown NY city don't have a clue what to do in the dead of winter other than trundle down to the gawdens. Been there, seen that, and was mostly scared out of my wits.

At least in Toronto I can opt for Mrs Smiths boarding house, a cheap Cuban cigar, and a good Canadian Rye, with Canada Dry and two cubes. I'm wearing my old Leaf Tshirt, singing the anthem, and waiting for the first game of the year in true mass o kistick delight.

Stompin Tom will sing during the first intermission, we will lose to some desert hockey team that gives away a free hot dog with every 10 buck ticket while we buy scalped 400 dollar cheap seats. And of course subsidize the newest team they will dream up, the Lost Wages Craps. Great.

Even our local Jr. A team has a 4 year wait list for season tickets to the 10,000 seat arena. Crazy.

As Mom used to say, give the boy a pot and he'll stir it.

Can we get a Stompin Tom style? Will the drum part be tough, an old boot whacking a board because you can't afford a drummer? One man, a guitar, and a boot, that's a band and a board. LOL

Beats your grand Glen, and my lovely 100 percent, solid Canuck black cherry upright Heintzman. Fill the legion hall, pour the draft, and let's hear it... and the best game you can name....is the good old hockey game.

BTW, the battle of the Longwoods at Deleware was in 1814, it took 2 years to beat them, but we both were trying to build navy boats one at a time and nails were hard to come by.

If they hadn't kicked the Indians out west, and had their Indians fighting ours they might just have taken over the whole country. But those guys came up here and are still here, you can buy smokes tax free for a buck a pack. If you still do that.

John Conley
Musica est vita