Losing a friend in Washington

For those of us who love history and attempt in our own amateurish way to understand links between the past and the present, I would now like to suggest that one such link in world power has to do with a country’s military power, or in modern times, military coalition. Then as now, such power control goes far beyond military and extends to such other areas as financial (trade) and natural resources. It should now be clear that the United States of America is our modern day Rome and the President’s world influence/power is as equal to that of the ancient Caesar’s. Canada as well as other nations of the world look suspiciously upon the U.S.A., half in envy, half in fear, and wonder with deep anxiety what the President will do next.

With its own economy not yet fixed and with worse still to come, President Obama has launched a chronological series of expenditures while simultaneously retooling his government’s foreign policies including changing course to transform its’ economy by massive federal government involvement while concurrently taking ownership of the failed USA auto industry, all the while moving on policies to alter their energy consumption, and finally, seeking to offer universal health care to all of his citizens.

Meanwhile in Canada, Prime Minister Harper is still star-struck with George W. Bush’s policies which, if one looks back far enough, are closely linked to the old Stephen Harper’s, not to mention our own Guy Lauzon’s, initial political Reform Party ideologies, and which were then and are now not in step with President Obama’s progressive (no pun intended) policies. Our Federal Government has changed its’ itinerary on Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, without any kind of outpouring to the Muslim world. Our Prime Minister has yet to acknowledge the suffering of Palestinians, and he’s as far away on the President’s policy on Iran as one can get and still remain on this planet. Although cheering the USA’s military involvement in Afghanistan, our Prime Minster Harper cannot change public opinion and parliament’s mandate on our withdrawal deadline and is thus finds himself between a rock and a hard place.

Like it or not, the Canadian economy needs a strong friendly President. President Obama’s first official visit you’ll recall , was to Canada, showing clearly he considers Canadians as friends and allies first and foremost. Shouldn’t our Prime Minister leave his old personal political philosophies to himself and the bygone years of President George W. to the history books and focus on what’s best for Canadians? That being acknowledging those International efforts for the New President? Shouldn’t our Prime Minister be alienating us with the World Power that historically has been our single most important economic savior? Should our Canada not have a similar policy statement as President Obama’s , to “develop a partnership between America and Islam that is based on what Islam is, and not what it isn’t?” Parliament will soon return to work. Now is the time for all of us to ask our MP. Guy Lauzon to openly tell us where he stands on these issues and where his Conservative Government stands. For without citizens asking these questions of our elected official, then the status quo will remains. Only by asking can we hope to keep our friends in Washington believing we stand for world at peace and a better understanding of other’s cultures and traditions.