[LINK] "A Place of Danger: Alone and Adrift in Toronto over Christmas Break"

[rfmcdonald]

Via multiple people on my friends list, Jenny Trait and Stephen Elliott's "A Place of Danger: Alone and Adrift in Toronto over Christmas Break".

Most of what I knew about Canada I'd read in the news. I read it was unsafe and getting worse. I read that the American occupation was a disaster and that we were turning our neighbors to the north into a breeding ground for anti-American sentiment. I read about insurgents roaming the streets and reporters unable or unwilling to leave the safety of their hotels in the heavily secured area of downtown Toronto. And the truth is that I wanted to see for myself how bad the situation was.

Because I believe there are two sides to the story. While perhaps we originally invaded Canada looking for illegal weapons that we never found, that doesn't mean there is something wrong with spreading democracy. That doesn't mean that, deep down, Americans and Canadians don't want the same thing. My parents grew up in Canada and remembered it fondly as a country of honest folk and simple pleasures. They spoke warmly of Kraft Dinner and Mr. Big bars.

Classic.