As a Canadian, a resident within the borders of your largest trading partner, my perspective is a bit different. The measures to "thicken" the world's longest undefended border are doing neither of us any good. Choosing to pursue a "buy American" policy complicates our trade relationship. We get hurt worse, because you are our largest trading partner too, and the proportion is bigger for us than for you and because you share two land borders with neighbors while we only have one.
The fact is that Janet Reno appears to know less than nothing about the long and productive relationship between Canada and the U.S.A. Her repeated assertions that the border with Canada should be treated exactly the same as that with Mexico would be absurd and humorous, if they were not so destructive to us both. The auto industry is just one area where the combination of restrictive border movement has deepened the distress of an already vulnerable industry hit hard by poor management and the economic downturn.
I don't know if you are all aware of this, but it is now the case that U.S. citizens need a passport to get back into their own country. You can come up here to fish and hunt and travel, but you need a passport to go home. One of us is acting very afraid of the other and ironically it is the big guy with the big weapons who is shaking in his boots. None of the 9-11 terrorists entered through Canada. Ms. Reno has had this explained to her numerous times but she does not seem to get it. We do not harbor terrorists. At the last count which I have seen, there were over 250 home grown terrorist groups known to be operating in the U.S.A. Most are total wingnut whack-jobs opposed to some kind of taxation, or pursuing secession of their particular backwoods outhouse from the union. They have set off bombs, derailed passenger trains and done other acts of terrorism. The threat is largely from within folks. Don't look to us for the source of your woes, and don't punish us for your bad image in the world.
We like you as neighbors, we would not want any other people to share our border. We enjoy our friendship. But we are really tired of getting blamed and punished for what happens to you. Lets work together and help each other and try to resove some things so we can both get along with each other, and have a positive relationship with the rest of the world.
And rememer who won the war of 1812. We would hate to have to come down there again and straighten you out. :wink:
