Seeing US plated cars with progressive and or anti-Bush messages makes...

[CanuckAmok]

...me very happy.

Since moving to Victoria, I see far more US license plates, and clealy most of them have pr-Kerry opr anti-Bush stickers on them.

That makes me happy, and when i have a pen and paper on me, I leave a little note under their wipers, saying "thanks for not being a Republican. You're welcome here anytime".

[HEyHEY]

1. I saw one in Penticton with a Kerry Edwards sticker

No owner in site I wanted to tell him way to go. But he wasn't there. And I waited around four three hours too!

[CanuckAmok]

2. Wow, American cars fit in Penticton? Who knew?!

n/t

[Hello_Kitty]

3. I love Victoria!!

I spent a lot of time on Vancouver Island when I was in the Navy. Our ship pulled in there a couple of times. What a beautiful city. And Canadians are awesome! :hi:

[CanuckAmok]

4. seems a lot of Victorian are quite accommodating to the visiting sailors..

if you know what I mean... ;)

[Hello_Kitty]

5. Well, I was a girl sailor.....

But I did OK too! ;-)

[CanuckAmok]

6. Hmmm.... I love a gal in a uniform! C'mon up!

[Hello_Kitty]

7. Ohh don't tempt me

I just might!

[obiwan]

8. Not all Americans are animals...

...and if Bush wins, keep the light on for me. I want to live with CIVILIZED people.

Thanks; real Americans love Canadians.

[Zuni]

11. Most Americans are not animals

most are good, decent people. Most of the people I know are great people, even if they might be politically inept. Many are just misinformed and led astray by the GOP PR men, who disguise the real policies and effects of the GOP policies.
Most Americans, on an issue by issue basis, would most likely favor the Dems. They only vote GOP because the GOP does a good job of covering up unpopular initiatives

On edit: 'I want to live with civilized people.'
That is the kind of condescending attitude that makes many people who are actually quite liberal think they are Republicans. We don't need to be condescending. Most Americans are far better than many around here give them credit for.
Remember---the Republicans have a lot of money, and a lot of very good PR people to confuse the Public. Only recently, Grassroots efforts have begun to swing the public back to political reality---don't forget the power we are up against.

[obiwan]

22. Didn't mean to be condescending...

... This will be the 8th presidential election I have voted in. I'm simply amazed at the stubborn consistency of some people who prefer to have others think for them and make decisions for them. I have been fighting the good fight for 35 years now and I'm just real tired. My reference to Canadians as civilized simply acknowledges that Canada has gone through about the same time period as the US with much less strife and polarization than the US has. Somewhere awhile back, Canadians learned how to peacefully coexist not only with themselves, but with the world.
If Bush wins, what it means to me is that I am not in the majority of American thinking. Since I will not go along with the herd in order to preserve my independence as a human being, I think it is best to leave the United States to those adhering to groupthink so they may do with the US as they please. I will not in any way contribute to this madness; no longer will I stand in front of the machine with my middle finger extended. The machine will kill me, psychologically and physically. Physical gestures of defiance have no value to me as I highly value humanity, especially mine.
I would like to experience some genuine peace in my life before I die.

[Zuni]

23. I disagree/here me out

we have reversed years of Neo-Con infiltration into politics in one year. We have to keep fighting the good fight, for our country, our children, our neighbors. It would be foolish to give up this momentum if we loose 1 election.
If we quit now, we will just let the worst element in our country continue to misinform and lead the people astray. We have made enormous progress since the nadir of our fortunes in the 2002 elections.
2 years ago, Bush was on top, the GOP took over both houses of Congress and the Neo-Cons were given a virtual open mike in the media to distort and misinform the public. FOX news ruled the airwaves unchallenged.
Considering what we are up against and the progress we have made, we will turn this country back in the right direction even if we lose this election, which we won't. Our movement has educated the public and energized them. We will not be on the bottom for much longer.

I didn't mean to be rude. We have to remember that most people here are good and decent, just misinformed. And it is easy to be misinformed after Bushco had a virtual lock on the media for several years.

We have the momentum, and we are right. And more people realize it everyday.

[Zuni]

9. Here in Annapolis, MD (home of the Naval Academy)

I see Kerry stickers and signs far more than Bush/Cheney ones. It is probably 10 to 1 in favor of Kerry.

Haven't been to Canada in years, but I would rather go out west to vancouver/BC. Last time I went it was to Quebec. I liked the English speaking parts a lot better.

[CanuckAmok]

10. Zuni...BC is so unlike the rest of Canada somehow.

I think it has much to do with the physical barrier of the Rockies, and the far larger Asian population. Vancouver is unlike any other city I've ever lived in, although I find I enjoy Victoria more.

[Zuni]

13. I would still like to go there

although some friends went last year and they said that Vancouver has a lot of undesirable scenes...like junkies shooting up in the street. My friend said he saw a girl shooting up while sitting on the sidewalk.
He did say, aside from a few incidents like that that Vancouver was a whole lot of fun, and the whole area was absolutely gorgeous.

[CanuckAmok]

18. Vancouver has the wealthiest and poorest postal codes in the country.

The Downtown Eastside is an incredible scene of blight and destruction. It's worse than the South Bronx or the Bowery.
Sadly, it's where the cruise ships tie off, so it's the first neighbourhood many tourists see. Also, the police don't really enforce many laws down there, because they like to keep the criminal element contained. But even still, there are junkies beginning to move into other areas of the city, including upscale Yaletown, the neighbourhood I used to live in before the divorce.

But the Eastr Side is highly politicised, and the residents are working for change.

Here are some links, if you're interested:

(the first link is to an award-winning documentary shot by members of the Vancouver Police Department, about the poverty and crime in the East Side)

http://www.nfb.ca/bluelens/

http://www.vcn.bc.ca/dera/

http://infotec.capcollege.bc.ca/student/97-98/studentsites/Barr/home.html

[Zuni]

19. Sounds like Baltimore and DC

I live about 25 miles from each. Both cities have very nice sections, and sections that look like Stalingrad. I used to live in Baltimore in a pretty nice area (Federal Hill, near Ft. McHenry where our National Anthem was written during an attack by the British Navy during the war of 1812). One day, I was trying to find the Municipal building to pay a parking ticket. I ended up in a really nasty part of west Baltimore. I pulled over to look at a map, and a boy who was maybe 9 yrs old came up to me and tried to sell me drugs.
Later that day, after I paid my ticket, I stopped at a stop sign and guys on both sides of the street rushed my car. I floored it before they surrounded me. It was scary as hell.

[KT2000]

12. Victoria is the best!

I'm over on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.
When it all gets to be too awful, politically, I take the Coho over there for the day and get my head straight. People are so nice and patient there.

I always feel like apologizing for having such an awful administration when I talk with people there. Hope that won't be necessary any more.

[CanuckAmok]

14. Oh, I love the Olympic Peninsula!

The former Mrs. Amok and I spent our honeymoon driving through the Olympic, and down to Portland. It was wonderful. Even a horrible divorce can't spoil that memory.

[Zuni]

15. I love meeting foreign tourists

and i try to explain that while Americans are misinformed on many issues, most are not the heathens we are often made out to be in foreign countries. Most are not idiots either.

[CanuckAmok]

16. You know, that's how I found DU...

I was searching for some sort of island of American intelligence in a sea of Faux News and rah-rah neoconism.

I knew you guys were out here somewhere.

[Zuni]

17. The American public has been apolitical for a while

and the GOP has an enormous amount of money, power and influence to misinform people.
Most Americans are quite smart and decent. They just were led astray by a very powerful force that tries to distort reality. 8 years of Clinton sanity allowed many of us to forget how easy it is to fall into the hole.

And after 9/11 the media basically let the Bush administration dictate the news---many Americans bought into their spin not through stupidity but because that was all they were hearing.
It is starting to come back around. We reached a low in 2002, and the momentum is with us.

[ilovenicepeople]

20. Howdy CanuckAmok

Nanaimo says HELLO:hi:

[CanuckAmok]

21. HEY!!

Had the bike out lately?

I'm in Victoria now...finally sold the Nanaimo homestead.

PM me next time you're coming down!