Plight of the Lebanese Canadians

Local Inspection Issues Canadian Home Inspectors
1

I just had to write this to get it off my chest. You may or may not
agree with my sentiments however they are my opinions.

    I was watching CBC news coverage this morning of the events

concerning the returns of Lebanese-canadians. You’ll note I did not
capitalize the word Canadians when referring to these people as it was evident by their comments that they consider themselves to be Lebanese first and Canadians second. The more I watched the madder I got and I ended up turning off the television.

    A host of the returnees to Canada were complaining about the

Canadian Governments and it’s slow response. Some of the returnees commented that Canada should be ashamed of itself for it’s slow response in getting them out. One person complained about taking 11 hours to get to Cyrpress and also complained about the sandwiches that they were given. I was stunned at the ingratitude of the people being interviewed. Considering the logistics involved in getting thousands of people out of Lebanon I think the Canadian Government and other governments did well.

    I got to thinking about the situation and came to the conclusion

that Canada now seems to be a land of opportunists, not opportunity. The only two people in my family who got a free trip to Europe were my dad and my uncle Charlie who were shipped overseas to serve in World War 11. No-one asked most of these people to go to Lebanon so a free trip back with minor inconveniences is a good deal. Better than being dead I suppose.

    Here is the deal. I will arrange to pay for a trip back to war  torn

Lebanon for any Lebanese-Canadian ingrate who agrees to the following. If you feel ashamed of Canada and it’s response you should renounce your Canadian Citizenship, pay back the government of Canada for the free services you received when you came here such as medical, dental, education, job start programs, housing, ESL classes, business venture grants etc. and for those going back to live in Lebanon give up your CPP benefits ( a great many Canadians are ignorant about the programs your tax dollar is paying for). As I stated earlier Canada seems to be the land of opportunists. I wonder what the percentage would be of these ingrates serving in our Armed Forces?

    Now, you might view me as a radical and a bigot. That is your

opinion. The above is mine. I am one of many CANADIANS who are just fed up with the ingratitude of some and the milking of our government by others. It’s about time that people stood up and said enough is enough. Political correctness is a way to stifle people from speaking how they feel and in some cases speaking what is the truth. Affirmative action is nothing more than reverse discrimination. As I stated earlier I am fed up with the hyphenation of Canadian citizenship. You are either a Canadian or you are not one.

2

Well said Ray and I support your thoughts completely.
Most of these people are not living in Canada,they are living in Lebanon, They at one time lived here long enough to get to become canadians? and have moved back to their home country .
Many lived here long enough to get a Canadian pension, they choose to live there all year .
I do agree we should be helping them to leave Lebanon but it was their choice to be there.
To be complaining about help from us and other countries is completely wrong .
A very few have said how great it is for people trying to get them out .
Those who are on Vacation ( again duel citizens ) had plenty of warning what was going on and too choose to stay was STUPID .
To complain about those who are risking their lives to help them could cause those helpers to give up and go home .
A Proud Canadian .
Roy Cooke Sr

3

Good post Raymond. We see the same crap here. The exact same piece was run here only with the Americans in Lebanon.

If any of these morons went to Lebanon thinking there wasn’t a decent chance of explosions or havoc in general, they weren’t paying attention. They should be grateful anyone bothered at all.

Adam, A Plus

4

Well, no I don’t consider you a bigot Ray.
But should any of us be surprised that many people refuse to take any responsibility for their choices and actions? Both the US Canada and most of Europe have been building the “nanny state” for decades. Two examples:

Don’t want to work? -OK you can go on the dole.

Don’t have health insurance or the means to pay- don’t worry the government will take care of it.

Like so many things we tend to get what we pay for and in this case we (i.e. those who work and produce and take risks) we have paid for a portion of society that thinks they can live the way they want without discomfort and hold the government responsible when things don;t go well because they have been taught that they have “RIGHTS”.

I wish I had hope for change in the opposite direction but I suspect it will take a cataclysmic event in the world that produces governments that can no longer function and people will be left to themselves. It could get very ugly as things get sorted out and some sense of reality takes hold. JMHO

5

How many terrorists have exited Lebannon to enter Canada in the exodus.

To hear the interviewees on the news these people were blaming sea sickness on Canada during the 7 hour boat trip, lack of air conditioning, waiting, the bottled water was not cold, the sandwiches were terrible. Bitch, bitch, bitch.

Welcome to Canada, where if you are a minority you can usurp the majority just by being able to whine loudly!

These people aren’t Canadians, they are leeches!

6

I guess the thing that irritates me the most is when I am talking to a “new Canadian” and they continuously refer to their homeland as “my country”. If that is your country, not Canada, go back to where you came from. If you are here as an immigrant blend into our society. I have no problem with anyone hanging onto their roots and core values but don’t give me that “my country” crap. This is now your country and as far as I am concerned it had better stay that way, or get the hell out. My family has been here longer than the country and I am a very proud Canadian indeed. My father and Grandfather both fought for their country and until you are a complete Canadian and give up your former country you have no right to bitch.
Larry
Mr rant for today
We will now go to page 134 in your hymn book and sing Onward Christian Soldiers.
Larry

7

Raymond,

I agree with you completely.

If they (the non-Canadian canadian) are truely in the minority, at least for now, why wouldn’t a political party include this in their platform? I think the impact of basing a campain on such views would be temendous but I guss the polls show otherwise.

You run for office Ray and I’ll vote for you :slight_smile:

8

Just imagine the cost to Canadian tax payers. I don’t remember getting a sandwich on my last air Canada flight which I paid nearly 1000 bucks for!

I did see some news footage of grateful families though. The news media can really spin things the way they want them to be seen. I would bet the majority are thankful and the minority are being highlighted in order to stir things up and to make a more interesting story.

Still a shame anyone would dare complain though!

CB

9

Canada always acted in the best humanitarian spirit. But you right, Ray, enough is enough. This country gave these people everything for free. Even OHIP waiting period was waved because they need immediate medical attention. Sure enough plenty of terrorists will be able to get free medical attention in this country. Bitching is in human nature. But then the majority pays for the right of “free bitching”:twisted: </IMG>

10

A paraphrase - The only thing necessary for evil (wrong) to persist is that good men do nothing.

By my inaction and lack of participation I have helped forge the political reality in which I now find myself. By choosing daily not to interact with the political process I find that much of what I value has been lost to strident, demanding voices.

The nature of politics is to abhor a vacuum - it will be filled. It is I who has partially created this vacuum by not phoning my MP to support what is worthwhile, by not contacting my Board of Education trustee and by not attending one municipal council meeting a month.

For the wrong not to prevail I must act. I must do more than nothing. Bravo to those of us who participate and encouragement to those of us who plan to.

11

Amen!

12

I think those Lebanese and others are non resident Canadians, I also don’t believe they pay Canadian Taxes while living in Lebanon which is even more of a travesty given their gripes.

13

Raymond -

No good deed goes unpunished. You can’t make yourself nuts over these ungrateful cretins. I read the NY Times every day and make novenas that someone will go into its city room with an Uzi and straighten out the editorial board, ditto the LA Times and the Washington Post. You are in the majority. That’s why Canada now has a Conservative government and why no Democrat will ever be elected President of the United States again despite the unrelenting cheerleading for the Democratic dopes by the major newspapers and news networks in this country. Fortunately, Americans are too smart to buy the liberal BS. I suspect that the Canadians are, as well.

14

People say stupid things when they are running for their lives… have a little compassion… you are making assumptions about thousands of people based on a few slanted photo-op/sound-bites.

I am appalled by our “great leader” Steve and his ***-licking behavior. He isn’t running for his life, yet he continually makes statements that tarnish the reputation of all Canadians.

15

If as you say these statements are made in haste, then in the future we can expect some apologies . . Sorry but I have my doubts they will be comming .
I agree our leader is not making statements I would like him to do but on a scale of one to ten on past performance I give him close to a 9 , he is keeping his word.
Our last PM I give about a 5, he kept his word some times I think.

Roy Cooke Sr

16

I guess one could say that being a dual citizen has its benefits. If Canada didn’t allow dual citizenship, how many people would you guess would have had to have been evacuated?

17

I guess one could say that being a dual citizen has its benefits. If Canada didn’t allow dual citizenship, how many Canadian citizens would you guess would have to have been evacuated?

18

That is an interesting thought .
How many would have dropped their original country to become a Canadain.
Hard for me to say, Very few I would guess.
Roy Cooke sr.

19

It is so easy to sit back and judge… why don’t you think about how you would react if your family was caught in a war zone. I’ll bet you would do anything you could to get to safety, call on friends, use a passport, whatever it takes. It’s called survival.

War brings out the worst in all of us.

And the last thing we need is a pontificating self-righteous fatso like “Steve” making things worse with his inane comments.

20

Thats fine, but don’t bitch about the size of ships, the food, the water, the air conditioning, the rough seas.

I thought Mr. Harper bent over backwards on his way back from the G8 and having his airplane stop rather than fly back to Canada empty!

And you think the Liberals would have handled this situation any differently! The LIBERALS were in power when the RCMP handed over one Canadian Citizen to the US, so the US could ship him back to Syria, and allowed Saudia Arabia to torture another Canadian who was working in Saudia Arabia, even though as later proven they were innocent! Where was the LIBERAL’s then? Where were the LIBERALS during their fingers in the cookie jar scandal? The thieves that they are!

Yes Mr. Harper may be fat, but he doesn’t have scandal after scandal on his shoulders. And as far as his earlier statements who would have predicted 7 Canadians would have been blown up by the Israeli’s a couple of days after his first statement?

July 21, 2006 Convenient Canadians

   ****By PETER WORTHINGTON****


   What        in heaven's name are 50,000 Canadians doing in Lebanon?        
   Surely they can't all be there for a wedding, or a        family reunion, or an academic conference, or even as tourists?        
   The        estimated 50,000 are roughly 20% of all the Lebanese who have become        Canadian citizens -- about 250,000 of 'em. 

    Put        another way, there are twice as many Canadians in Lebanon as        there are Canadians in the army. 
   Are        they all in Lebanon for a visit? Hardly.        Most        are dual-citizenship Canadians who've chosen to return to the motherland        to live as Lebanese -- until trouble strikes and then they want the        Canadian government to rescue them, not the Lebanese government.        

    Under        terms of Canada's dual citizenship        policy, the country in which people choose to live, or to visit, takes        precedence over Canadian law -- which isn't to say we, as a country,        shouldn't help people in trouble. 
   Frankly, any dual-citizenship Canadian who chooses        to live in one of the danger areas of the world should not expect        Canada to rush to his aid and        rescue him and relatives when danger threatens.        

    Instead, appeal to the government you prefer to        live under, rather than the Canadian one. 
   Now        Canada is chartering        seven ships and a bunch of aircraft to rescue these citizens, many of whom        have chosen not to live in Canada. Does        Canada have an obligation to be        responsible for them? The cost to taxpayers of removing tens of thousands        from Lebanon is enormous.        

    How        many, one wonders, of these people will move back to Lebanon when the crisis is over and        security is restored -- assuming it ever will be in Lebanon?        The        view that "a Canadian is a Canadian" and all should be treated equally may        need revising. 

    Why        should the government be responsible for naturalized citizens who return        to live in a dangerous country in which they are also citizens?        

    Tourists or short-term visitors are in a different        category. Some        MPs have suggested Canadians in Lebanon whose principal country of        residence is Canada,        should be rescued first, since those whose primary home is        Lebanon are better able to        survive than visitors.

Although Lebanese have settled in Canada for well over a century and are productive citizens, Canada’s current policies risk clogging the country with people who shouldn’t be here and whom we don’t want.
Already, we won’t deport terrorist suspects or criminals if there’s fear they may be executed or tortured in their birth country. This means virtually no bad guy can be deported to the Middle East.
Canadians of Syrian or Iranian descent should avoid visiting Damascus or Tehran where they’re in danger of being grabbed on phony charges – which in no way is to suggest that the Lebanese Canadians being evacuated have done anything illegal.

    We        already have a self-described al-Qaida family in Canada, with one member charged with        murdering an American soldier in Afghanistan. Many feel this        family doesn't deserve to be Canadian, since their allegiance is to an        enemy of Canada.        
   Canada accepts that dual citizens have        special rights. But the policy needs fine-tuning. It can be argued -- as        some countries do -- that allegiance should be to one country, not two or        three. 

    If        someone wants to be a Canadian, that person should give up citizenship in        his birth country. 
   An        exception should be made with the U.S. on grounds that we are        geographically, traditionally and culturally close.        

    But        for other immigrants, the choice should be one citizenship and one        passport. 
   It's        too late now for Lebanon, where 50,000 Canadians        outnumber Americans by a two-to-one ratio. 
   Ludicrous. Change the law before the next        crisis!