From: bbooth@x400gate.bnr.ca (Brad Booth)
Subject: Re: Freedom of Religion as well as everything else
Originator: bbooth@bcrks6
Keywords: Civil Rights, Pagan
Reply-To: bbooth@x400gate.bnr.ca (Brad Booth)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ltd
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 15:08:28 GMT


In article <2A9BF8C0.10454@orion.oac.uci.edu>, cortese@skid.ps.uci.edu (Janis Maria Cortese) writes:
> In article <1992Aug26.201736.22525@bcrka451.bnr.ca> bbooth@x400gate.bnr.ca (Brad Booth) writes:
> >
> >Is Janis moving to Canada??  ;)  
> 
> Quite frankly, it's a consideration.  The place is supposed to be
> pretty, I've heard wonderful things about the cities (like, oh, they're
> CLEAN), and the few Canadians I've met have been very pleasant.

I also heard that Toronto (Canada's largest city) which is 10 times the
size of Rochester, NY (which is just across the lake from it) has 1/10
the number for murders per annum.
>
> As for WHERE, isn't Vancouver sometimes called "the most beautiful city
> in North America"? 

I think it is... but then again, I was born there. :)

> It's relatively close to where I am, and hey!  I've
> been a hockey fan since my eyes could focus!  (I'd have to stop rooting
> for the Flyers, though.  I know, so they suck.  I love them anyway.) 

Cheering for the Vancouver Canucks would be like cheering for the Flyers. ;)

> The Magnificent Mikey and I are concerned about the reception that two
> expatriate Americans would receive.  Doubtless a lot of Americans who
> are considering leaving think of Canada first -- it's close and
> culturally similar enough to be a fairly easy transition.  How do you
> think Canadians would receive one of probably a large group of people
> who are banging their door down?  Would we be seen as people poetically
> yearning for a less oppressive life or some more goddamned Americans
> looking for a free ride and hauling our sorry asses up to Canada like
> everyone else? 

You would most likely be seen as someone looking for a less oppressive
life.  I think most Canadians perceive immigrates to our country that
way.

> (TMM will soon have a Ph. D. in physics, and I have a
> Master's, so hopefully, we would be seen as assets and permitted to
> emigrate.  Again, this is only a consideration now, an idea I'm playing
> around with.  We have to wait and see what happens here.) 

People with higher education do stand a better chance of immigrating to
Canada.

> Anyway, in your opinion, what would the reception be like for two
> spiritually nebulous Americans with technical graduate degrees who are
> more than a tad scared about what's going on here?

IMHO, probably pretty good.  And Canada will let you have dual citizenship
if you want it.

> The one thing I can
> remember pissing off one Canadian fellow I know (actually TMM knows him;
> he's a student at U. of Toronto) is when an American prof said something
> like "Oh, I just think of Canada as part of the US anyway."  (This prof
> is an ultra-conservative right-wing boob.) 

This is a major blunder... Canadians aren't as rah-rah patriotic as 
Americans, but it offends us when people think that we're just like the US.
We're not... there are some major differences in our two countries, but
they're not always apparent.  If you've travelled the two countries, you
soon come to realize this.

> Neither TMM nor myself are
> likely to pull any boners like THAT while in Canada; it's a FOREIGN
> COUNTRY, as much as any other one, just similar in some respects.   

That's good.  I guess we can let you in then. ;)


Blessings,

      __o       Brad Booth                |  
    _`\<,_      Bell-Northern Research    |  "He doesn't need a motive.
   (*)/ (*)     Ottawa, Ontario, Canada   |   He's a psychopath."
 ------------   bbooth@x400gate.bnr.ca    |  ... Tony Scalli, The Commish