Come Together...Over Our Dead Bodies

This is a good one.

Luc Archambault and Pierre Curzi have a problem. They have a dream and no one is listening. They need our help!

Keep that damn anglo Sir Paul McCartney away from our scared shores!

Archambault chimed in with these witty and charming utterances regarding McCartney's planned outdoor concert during Quebec City's 400th anniversary:

"...McCartney's appearance misrepresents the spirit of the 400th anniversary celebrations, which commemorate the fight for the survival of the French language in North America."

Man, this is some comment. The irony of course is that the British helped that survival along while France turned its back on la belle poutine. Look, I'm not going to get into it here but the (hopelessly parochial) separatist interpretation of history is flat out selective - and dare I say wrong. To insinuate that Canadians (or anybody else) can't celebrate this day should be challenged at every turn.

Finally, he closes with:

"He expresses his wish that McCartney would invite Quebec folk legend Gilles Vigneault up on stage Sunday night to sing Gens du Pays, Quebec's unofficial anthem."

Please. Anyway, if they do that there'll be no time left for the extended version of "Hey, Jude."

Finally, here's a comment I pulled out from the CBC:

"I am a french candian. Period.

My family arrived here in 1762, that's BEFORE the Plains of Abraham.

We became subjects of the British crown after the Plains of Abraham and that is history.
If it hadn't been for the British, we would have starved in the following winter.

The French crown did not lift a finger to come to our help and totally abandonned its north american colony. (Family history.)

I, along with a majority of Québécois (as proven repeatedly through various referendums) believe that our future lies within Canada, that this is the way of the future. (Yes it is.)

Narrow minded separatism or nationalism is a thing of the past and I strongly wish that this highly vocal minority would stop living in the 18th century and move along. (Globally speaking, I wish it were a thing of the past but neo-nationalism is on the rise in developed countries. Where there's development and an absence of strong institutions there's nationalism.)

Unfortunately, many Canadians only view Québec through such reports and get the wrong idea of what people are like around here. (True.)

Those who have made the trip and gotten to know us have discovered a warm and receptive community that doesn't spend its time waving separatist placards and demonstrating in the streets.

I will welcome sir Paul with open arms (and ears). (No kidding. The Beatles have only two remaining members.)

Have sovereignists forgotten that had it not been for the British defence of the garrison in the Battle of Quebec against revoultionaries from the south, the city and province of Quebec might now be part of the United States of America? (True. But is that a bad thing?)

In addition, before the War of 1812, Major General Isaac Brock (another Brit) fortified Quebec City by strengthening the walls and building an elevated artillery battery.

When Quebec sovereignists begin to respect historical facts, then maybe they will understand more about civilized co-habitation on this planet." (Ok,this sounds a little too David Suziki-ish. But I get the point.)

Over to you Josee Legault; Queen Pirouette of Spinsteronia.

One last comment I read that summarizes this nonsense best:

"Let it be."

Wise words indeed.