tfl: The Flatiron Life

Charles Gonsoulin, 41 from LA, met his sweetheart in a chat room for folks with depression. This gal lives in Quebec, Canada. Charles wanted to go see her, but there is one problem. He did some dumb stuff in his past and has a robbery conviction. Canada does not let cons cross the border. Charles did what any love struck American would do, he crossed the boarder illegally. He went to North Dakota and crossed at night. His plan was to make the 100 km trek to Winnipeg and then take a bus to Quebec. He had probably seen news reports of people crossing into the US from Mexico hundreds of times and thought it look simple enough.

Those crossings are different in two very important ways. It is warm most of the time around the southern boarder. Also the Mounties will charge you with illegally entering Canada and then deport you. Both of these things stopped Charles. A Mountie found him delirious and freezing to death not far into Canada. The temps there this time of year vary from very cold to “Dear God Canadians are Crazy!” The Mountie took him to a hospital. I am sure he received the very best of socialized medicine, but there is no word on how long he had to wait in line. He has now been charged with entering the country illegally. I doubt that any Canadian civil rights organizations will be up in arms when he is shipped south.

Alanis Morissette has become an American. First of all I think it is great that she has become a citizen. However I am curious and the article does not give a reason why. She was Canadian and most of our neighbors to the north choose to keep the maple leaf passport while entertaining us.

Alanis said she now considers herself a Canadian-American and “will never renounce [her] Canadian citizenship.” Hmmm….Maybe she was not listening when she took the oath of citizenship. “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;”

I am just being mean, dual citizenship is the trendy thing these days. Our citizenship is the trump one around the world. The US does not officially recognize dual citizenship, it is up to the other country to recognize it. If a new American chooses to keep their former allegiances there is little the US can do until they commit treason.

If you claim to be a citizen of multiple nations does that mean you own income tax in all your home nations? I would watch out all you Canadian-Americans, without hockey the folks in Ottawa will have some time on their hands to think aboot things.

I just learned Tony Snow announced he has colon cancer. I do not listen to Tony’s radio show, but he was excellent as the host of Fox News Sunday. He exemplified the Fox News mantra and was a fair and balanced interviewer. I first heard him filling in for Rush. He is my all time favorite guest host. I always really liked his commentary and his voice is very good.