by David Budbill
Why doesn't Vermont just annex itself to Canada and get it over with?
I cried my entire way through the ice dancing competition during the Olympics. I was rooting for the Canadian pair, although I loved Meryl Davis and Charlie White also. And I was also rooting for the–dare I say it out loud?–the Canadian hockey team. When I started writing this, Canadians had won so few medals and in their own country too. They were the underdogs; I always root for the underdog; this used to be an American trait. Americans win too many medals. I wanted Canadians to win at least some. I've got to admit though that some of the Americans who won gold, like Evan Lysacek, were amazingly gracious in victory. I was proud of them, of him.
Canadians are a lot like Vermonters. They're modest, self-effacing, not pushy.
The day after the U.S. beat Canada in hockey, the American goalie was on the street in Vancouver and a Canadian stopped him saying, "You're that American goalie!" What came next was the Canadian version of a bad-mouthing, trash-talking slam. What did the Canadian say? He said, "You're that American goalie! Go Canada!" What a guy!
And when the crowd went wild when they found out that Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir had won the gold medal in ice dancing, after a very short while, Scott Moir made a gesture with both hands and arms to say, "That's enough! Quiet down!" What a guy!
Vermonters are definitely more like Canadians than they are the rest of our countrymen. Let's leave this place, the US of A, and annex ourselves to our neighbors and friends to the north.
Besides, those of us who have been fighting for so long for a national health care system could have one. It's clear now that we aren't going to get it here.*
Vermont has a lot to offer Canada too. The Canadian downhill ski team and the snowboard team would be greatly improved with some Vermonters on it. Vermont has fabulous skiing and within just an hour or two of Montreal. We've got writers and painters and mountains and hiking trails and restaurants–not the equal of Montreal–but mighty fine nonetheless. And we've got a great Congressional delegation that I'm sure Canada could make use of.
Besides, think how cool it would be to have a five-dollar bill with hockey players on it. And, as if that's not enough, there is also a quote from Roch Carrier's great short story "The Sweater" on that five-dollar bill. As a writer myself, my eyes are full of tears thinking about Canada actually quoting one of its writers on a piece of its currency. What a country!
Come on Vermont. Let's do it. Let's get out of here without ever having to go anywhere. Let's join our neighbors to the north. Let's annex ourselves to Canada, that is, if Canada will have us.
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*For more on this go to: http://www.davidbudbill.com/jme47.html and http://www.davidbudbill.com/jme48.html