Letters to the Editor
-
Ferme ta gueule...
Imperative of -er verbs...
Leave off the "s".
"Ferme ta gueule."
-
Shut up, Canada!
Wilkins either wants the Liberals to be re-elected or is an idiot. Basically he lobbed Martin a nice fat one, right over the plate, and Martin is now taking full advantage of it, making all sorts of outraged "Who speaks for Canada? I do!" speeches. The Conservatives, for their part, are just keeping their heads down and hoping the whole thing blows over ASAP.
You don't get any points in Canada these days for being seen as cozy with Dubya.
-
Faute d'orthographe: "Fermes" au lieu de "Ferme".
It should be: "Fermes ta gueule" since the verbs in "er" have the following "conjugaison":
Je ferme
Tu fermes
Il ferme
Nous fermons
Vous fermez
Ils ferment
Since here "Shut your mouth" is adressed to "you" it should follow the "Tu"
form "fermes" with an s at the end!
-
Canadian Response
Our liberal neighbors to the North stood up in response to this threat. PM Paul Martin has told Wilkins to stay out of Canadian politics. Martin reacted by saying he would not be "dictated to"-an interesting choice of words in these dark times. The Dems and the mainstream media could use that kind of backbone.
-
Spelling
There's no "s" at the end of "Ferme" in the headline.
Don't think we're too critical though. Former MP Carolyn Parrish was kicked out of the Liberal caucus for anti-Bush comments judged to be intemperate.
-
And that's why the Liberals keep winning
The Liberals may be corrupt, and run by a bunch of crooked Quebecois lawyers, but Stephen Harper just seems like a creepy version of George Bush, and while I may not trust the Liberals with my money, I wouldn't trust the Conservatives with my life or my way of living.
As in most politics, there is no best candidate...there's only the lesser of two evils.
-
I thought I left grammar lessons behind in high school.
Second person singlular -er verbs, when in the present imperative, do not have an "s" at the end. The "s" at the end is for second person singular indicative.
So if you are telling someone that they ARE shutting their yap, it would be "Tu fermes ta gueule." If you are telling someone TO shut their yap, it's "Ferme ta gueule, tabernac!"
There. Can we move on? :)
-
Insults
Some of the reasons for the anti-American feelings in Canada are due to the feeling that the American Presidents do not show proper respect to Canada.
Bush is not the first President to appoint to Ambassador in Canada, a campaign contributer. Reagan did that too when he first got in, and I remember not being alone feeling that that appointment was an insult. That fellow knew nothing about Canada either. If I remember correctly he was the CEO of some manufaturing company - toothpaste comes to mind.
Bad enough that Ambassadorship is treated like a reward to loyal contributers, but that they then try and tell Canadians how to react to American policy?
Just another example of the proverbial Ugly American
-
Fermes ta gueule
What your article failed to mention is that Ambassador Wilkins' comments were made in the context of what is expected to be a close federal election now in progress in Canada. The words likely come straight from the White House and are a clear attempt to interfere in internal Canadian affairs by undermining support for current Prime Minister Paul Martin. John Kennedy similarly stuck his oar in the 1983 election because he felt that he had been slighted by then Prime Minister Diefenbaker. Dief lost that election, but the tactic may well backfire this time. The Canadian people generally liked Kennedy, but they generally despise Bush, and some otherwise undecided voters might now opt for Martin just as a way of poking Bush in the eye.
-
*cough* putain de merde *cough*
Ils font chier ces connards de BushCo. Would y'all like freedom fries with that?
-
The Ghost of Presidents Past
I assume you meant to write 1963 election, not 1983, unless it was JFK's ghost that was sassing Canadian politicians.
Freedom fries? Mais non.
Freedom poutine? Mais oui!
-
Close, but no Canadian Bacon
Sorry to be picky, but the present imperatif conjugation would be "ferme ta gueule", and its a French saying not used in Quebec. Still, many thanks for looking north.
-
Now, doesn't this sound familiar?
First a quick request: Can we STOP with the grammar lesson already? Yeah, we get it, the verb was conjugated incorrectly. Let's move on.
Second: Hm. Administration officials insist on their own viewpoint as being right and unimpeachable (in all senses of the word), and anyone who questions it is disloyal and worthy of nothing but disdain. Dissident groups are monitored and seen as threats. Free political speech erodes daily. No voices are allowed that do not tow the party line.
Gee, where have we heard this before? What group of powerful, fear-mongering people did the same thing, to the great detriment of their country, their people and the world? What government waged egotistical war to try and turn a very large area into a carbon copy of their own idealized version of society, killing large numbers of "enemy" peoples in the process, whether or not those people had been engaged in "enemy" activities?
I'm sure I read about a group like that somewhere. Hm.
A handy link for anyone interested in where governmental attitudes like this end up (not that they haven't already):
http://ellensplace.net/fascism.html
-
No "s" in "Ferme"
No "s" in "Ferme"
-
Screw how the French title is spelt...
How come you folks couldn't spell Niagara Falls right? :)
-
Shut up Canada
I live in Quebec. My teenage son says 'ferme ta guelle all the time...My French Canadian mother said it too... guelle pronounced yeulle.
The Ambassador's remarks reflect on the way the US administration seems to ignore history...There is only one thing after hockey that defines Canadian - and that is not being American. So if they want to see Harper elected, just put him down as a pseudo liberal. (He's promising all kinds of money for social programs right now.) Don't praise him as a conservative or attack Martin. (I was quite pleased to hear the Ambassador's remarks, actually).
Many a Canadian election has been won on this premise. I have spent two years researching the 1910 era in Canada and I've posted a website which is popular in Canadian universities (sociology and history) because it has letters relating to politics of the era. If you want to understand Canada a bit better, and why we differ from Americans, do read the letters. (Non commercial site.)
PS Aislin's cartoon yesterday had King Kong holding a sheepish beaver in his giant fist.