I'm back from my travels!

I’m back! One sure way to make a vacation wonderful is to start out in a strange emergency room, in severe pain, with nausea and vomiting. Everything is uphill from there, ha.

Day one was spent in a Middletown, Ohio hospital emergency room, getting an IV, some injections of hard drugs, blood work and a CAT scan. The diagnosis is still a toss up between kidney stone and pancreatitis. I’m normally a healthy person who hates to take any medications, but I welcomed the pain medications the doctors and nurses offered me that day.

I was uplifted at every turn of this trip by the people of America and Canada. While driving I saw businesses with American flags, Christian Crosses, and the word “God” painted on them. Some said, “In God we trust”, others had different versions of that phrase. I won’t give the names of the businesses because I’m afraid the ACLU would file a lawsuit against them.

We saw countless underpasses with American flags, yellow ribbons, and phrases like ‘we support the troops’. I’m not talking about one flag; I’m talking about overpasses COVERED with American flags from end to end. We saw industrial cranes along the sides of interstates with huge American flags hanging from them, weighted at the bottom of the cable with the flag waving proudly in front of companies and businesses.

Politicians need to get out and drive through the United States and see how patriotic Americans are. They need to talk to Americans and listen to what we want and vote appropriately. They would be encouraged the way hubby and I were at these individuals exerting their freedom and expressing their love of country.

We (hubby and I) traveled through Tennessee, Ohio, and Michigan, staying three days on Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. No automobiles allowed there, just horse and buggy, bicycle, or walking to get around. We absorbed the local history, architecture, art, and food.

The architecture of churches, synagogues, and yes, mosques, was of great interest to us. In Toledo and Hamilton Ohio we saw two magnificent mosques that stood out not only for their beauty, but because they were right off the interstate in open areas, with no other buildings any where around. The gold domes, crescent and star could be seen for miles.

From Mackinac Island we drove to Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury (Canada), Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catherines, and arrived in Niagara Falls (Canada) for a three day visit. We had perfect weather, perfect accommodations, great driving conditions, and wonderful site seeing. The Falls were spectacular. We took all the popular tours and didn’t miss one thing (except emergency rooms, ha).

We found yummy little restaurants everywhere we stopped and did so much walking I even lost three pounds (not that I ‘needed’ to, ha).

At night we rested in strange beds, in a variety of hotels, and thanked God for this country and her people. Our last night was spent with friends in a little place called Bucyrus, Ohio. Thanks Linda and Mel for your hospitality and friendship!

Now we are home, the puppies have been bailed out of the veterinary office where they were boarded, mail has been sorted, clothes have been washed and ironed, and the email inbox has been cleared of junk. We’re rested, refreshed, renewed, and glad to be home. Thank you all for supporting Right Truth and Chad while we were away.

A special thanks to my friend Chad Evans from In the Bullpen. I know this was a very busy two weeks with all that is going on in the news and in the world. I appreciate the time and effort that Chad invested in Right Truth. I know you all were informed and entertained by Chad. Here’s a huge ‘thank you’ to Chad. I have asked him to continue posting here any time he feels the urge and I hope you will go visit him at In the Bullpen.

Debbie

Comments

[Thomas Hamilton]

I would like to present my opinion of Canadians as experienced from my travels.

I found Canadians to be very polite, much more so than most Americans I know.....maybe that is because they know me...hee hee.

I found Canadian drivers a pleasant surprise. Even as we were trying to negotiate the bumper to bumper expressways around Toronto, I experienced none of the road rage commonly found in the big US cities. Canadians certainly didn't mind if you wanted to change lanes. They would gladly let you over instead of speeding up to make sure you didn't get over.

All the Canadians we talked with were helpful and answered our questions cheerfully and genuinely seemed glad we were there.

We spent the night in Sudbury on the way to Niagara Falls. One young lady made a point to tell me that we needed to do more than just pass through Sudbury but rather plan a trip there and explore the town and that particular area of Canada, stating that there were a lot of neat things to see and do there. She was obviously proud of her town and community.

I guess these things may seem trivial to some, but I did take note and I appeciated the hospitality.

Debbie's hubby

[Chad Evans]

Stefano, my only point was that we each define patriotism or nationalism differently. In no way was I trying to deningrate Canada, I have many good friends who are Canadian and I have never met even one Canadian that I did not like, nor was I trying to take a shot at anyone from any nation. It's just we define patriotism that is different in every nation.

Because of this, it is asinine for non-nationals of one country to take shots at the patriotism of one entire nation. Yet time and time again the patriotism of the United States is attacked from within and outside this nation while other nations have a stronger or comparable nationalistic identity. Seriously, who cares if towns have flags hung up?

I challenge anyone to go to Oklahoma anytime during college football season and not see a town outside of Stillwater without the University of Oklahoma flag, decals, magnets, fight song, etc. emblazened on almost every single object.

[Stefano]

I'm glad you had a nice trip and like Canada :)

Yeah the Miami Vice movie seemes like a cop movie for younger viewers. I really doubt it will be as good as the TV show.

Now as for Chad's comment, yeah it is true that when Americans cracks a joke on Canada we get mad sometimes. To me, I don't mind really cuz we do makes lots of jokes on Americans.

The only that bothers me is when they make fun of Canadian army (ok yeah we do have a small army we get it..we even make jokes about it too but..) and when the U.S. is asking Canada to go to War with them like in Iraq we get dissed. I didn't apreciate that America didn't respect our decision not going to war. And yet they make jokes that we praticly don't have an army. It just doesn't make sense. Same goes on the French army. Each countries have their own values and we got to respect that especially countries that have democracy.

You have to remember the populations, the U.S. is almost 10 times more populated than Canada. So for us casualities is a big deal too. Not that it's not a big deal for the U.S., but you know what I mean.

Anyways that's my 2 cents!

[Butch]

Welcome back...you were missed...

[Mujahideen Ryder]

Welcome back. Chad was okay with his posts. I didn't comment that much.

Yeah the protest was lots of fun! It was my first one.

Yeah my parents told me about the one in Toledo, Ohio. I never got to see it. :-( There are 2 nice ones in Toronto that I know of. Islamic Foundation and Tariq Masjid.

[Rastaman]

WELCOME BACK!!! I'm looking forward to your travel tales but not without some trepidation, after reading your comment you just posted on my blog. See it for miles? Oboy.

[Debbie]

Great comment Chad. Your point is exactly correct. Each country has their own version of patriotism, yet the USA isn't supposed to have any, or not supposed to show it. I was just amazed at the brave corporations who I know the ACLU would love to close down or at least take to court for painting the flag and having the word "God" or a cross on their corporate buildings. I was amazed.

[Chad]

Funny that you mention patriotism. I read an editorial written by a Frenchman about two weeks ago (if I could find it I would) where he was sickened by the American flags and the patriotism within the U.S. He wrote somethng along the lines of "Our friends accross the pond have adopted fascism and those in Middle America proudly wave their flags of their fascist state."

The comment and entire editorial was pure nonsense, and anyone who has even done a decent degree of study into fascism realised why that's so, but it got me to thinking about how people from certain nations react when you say something about their country.

Canadians - You can rot in Hell if they don't get you first.
French - Stupd, fat Americans don't know any better.
England - You might have a point.
Australia - Maybe.
Denmark - The angle you're working is wrong.
India - That's not what we're about, but some are.
Jordan - The American spin machine did it again.
Iran - Allah cursed you many times over and you will die in a fiery pit in a giant surprise (ex-pats are very different).
Italy - Those were old times and we've changed now.
New Zeland - Is that what the U.$. of Amerikkka told you to say through your greedy corporate media?
Finland - Of course, while I was listening to Megadeath I thought the same thing. Of course.
Russia - Did you read that in Pravda?
Israel - You're an anti-semite and I have no reason to talk to you.
Palstine - Even though there was never actually a nation named Palestine, we invented it because of those damn, dirty Jews invading from the sea.

Those are the normal responses, or average if there is such a thing, that I have gotten from conversing with people from the above nationalities. Anyhow, the point is that I have never met one nationality that is more fiercely nationalistic than Canadians. They will literally go at your throat if you even crack a joke. I nearly got sucker punched for thanking a Canadian co-worker for Duddly Doolittle's future help on 9/11. But I used to be quick. Israelis are quick to pull out a prejudice card, but so too are most people in the Middle East.

So, to wrap it all up, what the Frenchman said is rather laughable becaus patriotism exists everywhere, even in France where they will literally burn your cars if you call them sissy boys.

And thanks for letting me write here, Debbie, and thank you to all your readers for being kind.