For all you Canadians out there, what do you think of this email I got?

>>…there are far too many overly-sensitive ‘New Canadians’ that are trying to change everything we hold dear.
>>For example, our National Anthem: Don’t know what your opinions are, but I certainly agree. — I’m sorry, but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Hindi – enough is enough. Nowhere or at no other time in our nation’s history, did they sing it in Italian, Japanese, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Greek, or any other language because of immigration. It was written in English, and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation — not even close.
>>I am not sorry if this offends anyone, this is MY COUNTRY – IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP —- please pass this along…. I am not against immigration .. just come through like everyone else… Get a sponsor; get a place to lay your head; get a job; pay your taxes; live by the rules …AND… LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past .. and LONG LIVE CANADA!
>>PART OF THE PROBLEM? Think about this: If you don’t want to forward this for fear of offending someone—–YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM !!!!
>>Will we still be the Country of Choice and still be CANADA if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries who have come to live in CANADA because it is the Country of Choice??????
>>Think about it! IMMIGRANTS, NOT CANADIAN’S, MUST ADAPT. It is Time for CANADA to Speak up. If you agree – pass This along.

Well, I’m passing it along. What do I think? I think it’s bullshit. O Canada was originally written in French, and not translated into English until 30 years later. The English words are totally different from the French, which was about Quebec, not the modern Canada. And the English words have also changed over the years; there was no “From Far and Wide” when I was growing up. But there is now, and if we want to keep it we have to accept that Canadians, including those who speak English and French, do indeed come from far and wide, we are all immigrants (except the First Nations), and there is no reason not to let everyone express their love for the country in their own words. Especially since the current lyrics only apply to male persons who were born here.

PS: Of course we could go back to the old anthem, The Maple Leaf Forever, which tells the stirring tale of how Wolfe the Conquering Hero seized this land for Britain from some unnamed foreigners, and created a true multicultural paradise where people of English, Scottish and, incredibly, even Irish origins could live together in peace and harmony!