DUSHANBE – Yesterday, the United Kingdom marked Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday. Here in Dushanbe, the British Ambassador hosted a shindig at his residence.
Naturally, the handful of actual Brits in town were invited. Also invited were many Americans — citizens of a country that so hated the British it went to war against them to overthrow the Crown and declare independence. Invited, too, was my South African friend who also comes from a nation that took up arms against the Imperial Majesties and waged a particularly bloody war against the Crown.
As for the Canadians? Well, we fought alongside the British against the American upstarts. A Century and a half later, we also jumped into two World Wars to save Mother England, whilst our American cousins fiddled and profited for years before realizing how bad life would suck if they had to learn German as well as Spanish.
And, Canada raised an expeditionary force to sail across the Atlantic and shed Canadian blood on South African soil to help the British put down the bloody Boer insurrection.
Could it be that we picked the wrong side?
Were the Canadians, stalwart allies and supporters of the Crown, invited to Her Brittanic Majesty’s birthday celebration at the Ambassador’s residence?
In a word. Umm… No.
Ah, well… at least I got to the Irish Pub while the beer was still cold….. ish. Now the Irish, they were undoubtedly invited… 