VANCOUVER SUN
Published: March 2, 2010
After tonight’s broadcast and after looting our hotel mini-bars, we’re going to try to brave the blizzard and fly east to home and hearth, and to do laundry well into next week. Before we leave this thoroughly polite country, the polite thing to do is leave behind a thank-you note.
Thank you, Canada: For being such good hosts. For your unfailing courtesy.
For your (mostly) beautiful weather.
For scheduling no more than 60 per cent of your float plane departures at the exact moment when I was trying to say something on television.
For not seeming to mind the occasional (or constant) good-natured mimicry of your accents.
For your unique TV commercials -for companies like Tim Hortons -which made us laugh and cry.
For securing this massive event without choking security, and without publicly displaying a single automatic weapon.
For having the best garment design and logo-wear of the Games -you’ve made wearing your name a cool thing to do.
For the sportsmanship we saw most of your athletes display.
For not honking your horns. I didn’t hear one car horn in 15 days -which also means none of my fellow New Yorkers rented cars while visiting.
For making us aware of how many of you have been watching NBC all these years.
For having the good taste to have an anchorman named Brian Williams on your CTV network, who turns out to be such a nice guy.
For the body scans at the airport which make pat-downs and cavity searches unnecessary.
For designing those really cool LED Olympic rings in the harbour, which turned to gold when your athletes won one.
For always saying nice things about the United States . . . when you know we’re listening.
For sharing Joannie Rochette with us.
For reminding some of us we used to be a more civil society.
Mostly, for welcoming the world with such ease and making lasting friends with all of us.
Brian Williams
Anchor and managing editor of NBC’s Nightly News
Sir, I wish to add a note of thanks to you and your people, to all of the people of Canada.
I watched with joy last night, as the fourth arm of the Olympic flame rose up, how the team that worked on the flame to get the arm to come up, and the attitude of “We can laugh at ourselves, please join us in good humoured revelry” was so amazing, astounding and just outright wonderful.
I have to say, Canadians are wonderful people, the best neighbours and great friends. Your nation hosted a beautiful opening and closing of the Olympics. The games were done in wondrous friendship, and made me feel the love of life that the Canadian people live.
Thank you, Canada! Thank you from a citizen of the United States, who got to watch this show on TV, and I had a blast.
You all are fantastic people!
Lynda Duke
El Paso, Texas