Protocol, shmotocol

Once again our friends to the south (the United States) have left me shaking my head, wondering WTF is up with them. President Obama and his wife, Michelle, are in Jolly Olde Eng-er-lund to hang with the powers that were (aka: the G20) and just check stuff out generally. Naturally when the leader of the world's super-power (duh USA) visits the capital of a previous world super-power (Eng-er-lund) then it only behooves the leader of the first to visit with the leader of the second. Heck, it's only good manners. So President Obama had his minions talk to the Queen's minions and next thing you know Barrack and Michelle are entering Buck-house to see Liz (don't touch the paintings, don't use the ashtrays, and don't sit in the old chairs, they're wobbly).

I have heard that for the average schmuck (and new Prime Ministers), there are a stack of rules to follow so that one shows the proper respect towards the monarchy. Don't want to offend the Queen, don't you know, and all. Don't turn your back on her, don't eat if she isn't eating at the moment, don't poke her in the tummy and say, "gotcha!", don't use her smock as a hanky, and number one with a bullet on the 'don't' list, DON'T TOUCH HER. At all, never, not even once just to see what she feels like. This is called 'protocol'. And then the President's wife goes and touches the Queen. Right in front of everybody and everything. It's a scandal but the thing I don't understand is why our friends to the south (the United Stations) got so hopped up about this.

As a Canadian of some description (believe it or not the Queen is the head of state for Canada, and my sister spoke to her once) shouldn't I be getting all bent out of shape because one of those upstart colonials laid hands on the Queen? Well I'm not. In fact the pictures I have seen show a scene that is totally natural and tells me everything I will ever need to know about Michelle Obama. It appears that there was an instant liking between the Queen and Michelle Obama, and there is nothing wrong with that. So why are there dorks in the US media trying to make this into something that it is not? Beats doing your job I guess.

Of course I have never really understood the US fascination with the British Monarchy. Way back when Price Charles and Lady Diana visited the States you would have thought it was the second coming of JC (and I don't mean because Chuck was there). Didn't they have some sort of revolution a couple of hundred years back about this stuff? So what's the deal? Why get all excited now? Back then they had King George III, and he was crazier than a bucket of cats. Now that's a guy that I would have liked to have seen. He could have brought his wife the tree and it would have been awesome. But no, they throw those Limeys out of their bit of North America, then wait 200-years to get all excited about the current British royalty, who are all boring. Whatever, I guess. In my book, Michelle can touch the Queen all she wants.

Anyway... Humouroceros