Boom-Boom: My views. Well, my views on The Fracture sort of begin where the lovely doctor Diane left off except for her comparison [chuckling] of Canada’s downfall to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire … what do you say … over the top.

Johnny: Why is that?

Boom-Boom: I don’t mean to quibble but Canada’s rise and fall, if you can call it that, in no way compares to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was, for most of its history, a dynamic force to be reckoned with. It outlasted Canada’s somnolent existence by more than a thousand years, maybe two-thousand years. The Romans built their empire with blood and sweat and fought heroically to the very end to preserve what they had built. Can the same be said about Canada? I don’t think so!

Johnny: I don’t mean to quibble either. I agree that few took notice of Canada’s passing and even fewer cared. I also agree that ending a country “à la Havel” is not at all reminiscent of the fall of the Roman Empire. That is why I introduced the first interview with a selection from T.S. Eliot’s The Hollow Men and its evocative line about “this is the way the world ends not with a bang but a whimper.” Again, I don’t mean to quibble but, while Canada’s fall was not Roman-like, its birth was a totally different story and was the result of an heroic struggle by brave men and women. Perhaps not on the scale of the birth of the Roman Empire, but heroic nonetheless.

Boom-Boom: Perhaps I spoke to quickly. I didn’t mean to trivialize the struggle that you say was Canada’s birth. Again, I apologize.

Johnny No need to apologize.

Boom-Boom: I know so very little about Canada’s early history even though as a teenager before The Fracture, I attended Canadian public schools. If I remember correctly we were not encouraged to learn about Canada’s early history. The emphasis seemed to be on learning our history; the history of our ancestral land; the history of our ancestors who came to Canada. If we did learn about Canadian history it was modern Canadian history in which our contribution to building the country figured prominently. The only early Canadian history I am familiar with is the history of the ruthless exploitation of early immigrants from Asia and the Asian sub-continent.

Johnny: At the risk of sounding as an apologist for Canada, will you allow me a few minutes to inform our viewers about Canada’s early history?

Boom-Boom: First you take up my interview time by reading a letter from a previous guest. Now you want to take more of my interview time to talk about the early history of Canada. Maybe I should have brought a book [smiling broadly]. Just kidding. Take all the time you need … how do you say it … knock yourself in.

Johnny: Thank you. It’s knock yourself out. I will be as brief as I can possibly be and if we run out of time I will make it up to you, I promise.

Boom-Boom: Call me, perhaps? No, maybe you can introduce me to Dr. Diane [smiling]. Just kidding. Speaking of briefs, of being brief.