tml12

Pair of brains? Well maybe that's the problem. NY has not "solved the addiction problem," just moved it. Some of us are realists who know that drug problems are not going away and we're trying to find a way that does not involve putting our heads in the sand and pretending that sweeping things under the rug are a success. I have done business in NY and down there all the time...I take the Greyhound Bus from here (it takes about 7 hours) and the bus station in NY is in Times Square. I have been there at all hours of the day and it is VERY safe. Of course NY has not "solved" its addicition problem but it has cleaned up its bad areas. If Giuliani had said "it can stay with safe injection sites so these people do not get AIDS" that would not have solved anything. It is clear you have not travelled in NY before and after its gentrification.

Won't you go to hell for disagreeing with the Pope? How is Catholicism work? Is it a buffet where you pick and choose among the rules? Catholics do not go to hell for disagreeing with the Pope...there is much open dialogue within the Church about various issues. Probably 95% disagree with, say, partial birth abortion but lots of other issues can go 50-50. Your comment represents a complete blissful ignorance of our religion.

Old ladies who donated to the CPC hoping for a ban on gay marriage. Better than twelve year olds for Volpe. At least when twelve year olds "donate" to Bill Graham, he gives them services in return.

Of course it should. Now that Steve is firing public servants for not using his political slogans in correspondence. Next thing you know, judges will be wearing "Canada's New Government" buttons or get fired. If you can call Harper "Steve" can I call Dion "Stephie?"

Bullshit. The Globe and Mail endorsed Harper as their candidate of choice in the last election. Harper will yet again get the endorsement of the Jewish CanWest/GlobeMedia for his support of Israel. I didn't know that...I take that back (although I am a National Post reader myself, the only fair and balanced newspaper in Canada that isn't run by the Liberal MSM establishment, even though it's based in TO).

But you are the first to scream in support of forcing people to have children against their wishes, no? Do you read anything I have to say? That's not at all my position on the abortion issue. I read about you being a practicing Catholic and about you opposing the evils of gay marriage and abortion, which was nothing but a murder. That's the general stance of Conservative supporters: Force people to have unwanted children but don't make us pay a penny for these children because children are their parents' responsibility, not ours. As usual, Conservatives are completely inconsistent in their opinions. I'm a practicing Catholic too but the Church's views do not always influence my politics. Lots of Catholics are self-described "Christian Socialist Communitarians" who support a strong welfare state and are moderate on social issues (not me, by the way). These individuals are also supportive of troop withdrawal. Don't think religion plays a role in everyone's politics.

So Dion's Liberals started the negative campaign for this coming election? I would say so...he's been rambling on about "Harper...scary vision of Canada blah blah blah" for the last few weeks.

Polarize voters? Where do you live? There is no spectrum on your ballot, your either A or B. Every vote is 100% polarized when push comes to shove. If Harper has managed to do anything, it's excite voters that another party is actually quite capable of governing the country!

I'm calling bullshit on this. What ad questioned another candidate's infidelity, citizenship or sexual orientation? The only personal flaw ad I can recall was the one years back showing a very ugly Jean Chretien and his twisted mouth. Then again, the Liberals constantly made fun of Preston Manning's voice. Don't forget Day on the waterjet thing.

I see he posted his phone number. Call it and see if a nurse answers. HAHAHA

The pathetic Liberal attempt to grasp at straws in the last election was the most embarassing thing I think I have ever seen. They were offensive not only in their assumption that Canadians were stupid and didn't realize they were completely and utterly false but also in their completely perjorative and untrue claims. If any American referred to their own attack ads as a "Canadian-style smear campaign" after that it would be completely legitimate in my view.

What you are saying is BS. U.S. interest are Canadian interest that are reflected in a higher ratio of exports, which are about as high as you possibly can go as seen from a Canadian perspective. Why should Canada continue to see the net benefits of U.S. foreign interest, when Canada shys away from the U.S. as a true aly and one that is very dependent on the continuing success of U.S. military operations. Completely agreed...well said!

Canada has had so-called "U.S.-style" smear ads for a long time. In recent history, the very worst have come from the Liberals. That being said, these ads sound like they just simply feature the Liberals talking about themselves...hardly a smear. Dion and the Liberals will get a free pass from the Liberal-backed (and taxpayer-funded) CBC/Toronto Star/Globe and Mail establishment so I think it's necessary for Harper to take his case to the people.

Dion is a Liberal. No way the pro-Liberal Toronto Star/Globe & Mail says anything bad...

It's not like the Tories can point to their own program which is stuck in committee. Are you serious? Anything the Liberals do is stuck in commitee...they are so desperate to tkae the "right" postion that they'll labour on forever...

I hope they don't backfire...if there's anyone that's *scary* *scary* *scary* during the nexy campaign it's Dion...I can't even imagine this guy as PM...I think Canada is truly finished then. That being said, I don't know is this will work for us but I hope so...

Communism in practice has resembled fascism more than Marxism. This is not complicated political science stuff here.

If you guys want to get caught up in the linguistics of it, that is fine. I think it is pretty clear that the left is, for the most part, anti-war and the right pro-war. The Liberals are not necessarily left-wing because they straddle the centre.

Again with "the left" comments. "The Left" are the ones that sent our troops to Afghanistan in the first place. Do you not think there is support among people who vote "left", and people who are "left" MP's, to remain and finish the job? Yes I do but I also happen to know mass opposition to the war comes from the left and not from the right. That being said, I acknowledge that there are intelligent people on the opposite side of the spectrum too that recognize we need to stay there. And there are also "right wing" supporters who do not support the war. So don't you think you are doing your own arguments a dis-service by making blanket statements about "the left" being the only detractors of the war in Afghanistan? I think it is clear that most of the anti-war people are left-wing.

New York City 20 years ago was quite a bit better than 10-13 years before that, and is quite safe now. Drug giveaways have not been part of the formula. Yes, I realize that. That was my point. I know. You have a pair of brains between your ears. That's not universal, apparently. Some people think the best way to solve the addiction problem is to encourage the use of the addicting substance. Like bringning fire water to an AA meeting. Bryant Park and 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues (especially 8th Avenue) used to be REALLY bad...I was there a number of years ago and have been back in the years since and it's really improved. The police presence has been increased, I haven't noticed any needles, and the homeless problem in general has vastly improved. To my knowledge, none of this has anything to do with "feeling" for these criminals who abuse the system by letting them break the law so they don't get AIDS. What if they commit additional crimes during their high that they got on needles paid for with my tax dollars? The whole thing seems absolutely bizarre. We should find them, arrest them, and keep them in prison. Many NDP/Liberal people have made the argument we pay for them anyway if they get AIDS but I say I'd rather pay for their prison-imposed detox.

Again with "the left" comments. "The Left" are the ones that sent our troops to Afghanistan in the first place. Do you not think there is support among people who vote "left", and people who are "left" MP's, to remain and finish the job? Yes I do but I also happen to know mass opposition to the war comes from the left and not from the right. That being said, I acknowledge that there are intelligent people on the opposite side of the spectrum too that recognize we need to stay there.

I'm not a Liberal and I don't agree. MP's on Parliament's business should not have restrictions put on their movements by the government. This is an official all party committee sent by Parliament. There is an important principal here and as much as I like what O'Connor has done for our military, I think he is wrong on this one. Absolutely correct wilber on all accounts. The commentary of the person you responded to, is a red herring argument. France has nothing to do with this at all, and the military's approval of O'Connor means little. Yes France has a lot to do with this catchme in that if we pulled out of Afghanistan, as the left would have us do, we would be emulating France.

What is David Dinkins doing now? I haven't heard about him since he was playing tennis somewhere. What does this have to do with Canadian politics?

The U.S. has made it clear that Canada makes its own decisions. We didn't beef when they were slow to the party in World War II. As for not contributing, we remained an ally. We contributed in Afghanistan, we allowed overflights, we kept our troops on the exchanges, we remained in Bosnia, we continued security in the Gulf, we cooperated on intelligence, we supported the U.S. in the U.N. All of this was not enough for Harper who wanted Canadian soldiers in Iraq. I think weaponeer made it clear we more or less went anyway. As for the WWII comparison, you cannot compare situations. Canada and the U.S. were both military powers and then, unlike now, we were not relying on a foreign country to pay for our defense.

I had always thought that the Liberal legacy was to make INAC efficient and effective, and to bring First Nations' to decent, middle class life styles. That may have been the legacy but it was not always the reality.