normanchateau

BM/Err: Argus gets funnier by the minute. Now he admits that he has no technical knowledge of pharmacology and makes no attempt to be precise. He even acknowledges that his arguments are morality-based rather than evidence-based. This is eerily reminiscent of Stephen Harper who could have just said that he'd get tough on drug pushers but instead blurted out that he opposes the decriminalization of simple possession of marijuana, effectively acknowledging that he favours permanent criminal records and potential jail time for possession of less than 30 grams.

According to CBC News, Brian Pallister is testing the waters for a run at becoming the next leader of the Manitoba Provincial Conservatives. CPC supporters should be grateful that he's not a candidate to replace Stephen Harper. Here's what Pallister said: "I am copping what's known as a woman's answer, isn't it? It's a sort of fickle kind of thing," he said, responding to criticism that a federal election campaign is no time for a candidate to be examining other job prospects. "I can do that, and I'm doing it now. There are always people on the sidelines that are going to be critical. I'm not worried about them. I'm not concerned about the critics." Here's the link: http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/ I'm not sure why a CPC MP finds it necessary to employ sexist comments during an election campaign unless it's a strategy to make Stephen Harper look statesman-like and moderate.

With luck, he will.

Besides not posting cited columns, dividing your post into paragraphs, perhaps even with spaces between the paragraphs, would strengthen your otherwise strong message.

Outstanding comment BM!

Thanks for the link. It points out, in the last sentence, that 25% of the current NDP support could go to the Liberals by election time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}> The lead will stay.

I've read all I need to know about Harper and his "ideas".

Shoopie: Harper has said he opposes decriminalization for simple possession and will not reintroduce the decriminalization legislation tabled by the Liberals. Simple possession in Canada is defined as possession of less than 30 grams. Approximately 65% of Canadians arrested for marijuana-related crimes are arrested for simple possession. More than 30,000 Canadians are charged with simple possession annually. Of these, 5% go to jail. Source: http://frankdiscussion.netfirms.com/info_statistics.html The NDP, BQ, Liberals and Greens support decriminalization as do 69% of Canadians. Harper favours the status quo. Where's the distortion?

Did I predict that they'd stay at 27%?

And why wouldn't they? It's a far easier task than defending Harper.

Dink or not, he'll still capture a solid 30% of the vote.

You don't think alcohol is a drug? Why, because it's legal? Or because it's a liquid? How about nicotine? Is that a drug?

BM, in my opinion, Harper opposes decriminalization for one reason and one reason only. He opposes change. That's what social conservatives do. If abortion were currently against the law, he'd want it kept illegal. If lesbians today couldn't marry, he'd want to keep denying them the right to marry. If alcohol today were illegal, he'd want it kept illegal. Social conservatives believe in traditional values even when those values clash with human rights or common sense.

It's not just Ontario. Martin leads Harper in the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and even now in Western Canada.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Norman, you forgot to mention that Harper also wants to institute capital punishment for marijuana-smokers. Caricaturing Harper's untenable position, which is to jail people for simple possession of less than 30 grams, does not make it any more credible or any more rational. Nor does it make it any less credible or rational. But for now, it does indeed look like Martin leads Harper in Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces and even Western Canada. Sorry CPC supporters.

Yes, certainly a dumb statement to make in Quebec these days. I note that both the BQ and CPC candidate attacked her for making this statement. I wonder if anyone actually addressed the issue that the statement is more-or-less true.

And CPC MP Nina Grewal can be the point-woman for her party. Sure she might not say anything profound or even say anything period, but hey, at least you can count on her, unlike Belinda, to stand by her man.

Thanks for the link. The margin did indeed drop from 15 to 9. This is because the Liberals dropped by an insignificant 2 points, from 41 to 39, and CPC gained an impressive 4 points, at the expense of both the NDP and Liberals. If you look at the past 4 days on the SES link, you'll see that BQ has been at 11% on each of those days. In the 2004 election, BQ was at 12.4% suggesting that the BQ will either lose a seat or two in Quebec or remain at the same level. SES polls in Quebec suggest that whenever CPC goes above single digits in Quebec, BQ drops below 50%. So any CPC supporter wanting to see the BQ snatch seats from the Liberals better pray for Harper to do even more poorly in his campaign than he has so far.

And this... this is just sad. What's sad? I specifically stated that they're equivalent in "some ways"? One way they're equivalent is that both positions are irrational and defy common sense. Another way they're equivalent is that a majority of Canadians disagree with Harper's stance just as they would certainly disagree with the stance of a Liberal supporter foolish enough to defend adscam.

Your sincerity, like that of Stephen Harper, is much appreciated and acknowledged. What makes Harper's opposition to decriminalization so irrational is that unlike his opposition to ssm or his opposition to including sexual orientation in hate crimes legislation, even his supporters can't drag up a bogus reason from either the Bible or a contemporary, evidence-based scientific source to explain it.

Err, I agree with most of that post but not the above statement. It implies that you need to be on marijuana to see through Stephen Harper. I can assure you that most Canadians are not regular users of marijuana yet most Canadians will vote against him by voting NDP, BQ, Liberal or Green. You don't have to be a marijuana user not to want your son, daughter, grandson, nephew or niece given a permanent criminal record and possibly jail time for possession of a few grams of marijuana. But that's what Stephen Harper wants. When marijuana was criminalized in the 20's in Canada and alcohol was decriminalized in the 20's, the decision was not evidence-based. Harper still buys the 1920's attitude. But now there's plenty of scientific and medical evidence which is why Conservative Senator Nolin's Special Committee recommends legalization. So does the conservative Fraser Institute: http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/06/09/canada/pot_fraser040609 And so do half the people of Canada: http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/publicop...canadalegal.cfm Yet Harper not only opposes legalization, he even opposes decriminalization which puts Harper completely out of the mainstream of Canadian opinion.

All central nervous system depressants reduce brain activity and distort judgment. This includes alcohol, tranquilizers, both prescription and nonprescription sleeping pills, and a long list of other legal substances. None of these substances, whether used in moderation or used in excess, result in a lifetime criminal record and a 5% chance of jail time for possessing less than 30 grams. But Stephen Harper thinks it's rational to jail people for possession of less than 30 grams. Perhaps he's using some pharmaceutical substance to arrive at this irrational conclusion or even worse, his brain, in a nonmedicated state, actually perceives this position as rational.

It's either a coincidence or perhaps merely a function of who you know. I know lawyers, structural engineers, one real estate developer, a university dean, a CEO of a software development company, a judge and physicians including a surgeon, who use it regularly. None appear to be morons although two of them voted for Stephen Harper in June, 2004. Neither will this time.

Latest trendlines.ca seat projections: Liberals 123 CPC 95 NDP 29 BQ 61 Seems about right given that Liberal support this month has varied, depending on who performed the poll, from 33% to 41% and CPC support in December has varied from 26% to 31%. At least for now, the highest December CPC number, 31, is still below the lowest Liberal number, 33.

It's not just Ontario. Martin leads Harper in the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and even now in Western Canada.