betsy

like how? Cheek-pinching and gush with "pooochie-poochie this cute little boy/girl?" Take them to the fair? Baloney! The sad reality is that whether you want to accept it or not, these kids are psychos! They're no longer the children they used to be. Yes they've been brainwashed and re-programmed without their full understanding....but nevertheless, that's the sad truth! They need psychological help.....which I may be willing to concede, depending on the age of the child. BUT they still pose a risk to society, and for that reason I'd like to see them in prison while they get that help until they are deemed no longer a risk.

Why is it a bullshit question? It's very possible. And it's not "my" world. It's reality! Can't you see that? Khadr could've very well got himself strapped with bombs instead of carrying a simple gun! You sir, are the one who's not in the real world, it seems. An unpleasant situation as well for the victims of these child soldiers! And a much more unpleasant situation for civilians who are INTENTIONALLY and DELIBERATELY killed or maimed by child soldiers. The child-soldier should be treated FAIRLY. In the brutal reality of war-time, compassion and leniency must be hard to come by. I have not experienced war, and I have not experienced combat nor any life-or-death struggles. Survival is the key. You and I will never know how we'll react if ever we're faced with this kind of situation. Let the court (whether it be civil or military), decide and pass judgement!

I bet he's learned his lesson. Just imagine how he felt knowing it was him who caused that distraction from Harper's campaign. If I'm Harper I'd get everyone on my team, from the bottom of the rung all the way to the top....to attend a workshop to prevent these gaffes.

Mind you, who knows what Dion is up to. Do you think it is possible that as interim leader, he brings down the government on the first budget? He is the leader to run again in that election....so he'll get his second run.

Your perception could be biased, don't you think so? I must say, you should feel relieved that the party who had made some wrong decisions and thus found itself sinking in quicksand is not at the helm at this uncertain time. If you are not following the news, check out the video on the topic "Civil War!"

I must say that Mike Duffy Live has a lot of scoops lately about the beleaguered Liberal Party. Yesterday, Ray Heard, former director of communications for John Turner said some tough words during an interview with MDuffy. MDuffy himself was visibly taken aback about the viciousness of Mr Heard's comments regarding Dion. You have to see this video. John Turner’s former director of communications on Dion’s resignation. Ray Heard says Stephane Dion whined his way through his resignation speech today and is wrong to hold on to the Liberal Party leadership until the party convention. http://watch.ctv.ca/news/mike-duffy-live/m...-20/#clip104456 It also came to light that there is bickering about who was going to be the interim leader. Goodale and McCallum were said to be contenders, however both cannot be seen as neutral (which is one of the rules to being an interim leader), since they supported Ignatieff and Rae. It was speculated that that is one of the reasons why Dion opted to stay on as the interim leader. Today, on Mike Duffy (again), his guests were three Liberals: Stephen Ledrew, David Orchard and John McCallum. Holy smoke! Talk about laundering your linen in public. Ledrew and Orchard were heatedly arguing about Dion (Orchard is a supporter of Stephane). The argument got so heated that Orchard removed his ear piece and kept on talking, Ledrew couldn't butt in. McCallum tried to get both sides to cool down. But it's out in the open now. If that party was divided then, boy....it's an all out civil war now! The video for this segment isn't up yet....maybe tomorrow.

Depends on how much you value yourself. Personally, I would think that at least with you being alive, you could spread much more of your positive and compassionate nature to others. Just think of all other lives you'll touch...the sufferings you'd ease. Although bleeding hearts are highly valued by terrorists in their quest for victory, I'm sure that other areas that has nothing to do with massacre-ing innocents would also embrace you warmly. Alive, you have much more to offer. True that we have this clash of values....but from my point of view, you are the lesser evil.

Maybe the news stream I saw was old.

But I can't help but wonder if it cost so much to run in the race....why are they so eager to do it? It must be lucrative I guess....I'm being cynical but I can't help it. Not after seeing those past corruptions.

Apparently Dion still has some debts from that leadership race. There is speculation that he might try to get that paid for in exchange for stepping down.

Yes. Some MPs like Leblanc came on Question Period today and rebuked those MPs who wrote anonymous letters telling Dion to step down. He said he supports Dion in his decision. And if I'm not mistaken, McCallum said that too. Justin Trudeau says Dion should be let to decide without any pressure. Volpe is the first one to go public urging Dion to resign. Well....looks like war is now in full rage inside that party.

Yes I think it was on MDuffy. And today I saw from the streaming news that senior Liberal MP is asking Dion to give a signal as to his intention tomorrow. So it seems that they are not exactly sure what to expect from Dion tomorrow.

Uhm....he's dead and you're not?

Do you mean anyone under 16 can legally get a gun?

Thanks for that.

Thank you for the cite. Well I don't see the "contradiction" you're talking about. What I gather is the confirmation of what Harper was saying: it is an uncertain time. Bank economists predict: 'worse than a recession' Updated Mon. Oct. 6 2008 9:47 PM ET The Canadian Press TORONTO -- Economists from Canada's Big Five banks expect little or no growth in the near future, warning Monday that the domestic economy's current gloom will deepen into something worse than a recession. "I still think the fundamentals on the Canadian currency -- those that initially drove it through parity and kept it quite strong by recent history-- are largely intact," he said, pointing out that Canada's trade numbers still look favourable compared to many other developed countries. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...1006?hub=Canada Two days after that, the IMF report came out: IMF sees Canada leading developed world Oct 08, 2008 03:06 PM In a separate report today, Canada's biggest bank echoed the IMF forecast, saying that financial market turmoil and disappointing economic trends over the last two quarters will produce Canadian growth of less than one per cent this year. However, the Royal Bank of Canada forecasts the economy will expand by a moderate 1.5 per cent in 2009, slightly more than the IMF prediction, mainly because of strong domestic income growth that has accompanied rising commodity prices in the last year. "The continued weakness in the U.S. economy is expected to dampen growth in Canada," said Craig Wright, senior vice-president and chief economist at the Royal. "However, this pressure on our growth will be tempered by strong commodity prices which are contributing to robust export revenues and providing support to Canadian domestic spending via a boost to incomes."http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/513968 Both are indicating that it is indeed a volatile situation. Who knows what could happen down the road. Both are saying we're going to have less growth. We're not losing. Not yet anyway at the time it was reported. To have less growth is still better than losing. That's why it was irresponsible to cause panic. Panic only makes it much worse. I think, imho, it was the reaction of all leaders to the situation that clearly pointed out who is the best PM to lead us in this situation. I honestly think this played a significant role why some newspapers had openly endorsed Harper in the end.

Here is an excerpt from an article by the former president of the Liberal Party. Stephen LeDrew: Liberals need a near-death experience for the good of their health Posted: September 24, 2008, 8:01 AM by Kelly McParland The immediate causes of the Liberals’ campaign trouble are myriad: a leader who doesn’t resonate with the public; a platform that is, depending on whom you talk to, either incomprehensible, or just plain dumb; a team that seems to have all its oars pulling on the same side of the boat -- the list goes on. And as anyone who has been involved in campaigns can attest, once a campaign gets bogged down, troubles that would normally be overlooked metastasize into a deadly condition. One hopes that in defeat, the Liberals will realize that they must do more than paint Stephen Harper as a Bush clone. They must do more than chant that the Conservatives will steer Canada inalterably toward its demise. The Tories are following a small-l liberal agenda because they know that the majority of Canadians will not vote for a right-wing platform. Conservative commentators like Theo Caldwell have all but admitted in these pages that the Conservatives have taken the guts of the Liberal party for their own. To regain their relevance, Liberals will have to think beyond their traditional tenets, created in the 1950s and ’60s. These have served Canadians well, but have by now either been fulfilled or passed by. Liberals must decide what it means to be a Liberal in the 21st century, what needs to be achieved in the new financial, industrial and communications fields and what needs to be done to allow citizens to flourish in this new society. After that awesome task is finished, the Liberal party must figure out how to get those ideas across to Canadians and give them a reason to vote Liberal. Let’s face it: When you ask people in the party why anyone should vote Liberal this time around, you usually get an answer that is neither inspiring nor plausible. It’s the same shopworn “values” stuff that the Liberals tried to sell last time, only to receive their comeuppance. The Liberal party must create a new ethos and convert it into an understandable mantra. The party’s very survival depends on it. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/f...eir-health.aspx

Sad, but true. Dion is only part of the problem.

According to a guest of MDuffy (a woman who wrote his book - can't remember her name, sorry), Dion received that memo in April, 2008. If I'm not mistaken an expose' will come out soon on the National Post (?). Of course Dion was not the only one pushing for the Green Shift during the election. They all were! They had to. Did they have any other choice? On one hand they have a stubborn leader who clearly refused to see reality and on the other hand, they were trying their darndest to give the impression of being united! It's a damn-if-they-do and damn-if-they-don't situation. What a predicament it must've been to be in.

Any politician running for PRIME MINISTER who says the sky is falling right in the middle of a world financial crisis - a crisis that has not gripped us yet - not only doesn't sound too bright to me, but he only hurt us more by causing unnecessary panic! People and investors scramble to take their money out! One of the roles of a nation's leader is to prevent such panic.

It's a title the party carried in the 20th century and the first half-decade of the 21st. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/liberals/

I have not heard that. Can you give a cite?

No, a leader doesn't have to follow every advice thrown his way. But, and this is a big but, a big part of being a good leader is having the ability to DISCERN. Knowing when to back down and follow sound advice. As you stated, "He wanted the environment to be at the centre of his platform....," The senior advisers of the party advised him. The polls were showing the Liberal Party was going straight to its demise! The media were all sounding off that his Carbon Tax was not getting anywhere! The pundits were all agreeing about the same thing! His own MPs were grumbling about it! What do you think could be the reason why he stubbornly dug his heels in? It's because the Green Shift was his brainchild. And because he wanted the environment to be the center of his platform. Therefore, he placed his wants ahead of what's good for the party.

Natural governing party The Liberal party is sometimes called Canada's natural governing party. It's a title the party carried in the 20th century and the first half-decade of the 21st. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/liberals/

That's one thing I'm miffed about Harper. Why didn't he take MORE CREDIT for it? If it had been the Liberals, Dion would've said: "dats da best ting dat did not 'appen by da Liberal." (or something equally meaningless or incoherent) Seriously, the Liberals, to their credit, would've been crowing endlessly. That's the strength of the Liberal Party: its MARKETING ABILITY - not its governing ability!