Moderate Centrist

SeveneightyExcellent question. I think Alliance should perhaps explain why this issue is such a concern. It does not appear in any of the mainstream press or on the public radar as a crisis issue that must be dealt with this minute. No doubt it is a serious offense but you seem to be calling attention to it beyond it's actual occurance or public interest. Please explain.

NAMBLA - Stands for North American Man Boy Love Association. If you do a search on Google or yahoo you should be able to find them. I know very little about them other than the name alone is repulsive. I am not aware of any official position the Gay community has taken toward them or if such a position exists. There doesn't seem to be much mention of them at all in the mainstream media that I could find. I have no idea how big they are or how much if any influence they have. Their very notions are so ridiculous I can't see how they'd ever make any political headway anywhere. If anyone else has more information perhaps they could follow up on this. Alliance, I was unable to find any comments from Svend Robinson that indicate he endorses this group. Here are some of his comments on Child pornography: http://action.web.ca/home/svend/en_issues....dfb6a30373f6a55

I believe it's largely an issue of free speech and I don't believe posts of this sort are taken seriously anyway. Many of us, myself included, do not use our real names on this site. This in itself diminishes the weight of our posts. I've been responding to Alliance's posts from time to time having disagreed with him on almost every issue. However I don't believe he is promoting hatred against Gays. If someone is offended they should respond directly and then take the matter up with Greg.

Alliance, I am not clear as to why you would post such a topic? There is no call to legalize Pedophilia and it doesn't seem to be a major political issue in Canada at this time. Perhaps it would be better if you explained why such a poll is required. I appreciate your concern but your remarks, as usual, come off as reactionary offering an extreme solution (death penalty) to a complex problem. I had a look at the NDP's website in their "Issues" section. Pedophilia is not mentioned in any of the material I've looked at. You can check it yourself here: http://action.web.ca/home/ndpnpd/en_issues...ca7b69b754ffe6b If I'm wrong I'll stand corrected. Perhaps you could provide some of your own research indicating their support for it?

This story was on the CBC Website today: Vancouver's safe-injection site a concern: UN Source: http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/03/02/world...injection040302 I think the whole concept is misguided and offensive. The government should tackle this problem by focusing resources on prevention first. Does anyone have any information on the success rates of these injection sites? By this I mean how many people (Numbers or %) do they break the habit? It looks like a situation that will breed long term dependency and divert resources from where they could be better spent.

It is your responsibility to site your sources for any claims you make. I believe I've stated this on numerous occasions . The burden always lays with the claimant so I don't believe my request is "lazy" or unreasonable. I was able to find the following: Source: http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/l12/l12chap2.shtmlCould not find info on number of sexual partners yet.

HugoCould we have a source on this please?

Don't have much to offer here except again to voice my oppostion to the death penalty. I understand your concern over the issue but the death penalty would do nothing here.

The existence of God can neither be proved nor disproved. For those who believe no proof is nessessary. For those who don't no proof is enough. Case closed.

Hello Elder, Thanks for the reply. I want people to know I do not oppose some form of regulation but for once I'd like to hear the politicians, parents, teachers and others point the finger at the public and say you are the problem. The enphasis should be put on the public first and then we should look at other options. I think one of the keys here is distribution of pornography. Another tactic is to tie big companies who profit from pornography to the actual material itself. Label the CEOs of some of these companies as promoters of pornography. I seem to remember the 5th Estate did a story on Bell Canada providing hard core pornography to it's viewers and taking enough heat that they pulled it.

Hello All, To try and ban porn would not work. I think we have to limit it's distribution. There is no doubt it degrades men and women but as I've said on another post on the music industry it is a problem in which the blame lies directly with the public. Perhaps someone could correct me if I'm wrong but the porn industry has not forced anyone to watch it. It is supplying a demand. The message has to be self control and a rejection of the celebrity lifestyle. My thoughts on porn - if you don't like it don't support it. You do this by not purchasing the material, not shopping at stores that sell it, pushing the government for stronger regulation of distribution and not taking part in it. This is the first step which never seems to be discussed.

MorganFor every source you provide saying violent crime is increasing I can produce one that says it isn't. I've already provided links to both Stats Can and Canadian Corrections which say crime isn't increasing. So who is right Stats Can or the Frasier Institute. They can't both be right? Why don't you email, write or visit Stats Can and tell them what they're doing wrong. That way I can have access to accurate statistics. Another point. The death penalty is punishment for murder and perhaps treason. If you killed every murder that went through the Canadian penal system the effect would not even be noticeable to the average Canadian because crime is so rare. If you want the death penalty to deter crime you must apply it to crimes that are common - domestic abuse, theft, fraud, assault and battery, drunk driving. Then it may lower the crime rate. Another point - I personally do not fear violent crime. I take what precautions I can and let fate do the rest. The chances of me getting murdered are slim to none. Another point - I am satisfied with the Canadian corrections system as it is now. I see no reason to change it. I guess I can't really contribute much more to this arguement. You'll never convince me and I'll never convince you.

MorganI don't understand the question. We currently have life in prison for prisoners with parole after 25 years. I see absolutely no reason to change the current system. If you're asking should we keep murders in jail for their entire lives - I really don't care. Murders make up such a small percentage of criminals that it doesn't bother me one way or the other. Like I said I don't live my life in fear of crime. I take the precautions I need and go about my business. Doesn't really worry me too much. This definetly should be taken seriously - no doubt. But who are these people? The article seemed to suggest it was gang type stuff. Compare these numbers to the actual population of Toronto and I think you can begin to get a little perspective. The article in the Sun still did not site the source of its' statistics unless I missed it or the Sun did the survey itself. We're at an impass here. You and others seem to see violent crime as a huge problem in Canada that is out of control. I don't. And there we are.

Hi Morgan, We don't have the death penalty now and have no reason to reinstate it. Abortion - murder. However if abortion was made illegal again, which is almost politically impossible, it would only lead to more deaths of women who would choose the illegal route. Mercy Killing - murder - stronger laws should be in place and clear ethical standards established. This is most important with respect to the disabled community who have the most to fear from Euthanasia laws. Capital Punishment - I oppose it for many reasons which I've stated again and again. One of the reasons is there is no useful purpose served by it. The other is I don't agree that the state should have the power to murder it's own citizens. MorganWell if I may be so bold it's insulting to me that our court sytem become clogged with death penalty appeals cases that can literally last for decades while the lawyers get rich. MorganThis statement can be disputed ad naseum and has been before. I am not aware of any credible evidence that the crime rate is escalating at an alarming rate. Personally I have little or no fear of becoming a victim of violent crime. Most people base their knowledge of crime on the newspapers which renders it pretty much useless as far as I'm concerned. I do not live out my life in constant paranoia of being a victim. Murders are not "getting away with it" as so many on this website would have us believe. Again, I don't care what the crime nor who the criminal - no death penalty. Brainiac, I've tried using stats from Canada Corrections in this arguement before. As I'm sure some of our other posters here will tell you - it's a left wing conspiracy, the statistics are wrong and we should rely solely on newspaper stories, paranoia and public hysteria to develop public policy.

Well I disagree with the rational of both Alliance and Neal. But you do have a point. If you want Capital punishment to really affect the crime rate then you have to apply it to as wide a variety of crimes as possible. Remember, if you're that concerned about crime there is an easy solution to lowering it: Get rid of civil rights and give the police unlimited power. Crime is going to be with us until the end of our days. Our goal is not it's elimination but it's surpression to acceptable levels.

Hello there, I'll state my opinion on this yet again... No capital punishment for any crime for any reason. I oppose if for several reasons such as: No deterent to crime... it can only be applied to crimes such as murder and treason which are extremely rare. So common crimes such as assault and break and enter do not enter into the picture. Taking of one life will not bring back another. Life in prison is punishment enough and justice enough ( this is my OPINION and should be read as such) I do not support the right of the state to murder its' own citizens. This is too much state power. Wrongful conviction - there are no real safeguards for this. Also remember in some of the high profile cases shabby police work, and sometimes corruption has been the cause for conviction. The Death Penalty should not be reinstated in Canada and if such an attempt is made I would do what little I could to oppose it.

I agree with the sentiments of both Neal and Alliance Fanatic. However the blame for the decline in pop culture lies squarely with the public. The people that run record companies probably don't even know half their artists. They're not in business because they love music - they're in business because the want to make money. Neal with regard to censorship. It's a tricky issue because who gets to decide? I am in favor of the following: First - self censorhip - or put another way self control. It is my personal responsibility to control what I read, hear and see. Second - Censorship of distribution - limiting acces to where offensive materials can be purchased, advertised and seen. An example would be putting shows with sexual content, nudity and excessive violence on after say 10 PM, limiting who certain products can be sold to. Covering up the titles of pornographic magazines. I think censorship of production is too difficult and not worth while in the long run. We should remember to place a lot of blame on parents as well. Like it or not it's their job (difficult as it may be) to censor what their children are exposed to and what is appropriate. Take movie theaters for example - movies are rated according to content. The problem is not so much sexually explicit movies as the complete lack of enforcement of age restrictions. I think people have to look in the mirror and say to themselves I'm part of the problem. The pornography, pop music business and television industries are big business bringing in billions of dollars a year. They are not going away and it's the fault of the public. And with regards to censorship I don't take to kindly to people telling me what I can and can't listen to. To those who would tell me I say get lost. However I completely understand someone telling me to keep my musical tastes to myself.

Thanks for the Nazi comparison. But seriously: CraigPerhaps you fully explain what my position on these issues is. I'd like to hear that. Please provide specific examples of my views on: Social liberalism Social Engineering Anti-Americanism Can you do that?

Hi Alliance, I have no doubt your concern is genuine on this matter and I sympathize. I merely state that people should look to themselves first before placing the blame on artists. What the rap artists are facing now is no different than the heavy metal genre back in the early 1980s. As some of you may remember Judas Priest was actually taken to court allegedly for trying to incite kids to commit suicide. There are literally hundreds of examples of this type of thing. In almost every case that I’m aware of no charges have been made to stick against the artists. I’ve provided a small list of bands in a previous post who’s lyrics either are or endorse violence. Would you suggest we ban the Beatles, Hendrix, AC/DC and Johnny Cash? Where does it stop? Perception plays a large part of things here. The Bible is full of violence and incitement to violence. It is also full of very good advice and calls to peace and brotherly love Should we ban it too? I’ve stated before that I’m a big music fan, especially rock n’ roll but I don’t base my life on these people. I enjoy their music but I would never want to live out an existence of drug/alcohol fueled mayhem as many of them do. The majority of people will never commit a violent act due to music. I’m not aware of any study which has consistently shown music/T.V./music causes violence or any study to which such findings have not been challenged. It is not only rap music that is targeted at kids – so is rock, punk, pop etc… etc… If you think rap is bad (again I think it sucks) and anti-social go out and pick up a copy of Never Mind the Bollocks by the Sex Pistols ( a must have for any serious music collector and also a breath of fresh air keeping in mind the evil of disco at the time). While you’re at it read up on the punk movement in the 1970s. The world didn’t end then and I doubt it will end now. I highly doubt Tupac and 50 Cent have the brains to hate anybody. More likely they do what the record companies tell them and hope to cash in while they can. As for Marx it shouldn’t be banned and neither should Mein Kamf as repulsive and poorly written as it is. We pay a price for living in a free society. That price is the promotion of ideas that we don’t always agree with. It is our responsibility to use self censorship to filter out what offends us. The public has the power to change pop culture. It’s the power of the dollar. If you don’t like it don’t buy it. If there is no money in it there’ll be less of it. AllianceI think some in today’s culture would attempt to defend such things as artist although I certainly don’t agree.

We’re running in circles here. I don’t like Coulter period but don’t really care if you do. The woman is nuts. I have every right to say this and will continue to do so. I’m not trying to convince someone else that she is, merely to provide some back-up for my position. Morgan, as far as I’m concerned the death penalty is not a deterrent to anything. Before you respond please remember I wouldn’t care if it was a deterrent – I’d still oppose it. I’m familiar with the John Walker case thanks. My position – no death penalty. I’m not defending Professor de Genova's comments, nor to I deny that universities tend to be haven’s for leftist thinking. This is due largely to the fact that young people are drawn to radical ideals, which the majority quickly loose when they hit the real world. Craig You seem to speak of media bias as if it’s a new phenomenon. It isn’t. There has been media bias since there has been media. It’s not going away. It exists to some degree in all forms of news. Deal with it. The key to it is to demand journalistic accountability and by encouraging the public to think for itself. The only think the news is truly good for is telling us what happened today and the day before. RighturnonredHer message doesn’t sting me because I don’t listen for one thing and for another there is no message – only yelling and hollering to get on T.V. and sell books. Coulter can offer me nothing. I hold some beliefs which are considered liberal and some beliefs which are considered conservative. There’s no need for me to prove anything. If you want to know what I think… ask me directly and I’ll tell you based on my opinion on each specific situation. Anyway, this isn’t getting us anywhere so that’s it for me for now.

CraigPlease explain how you determine what I do and/or do not hate as I've never used the word hate on any of the topics you mentioned. Are you psychic or something? While you're at it here's some more Coulter wisdom: source:http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=1625I took this quote from what you probably consider a left wing source. If you can prove it's false I'll remove it.

Morgan, I have nothing against the conservative viewpoint and consider myself to be moderately conservative for reasons I've explained on other posts. You seem to be interpreting my dislike of these clowns as a defense of the extreme left which it isn't. I seek out the best in both viewpoints. There are liers on both the left and right. There is good and bad in both the left and right. Left and Right cover an extremely large area of viewpoints. Any rational person knows you can't claim one side is all bad. If you claim the left is ALL BAD then please don't make statements like this: MorganI say this because to me the left is far from ALL GOOD - there are unquestionable faults there. It all comes down to perspective. To me Coulter is a nut but it's perfectly alright for you to like her. To me the CBC is an OK source for news. To say it's third rate is an opinion that you are free to hold. I'm aware of what free speech is. This professor's rant is certainly bizarre to say the least. I'll grant you the following: I'll concede that this is hate speech if you concede that Coulter's rant on killing and Christian conversion were hate speech. Do we have a deal?

I think it's largely fear mongering without good reason. What can the average person do about an unknown attack and an unknown method. Rather then wasting money on these terrorist alerts it would be wiser to chanel resources into anti-terrorist/disaster training for the people who'll be on the front line - police, firefighters, medical staff and national guardsmen. People should be aware of basic survival tactics but informed to listen to the authorities in times of crisis. Some critics have argued that the constant raising and lowering of security threats may actually cause people not to take them seriously. There are also many who have been and are continuing to ask how much money will the war on terror cost and if the US can afford it in the long run.

Hello Alliance, Well I certainly don't encourage harassing police officers. My point is that pop culture has invaded people's lives to an excessive extent. AllianceNo, actually I have not forgotten this and you are 100% right on this. In these cases where there have been school shootings there have been warning signs in advance such as the students were loners, harassed and bullied by other students, had made threats and had easy access to guns. My point was the media tends to focus on the pop culture link which is frivilous at best. "Artistic Expression" is a loaded term. I for one do not consider many of todays' so-called artists as actual artists. All people do not hate cops. Hate is a pretty strong word. Certainly some do but the majority of people don't. I'm not familiar with the term Po Po or the 5 0 but "Pig" has been around since the 1960s, long before rap music. I'm not saying music doesn't influence people. I'm saying I expect our religious, political, education and parental leaders to encourage people to use their heads and think for themselves. As we both know millions of people listen to music but only a minute few will turn to anti-social behavior because of it. Even with those few there has been little credible evidence to suggest music causes violence. You are attacking Rap music because that's the main target today. As you may or may not be aware this will change as some new musical form or an old comes to the forefront. In the 1950s Elvis was attacked 1960s the Beatles 1970s Black Sabbath and the Sex Pistols 1980s saw AC/DC and Judas Priest under the scrutiny of various organizations 1990s saw Marylin Manson and today we have the rap culture. This is not new. In all of that time very little of value has been gained in bettering society by attacking pop culture. I appreciate and understand your concerns I merely state that we should remember: The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves.

First... I think rap is crap. Second this topic is completely unoriginal and third pop culture is the most trivial of subject matters. Alliance your post can be found almost word for word in thousands of newspapers, speech excerpts and interviews given since the mid 1950s. It is no more insightful or thought provoking now than it was then. Music (and pop culture) is not so much the issue as people's obsession with it. This is is the real problem. Politicians, parents, teachers and religious leaders always try to blame pop culture for everything instead of putting the blame on individuals and themselves first which is where it belongs. Violent/vulgar lyrics are primarily good business... They help not just music stars but politicians as well. Vulgarity (which in our society equates with creativity) and sensationalism sells. Music stars(mostly the ones that suck musically) use controversy to sell records and make millions. Newspapers and T.V. have something to talk about and get ratings/sales and finally politicians have the chance to speak out against the decline of morality making themselves look good. Comments like yours are the real problem. Our whole society is consumed with the trivial and obsessed with pop culture. Some kid shoots up a school and instead of putting the blame where it belongs - on the kid that did it, on the parents who raised him, on the school that had lax security, people scream bloody murder about Marilyn Manson. Responsibility - personal responsibility and responsibility to the larger society is a message I'd like to hear rather than blaming societies problems on T.V. and music. As far as rap music goes... sure there are violent lyrics. So what? How is this any different than any other form of music. I'm not going to take up space here but rather point out if you want to hear violent lyrics or lyrics which promote violence look no farther than the following: Johnny Cash - Dehlia's Gone Niel Young - Down By the River The Beatles - Run For Your Life Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe AC/DC - Problem Child, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap I could go on and on and on but I think you get the idea. To all those who suggest music is causing violence I ask the following: Explain the Boer War, WW1, the Russian Civil war after the revolution, Stalin's purges, the genocide in the Ukraine, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam, the gang violence that took place during the Roaring twenties and the social unrest that happened in the 1960s and on and on and on. Please explain how music and pop culture contributed to these events, which if I'm not mistaken were exceedingly violent. Societal problems stem from many things some of which include a lack of personal responsibility, poor upbringing, broken families, alchololism, domestic abuse, poverty, economic and employment upheavals, lack of education and so on. It is much easier to blame Music and pop culture rather than tackle these problems directly which can't be done in four year terms. I have a very simple solution - if something offends you don't read it, don't listen to it and don't watch it. We rarely ever hear this being proposed. As for your suggestion on the decline of respect for the police - it has gone up and down since the modern police force was formed and will continue to do so. I didn't care much for the police when I was in high school and neither did most of the people I knew. This is a fact of being a kid. You have to accept the fact that many people don't like the police - some for simple adolescent anti-authoritarian reasons, a minority because they're involved in criminal activity and some because police conduct in the past has cast doubts on their credibility. And no I don't think rap artists are trying to incite assassinations on police. I think they're trying to make money and maybe make an "artistic statement" in their mind.