Wilber

Tell that to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But then, they aren't big on the Bible so I don't imagine they would be impressed with that approach.

How many times have politicians tried to stifle opposition to policies by claiming 'we are at war so you cannot question my decisions'. War is a term that should not be used unless there really is an immediated threat to our society. Then what do you call it when organized groups are trying to kill each other for political, idealogical or religious reasons. When those people are prepared to give their lives for a cause. They are not mere criminals. Criminals do it for profit. They have no intention of dieing to accomplish their ends. I don't dispute that politicians sometimes use the word War to further their ends but that doesn't mean there is no war.

I never said that gov't should ignore terrorism. I simply stated that terrorism is one problem amoung many and that it a mistake for gov't to focus too much this particular problem. That is one of the reasons why calling it a 'war on terror' is a big mistake - it makes people think the problem is more important than anything else. A war does not have to be more important than anything else to still be a war. There have been plenty of wars in history that have not been the most important thing going on to countries that were involved. They were still wars just the same.

Indeed. Using the same tactics in controlling the masses should also be frowned upon. You have to be joking if you actually believe that this is somehow a plot between Harper and all other agencies involved. This has been going on for two years, it started with the liberals, so how on earth could Harper have engineered it all. Talk about tinfoil hat time. I have no idea what you're talking about. You've obviously misunderstood something completely. The tactics I'm talking about are wholly perpetrated by the Conservative party. No need for "other agencies". And it's something that's begun just since the election. Must of missed something. Where did the "No need for " other agencies"" come from? Every new government tries to distance itself from the previous government. They generally get elected because people are fed up with the old bunch. Most desirable when the previous government has been disgraced by a massive abuse of public trust. The Conservatives didn't invent the use of propaganda in Canadian politics and not every politician who has ever used propaganda to further their agenda got the idea from Mein Kampf. Very few in my opinion.

How is it a bad example. Terrorists took 1300 people hostage in a school and wired it with explosives. They killed 20 hostages on the first day and dumped them out of the building. The Russian may have botched the rescue but that is neither here nor there and does not justify the act. Blaming the victims again. Terrorists are only low on your list of fears because you or someone close to you has never been a subject of one of their attacks. You fear only what you see as an immediate threat to yourself and kiss off the rest of the world accordingly.

though if you read on, there is reference to 'non-war' wars.What the US should have done was 'declare war' on Afghanistan. They were, after all, at odds with the gov't, and most everyone thoguh the invasion to defeat the Taliban was justified. Then they could have said, "Hand over the insurgents, or the carpet bombing continues." Further, 'insurgent attacks' and spying become hanging offences, legitimately. So because Al Qaeda doesn't have a national government it can't be at war with us even though it has said it is and has acted accordingly. The Korean War and the Vietnam War never happened because war was never declared. Now I got it. Semantics my friends or is it because by not declaring a war we can deny that one exits regardless of what is going on around us. Geez, tell that to the people of Northern Ireland, Isreal, Iraq, Madrid, Bali, London, New York etc etc as you sit there complacent and comfortable. Tell that to the parents of the 186 school children who were massacred by terrorists in Breslan.

That is an opinion - not a fact. There is a terrorism problem and it cannot be ignored, however, it does not come close to anything that I would call a war. I would call killing people in an organizied fashion with the intent to impose your will over them a war. How do you define a war?

Not at all. It supplies a quote from Hitler about propaganda through repetition. That's not associating Stephen Harper with Hitler, that's providing context for political propaganda the Conservatives are currently employing. "new government" = propaganda. Surely you don't disagree. And in your world "propaganda" = Hitler. Surely you don't disagree.

I don't see the article associating Harper with Hitler. That's ridiculous. You must be joking.

We are at war against terrorism. Terrorism of all kinds, not just Islamic terrorists. We always have been. We have no choice. What is the matter with saying so? By definition, terrorists seek to attain their objectives through the use of terror. We cannot allow that to happen. The only thing to debate is how that war is prosecuted.

I think Hitler made some good points regarding political propaganda. What I find reprehensible is the left continually associating Hitler with Harper or any other politician (right or left) in a democratic system.

Gerry. Your link is not news, it is a site with an extreme bias. Quoting Hitler for gods sake. Something better please.

The cops may think so to but thinking isn't knowing.

No they can't. The courts are for trials, not the media. The courts take a very dim view of the police doing it otherwise. CSIS doesn't give details to the public. They are supposed to be spooks not cops. If these alleged acts can be shown to have happened, only a complete idiot would say we have nothing to fear and we had all better hope our government is doing everything it can to protect us.

Buying 3 tons of fertilizer in the spring would not be uncommon for a large farm. I wonder at those who maintain our involvement in Afghanistan is what could have put this bunch over the top. So what. Nothing remotely justifies our citizens and immigrants plotting terrorist acts against their own country. Does Canada crawl into a hole and not involve itself in anything outside its borders out of fear that our own citizens will try and kill us and destroy our institutions? The thought that this nation could become so spineless frightens me a lot more than any terrorist.

There have been a couple in Japan since then that have killed a few people. Great link though. Green Peace has become a fair sized corporation on its own and it gives a good insight into how they operate.

If CUPE's opinion on the Middle East is simple minded for supporting the Palestinians and condeming Israel for their actions then isn't your own opinion for supporting Israel and condeming Palestinian for their action just as simple minded? You and Warwick as private citizens are entitled to any opinion you choose. CUPE is a labour union that represents many people in labour matters. These people have many different opinions on non labour issues and CUPE should not picking and choosing which of those opinions it represents. The only way it can represent all its members is not to get involved in these issues. Why would an organization that needs solidarity among its members to function, seek to divide them by getting involved in matters that have nothing to do with labour relations? Presuming to do so is just plain old arrogance.

Another good case for mandatory minimums for certain crimes. Judges are always telling us that they have to do certain things because of sentencing guidelines from Parliament. A mandatory minimum is exactly that, a sentencing guideline from Parliament, so they should have no problem following it.

"Cote cited the father of four's young age and lack of criminal record - other than the sexual assault of another child when he was 17 - in the ruling." Say what! "lack of criminal record", Of course you have to disregard the fact that this is the second time he has done this. They talk like the first offense was a mere parking ticket. "There was no violence, such as gagging, threatening or hitting the child," What do these twits think "sexual assault" is. "Gagging, threatening, hitting", This is not an adult but a defenseless two year old for cripes sake. Even worse.

In most collective agreements payment of union dues is mandatory whether you support the union or not. If I'm Jewish and am represented by CUPE can I withold my dues in protest to their boycott against Israel? No, I can't. Some democracy. Quite right. I imagine there is a large number of Jews who are forced to be CUPE members because of where they work. Many probably have friends and relatives in Israel. How are they supposed to feel about a union that is supposed to be theirs as much as any other member. Unions themselves may operate in a democratic manner but having to belong to one and pay it a percentage of your wages to be employed at a particular company, is definitely not democratic. In my experience with union shops, even if you decline to join the union you are still required to pay dues on the premise that you benefit from anything the union achieves. That is why unions should not involve themselves in political or social matters that are not directly related to representing their members.

What business does a Canadian Labour Union have sticking its face into politics on the other side of the world? How does that represent them with their employer? I don't think a person should be chained to a group pushing a particular agenda just because they have to work for a living.

Unions should stick to representing their members interests when dealing with employers. They are supposed to represent the interests of all their members, not just the majority. That is not possible as soon as they get involved in political or social issues. Union members pay dues to be represented and most cannot opt out as long as they are employed at a union company. There is no way they should be forced to pay for a political agenda they may not agree with. That is like being forced to donate to a political party that someone else chooses.

You must be joking. Do you know anything at all about the Holocaust? You don't seem to know how to spell it. CUPE is just another bunch of morons who think that telling you what to do somehow makes people more free. Fine if you're a sheep. This is supposed to be a free country and I'll damn well decide for myself who I will boycott. No government or union is going to do it for me. Telling me I have to boycott something is enough to have me make a point of buying their products even if I had never intended to before.

Good choice. The first step on a road to the first parliamentary democracy

Unfortunately a governments means is the citizens means. A government only has to live within the citizens ability to pay.