killjoy

Bingo. Wilber's a wise one. You put that better than I could. Thank you. .

yyyyep. You can scream it till you're blue in the face. Doesn't matter. They read the paper. They know what's happening there. .

K. Fine. Lets pull out. Lets go home. Right now. The sooner the better. All will be perfect afterwards and we'll never hear from the Taliban or their poppies or al Qaeda again. The Afghans will be happy. The Pakistanis will be happy. Canadians will be happy. The all-time, all-purpose Canadian solution to every problem: quit and stick your head in the sand. Sounds good to me. "Let's roll". gerry your propaganda machine has finally convinced me. While we're at it lets get those Liberal back in office so we can finally dismantle our pointless military once and for all. I'll take a nice cushy civy government job somewhere - I could use the sleep and free office supplies. .

I don't need a rebuttal at all - you've already proved my point more solidly and with more eloquence than I probably ever could. You entire post previous to this one is entirely about Americans and why we should or shouldn’t do something like them. It’s hilarious really to watch you sit there and deny exactly what you’re doing. I say again: This would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. I never said anything close "wanting our military spending to be similar to the Americans", but your Canadian preoccupation and knee-jerk fear with all things American deceived you into thinking I did for some reason and completely steered you off course. Thank you for proving my point for me. You're living, walking, yakking proof of exactly what i'm talking about. .

Whatever Remiel. This is what heappens when you know you're right: You don't give a ratz arse if people laugh at you. I know full well you know exactly what I mean and you transparently and weakly avoid addressing it.. Your examination of Canadian health care purposely misses the point and is entirely irrelevant.. At every juncture, when we decide what we want to do, we look down to the US to make sure we're not doing anything too close to what they're doing. How does this stunt our growth? How? What an incredibly stupid question. Well for example we destroyed our armed forces because we "didn't want to be like America'. How freakin stupid is that? Does this mean that every nation in the world with an armed force capable of defending it's nation is emulating the US? Of course not. So what's our problem? Stunting growth? Well we had the worlds 4th largest standing army and now we have none. That's called a stunt in your freakin growth dummy. You know this and play dumb. We NEED to fix our health care system before it crumbles into nothing. We don't have to make it anything at all like the US's system, but our knee-jerk fear of touching it because "it might start to look American" is ludicrous. I suppose we can just keep our heads in the sand until the health care walls of Jeriko fall and we're all screwed. That’s called stunting our growth. How's about every freakin Liberal attempt to portray the PC or conservative party as "American-like"? They do this because it freakin works. Canadians would rather have a government that steals day and night from them simply because someone teased them into thinking the PC or Conservatives are "American-like". It's pathetic and a stunt in our growth The fact of the matter is you're being 100% dishonest here. You know full well I'm right or you'd be too stupid to type in the first place. This would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. I never said anything close "wanting our military spending to be simular to the Americans", but your Canadian preoccupation and knee-jerk fear with all things American decieved you into thinking I did for some reason and completely steered you off course. Thank you for proving my point for me. Next time try arguing what I'm saying instead of what you wish I was saying. .

All of a sudden it's time to start paying credence to Right wing Republican Senators from the States! .

Unless they're Liberal. I'm sure the 30+ anti-Harper threads you've created has nothing to do with it. .

Obviously you're too emotional to discuss this calmly. You purposely ignore the R E A L I T Y of what I'm saying and try and play shell games with what I said. You dally with your personal tv watching habits and you know just how weak that sounds. Your personal tv watching habits are irrelevant in terms of the character of this nation that I am addressing.. I say again: We don't want to change our immigration because we don't wanna be "like Americans". We don't want to touch or even fix our health care because of our knee-jerk fear of "turning into Americans". We destroyed our armed forces because we "don't want to be like Americans". We live this day-dream of 'peacekeeping' because we don't wanna be like Americans.... Heck we even model our advertising campaigns (Canadian brand beer?) based solely on "not being American" ...apparently "not being American" is more important than buying decient beer. ... our fear irrational fear of "turning American" is a damaging knee-jerk reaction that both plauges this country and stunts our growth, and anyone with an honest bone in their body or who has been in this country for 10+ years and isn't in a coma knows I'm right. .

Jeziz, the guy bleeds maple-f##kin'-syrup! <S> .

Bingo. If the "blue men" - (whatever the hell that is) came from Portugal we wouldn't be reading about it in the paper. .

That would not explain our obsession witht their gun laws, their movie stars, all the dirty little gossip about their congress people, their lifestyle and every little thing they do around the planet and how we feel compelled to expalin to ourselves at every juncture why we're so different than them. Canadians are obsessed with Americans and you don't have to be Canadian to see it. really no point trying to explain what I'm talking about to you since emotion has obviously blinded you to something I feel certain you could see or admit if the idea was presented to you in a more paletable form. They certainly do suffer from the same obsession. I'm sorry but you're only highlighting my point with your contention that these issues and stories of the day are somehow universal and yet they aren't. The UK are American-centric and you miss the greater picture completely. This is why we don't hear about "Evil French Imperialism". because we don't care. It's not something Americans care about and if we paid attention to it we wouldn't have our chance to bash them because they have nothing to do with it. Really it's quite pointless to contend we don't suffer from this obsession considering how many famous Candians have pointed it out. We have about a dozen non-local Canadian TV channels that struggle to stay afloat and yet for 50 years we've been obsessing over their HBO's, over their Nixons and Clintons and Vietnams and their real-life crime dramas. It shows in our every attempt to draw the US into every debate of the day that is ours and has nothing to do with them: We don't want to change our immigration because we don't wanna be "like Americans". We don't want to touch or even fix our health care because of our knee-jerk fear of "turning into Americans". We destroyed our armed forces because we "don't want to be like Americans". We live this day-dream of 'peacekeeping' because we don't wanna be like Americans.... Heck we even model our advertising campaigns (Canadian brand beer?) based solely on "not being American" ...apparently "not being American" is more important than buying decient beer. I'm sorry but I believe it's patently obvious and if you weren't on the defensive you'd be able to admit it. It's all an illusionary projection that we decieve ourselves with and if we ever got over it we could start to really get this country moving. First we looked up to England. Now we obsess with the US. .

Why is it every time someone says something you don't agree with you accuse them of being something other than Canadian Gerry? I mean isn't that a lot like saying if you don't support Afghanistan you don't support the troops? Gerry I’m Canadian, and frankly if you can't see how obsessed with the US Canadians are then really I have to wonder either about your age, heritage or honesty. Why don't we talk about Darfur? Because Americans aren't talking about it. How come we're not talking about Yugoslavia? Because americans aren't talking about it. Gerry I'm 200% more Canadian than you'll ever be, but maybe since I'm not an arrogant Toronto know-nothing know-it-all I don't qualify in your estimation. Too bad. I'm more Canuk than you're ever going to be. "Any intelligent person" could see right away that if I know about “Talking to Americans” then I’m Canadian, it’s not like that show is on cable or something. You should really try to think more before speaking. .

Um, so your answer is to just spam instead? Hold your hands over your ears and ignore what anyone has to say. What's the point in reposting something which generated responses you couldn't handle the first time? Don't pretend I'm the only one. You blow a gasket anytime someone dares to disagree with you. That's not intellectual debating. That's intellectual masterbating. .

The only one who has to get a grip on his ego is you, Mr. "any-intelligent-person-can-see-what-I-see". The only one with the 'shrill outrage' is you. I am commenting on the topic every bit as much as your response to Army Guy was on topic. The arragance of you questioning if someone is Canadain simply because he doesn't see things the way you do is also worth comment and would be hilarious if it weren't so arrogant and childish. You're not from Toronto are you? Sure sure. Keep telling yourself that. .

If you can't handle responses to your posts then don't make 'em. Must really burn you up that you can't PM me with insults and temper tantrums, huh? I'm not picking on you gerry, it's just that everything you say is so stupid. .

Hilarious. "most intelligent people"....who do you think you're kidding? Frankly gerry most intelligent people aren't as quick as you are to claim they're so "obviously correct". Most intelligent people don't obsess like you do. Most intelligent people don't jump to conclusions and stay there like you do. Most intelligent people don't need to "translate" a simple sentance and obvious truism into something it's not. Harper never said anything close to that and your feeble "translation" of what he said is precisely what you accuse others of: Being purposely contrary and purposely twisting his words to suit your 10-thread-a-week anti-Harper obsession. You guys are so transparent and weak in your desperate attempts to characterize him as Bush it's truly pathetic. No he's not. Must really burn you that you can't Private Message insults about my mother, my dog, etc etc when you lose your temper, huh? No one's "baiting" you cry-baby. If you can't handle responses to your posts then don't make 'em. .

Translating again are we? Sorry, but what I said was true. It was a silly attempt to draw a comparrison between Bush and Harper by using something Bush did say and trying to connect it to something Harper never said. .

I hate to say it but I have to call it like I see it: America1 is right (sorta), Canadians pay WAYYYYY to much attention to the US in making direct comparisons to themselves. It is said that America looks out to the world and wants to see themselves looking back. That is to say that they wish to see the world more like America. If there is any truth to this then Canadians look out to the rest of the world through America. We're not interested in anything international unless it is somehow connected to America, and even then it's always in relation to America. Personally I don't care if Americans love their handguns or if Americans want/don't want gay marriage, if they think pot is as bad as cocaine (and love it almost as much), if they have a democrat in office or a republican (contrary to popular insistence there is no viable connection between the conservatives and the Republicans or the Liberals and the Democrats), or whatever the f##k a drunk like Ann Coutier said today. Canadians will insist until their dying breath that there is no similarity between Americans and themselves.....unless of course that meant turning off the Simpsons forever. “Talking to Americans”, is a prime example of our “love-to-bash-them” obsession. The ironic thing about that show is it doesn’t make Americans look dumb, it makes us look like childish idiots. .

But what would that have to do with "You're either with us or against us" in relation to the context of that quote. No closer to the truth it was a shallow attempt to draw a comparison between something Harper didn't say and something Bush did say. But then again accuracy, truth or fair comparisons aren't what guys like you are about. You spin propaganda while accusing others and you're not even smart enough to recognize it. .

Oh shut up gerry. You spit out a 'despicable accusation' every time you open your mouth. And Army Guy said a lot more too. Again gerry you seem to think just because you say so that makes it so. It doesn't. Also you're the last person who should be yakking about 'twisting words'. Army Guy is right and so am I. Despicable or not it's true: Canadian opinion follows what the news papers tell them to think and little more. His characterization of 'rage-against-the-machine' types and those Canadians afraid of patriotism because it's "too American" is right on the money. Any truthful Canadian will admit it. Are you Canadian? Because it doesn't sound like you have a clue about them. Rather than thinking for themselves, going with the flow of popular opinion is EXACTLY what they're doing. You can see the ignorance every day: "The USA created the Taliban" , "What does Pakistan have to do with it?", "We're just there to bomb innocent people", or "We're only there for oil" and my favorite, "Afghanistan could never be stable because it's never been before" None of you seem to really even think about the utter garbage and obvious mistruths you so eagerly absorb. .

Actually a lot of people said it, and frankly it doesn't matter if Hitler said it all that matters is whether or not it's true. It is. Wasn't too long ago that approx. 70% of Canadian farmers opposed time zone format because the "extra hour" of sunlight was going to burn their crops. .

How is "The elder son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi" considered a moderate muslim? He's just another wacko mouth piece who gets world wide attention. Has anyone considered that, like the 'silent majority', moderate muslims are never heard simply because their views don't sell papers? Coming form Alberta to Afghanistan I've met more muslims in the past 5 years than I ever knew. Trust me: there is a silent majority and they don't call it a 'silent majority' because they're actually silent. They call them silent because nothing they have to say is 'radical' enough to get printed. Ever notice how it's only ever the freaks that make the front page? Bottom line is that with more than a billion muslims in the world and much less than 0.0001% fighting as terrorists or insurgents or spouting off hate to the media it's easily seen that there most certainly is a 'silent majority' who are quite moderate, even compared to Gaddfi ( ). If you consider that the percentage of murderers or psychopaths in our society is far greater than that... .

I hear ya. I have a corner store I go to all the time. It's run by a guy who fled Sri Lanka. I've talked with him. He's no 'terrorist'. He simply wants to raise his kids in a safe place and he confesses that at first his plan was to eventually go back home but that he'd made so many friends here and his children have grown here that he figures he's Canadian now and that's how he wants it to stay. Even so he sends money to family back home. Now if by happenstance one of his relatives friends or friends of a friend happened to be a member of Tamil Tigers, well did I just "fund terrorism" when I bought my milk there? Am I ‘associated’ with them? If I was brown instead of lily white could I find myself in a Sri Lankian jail tomorrow? I think given the state of alarm at the time there was probably a point where someone thought to themselves, “Well heck, if we’re wrong about this we could just blame the US and Bush...that'll work.” I think it backfired. .

Given the amount of sheer BS that has been flung about by this case I'm willing to give geoffrey the benefit of doubt. Who knows what he may have read and had every right to believe? .

Um Geff not for nothing but all his "associations" with al Qaeda members turned out to be 100% false, eh? The RCMP completely brain-farted. Talk about reaching to get to a conclusion. Hardly his fault. No al Qaeda "friends". No associations at all, just a brown guy. On this evidence you could currently be "associating with al Qaeda terrorist groups" by simply walking into your corner store and chatting up the guy behind the counter. Also the problem still remains: are Canadian citizens subject to the 'suspicions' or 'evidence' of Syria or the US, or our own? http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...INGPQ40MET1.DTL .