Charles Anthony

You may be looking at the Balkans the wrong way. Why not say: "The bottom line - the coerced formation of the Balkans represents a failure that should be avoided." ? It may not. Who is to say? Furthermore, who (other than the people involved) should make that choice? That is not peaceful secession. Furthermore, in Scotland, the number of secessionists is rising. What will you say when every single Scot wants to secede and take on the transition costs? I disagree. If secession can be peaceful and freely chosen, it is morally bankrupt to think a bigger government is better in a democracy. The smaller the government, the closer it will be to the people it serves. I will: "Hey! Brussels! If you do not like the European Union, nobody is forcing you to join!!!" How is it coercive? My point is that tyranny and racism and mono-culture do not automatically go hand in hand. Tyrannies can exist with or without racism. Was there racial tension?

Of course there is: cronyism. Even if you reject that justification, the point is moot. There is absolutely no justification for opposing peaceful secession. I disagree. They share a common currency but they do not share government. Neither country tries to rule over the other anymore. It is a good example because come hell or high water, France and Germany would create the European Union even if they were the only member countries involved. The dependence on international trade made the other countries want to join. Tell that to the people who live under Robert Mugabe's charming rule. In young countries: I agree. In old countries: I doubt it. Consent of the people? The Russian Czar and the French nobility had the consent of the people. No, I can not. Nobody can. However, I would postulate that the Balkan war was a direct result of a tyrannical state which pretended to accomodate diverse groups of people. More importantly, can you seriously argue that the Balkans could have avoided going to war with each other? If so, I want to hear it.

I believe that conclusion is obnoxious bigotry. Do not blame every Muslim for the statements made by the leaders of some Muslim organizaitons.

How do you propose people reach such a utopia when they are poor or under tyrannical rule? I agree that it is foul politics. However, racism is just a cover. The despotism of those states is the root of the problem. Take a look at the histories of France and Germany. Independence and commerce made them best friends in a very, very short period of time. Are you open to the possibility that overbearing government tyranny contributed to the flames? Under what basis do you argue that? Yes. I believe that France and Germany are the best examples.

It is not OK to skip due process. My pen will win. Ahhh, but I do believe in it, or at least in it's neccesity, so are my actions not more in line with 'voluntary communism' than 'voluntary cooperative anarchy'?Call them what you want. This question reminds me of a seemingly well-intentioned but poorly designed Libertarian Purity Test by Bryan Caplan. It asks a series of political questions each with different weights. The last question is stupid: Would you call yourself an "anarcho-capitalist?" Yes / No What you call your actions or yourself is irrelevent. You could believe that you were making the world a better place You could also believe that you had no choice. You could also be struck with illuminating wisdom and realize that the you were supplying in a previously monopolized market. You might also believe that you were acting in your own self interest. Fear not, your membership card will still be waiting. I believe that this should read 'bear some responsibility'...note to self, pencil in-Charles Anthony, one heavy sack beating Yes, sir. I will write it out 100 times so that I do not forget. If I have it ready for next class, can I avoid the beating? I would consider the possibility that he was not guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. I would rather he be left alone than to convict him without proof or due process. Maybe this is a wake-up call to parents: they should watch their kids more carefully. You make a good point. From our distant vantage point, it is not fair to automatically assume that this alleged crack-dealer was truly a crack-dealer. I find it very difficult to accept these two views: 1) everybody in Grand Manan knows everything that is going on 2) parents can not possibly know everything their kids are doing I believe that the parents were also battling internally with the fact that their children chose drugs -- they just took it out on the dealer.

Those people should choose their own destiny. No, they are admitting that some people want freedom and more direct control over government. Racism is real. Do you think the coersive state can stop racism? I will tell you what can stop racism: an incentive to trade peacefully without coersion.

Maybe the English need something from Scotland? I mentioned Scottish secession to a kid who is visiting from England. Without hesitation, he shook his head and said: "We need oil from the North." I like this:

Gomery is a Liberal and I think he should have held Chretien in contempt of court. Chretien's arrogance to Justice Gomery was horrifying.

I agree. It demonstrates the continued arrogance of the Liberal leadership.

Yes. It has to be the same old Liberal machine. What I find depressing is the lack of opposition towards the obvious cronyism. hiti, please tell me: why do you permit cronyism?? I can not help but think: How much wealthier would every Canadian be if our money was not being funneled to the cronies? The only thing that comes to mind is that Canadians accept cronyism like dogs scurrying underneath the dinner table for scraps. Canadians deliberately but foolishly believe they will ultimately be recipients of some of the spin-offs and loose change dropped by the cronies.

You are missing the point. The specific details (average citizens do not even know what they are anyway!) of the two deals are irrelevant. They are both symbolic of the federal government's long reach into regional affairs. That can easily change. We are living in an era where people can not passively take their well-being for granted compared to before. For what it is worth (and I know I am not a regular Canadian by any stretch), I like elections. They are exciting. I find them a lot more exciting than the Olympics -- and I do not even vote anymore!

No. I am saying that the study is comparing apples and oranges with respect to populations. I am also saying that Canada is a better country. Our willingness to share our country with foreigners is not reflected in your biased statistical study. What do you want? You want higher taxes. You are right: he should give up and maybe move to Finnland!

It could also be a measure of how boring the economy happens to be. It seems like everybody in Finnland is the same. One thing I tried to search for in this study is comparing how open these different countries are to immigration and refugees. None of their "indicators" seemed to explore that. [before this issue develops into bigotry, I want to say that I think a country that does accept immigrants is a much more free country than one that does not.] I wonder how open Finland is to refugees and immigration?? Let us take a look: Helsingin SonomatOh! How magnanimous of the Finns! Canada's refugee statistics alone are in the thousands. Sorry, guys. I think there is more to the big picture of what makes a country great and honorable.

Correct. However, let us look at this brilliant study. Here is a shining example of bias: page 16 of the original study (PDF!!!)Sounds poetic but I can not find in their "study" any defense for all those assumptions. I do not trust these statisticians. Now, let us look at their numbers. same page 16 (PDF!!!)An honest person could also look at those same numbers and simply say: Finland has no rich people. Everybody in Finland is equally poor. Maybe all of their high taxes are helping even out the playing field!

Without knowing what biases went into the calculation of their "indicators" it is ridiculous to interpret or even believe this study. From the little details supplied in the article, all we can see is that they are comparing apples and oranges. The population dynamics of the two groups of countries are not the same.

Why should they be excluded? Are you suggesting that they are not humans?

He also has a brother who is a senator -- not the hockey type. The cronyism never ends.

Your parents did not know you smoked pot. Fine. I understand that parents can not know everything all of the time. However, a parent is responsible for raising their children. I know people who would not even DREAM of smoking pot because of one reason: their parents would kill them. It makes no sense to think all parents instill the same standards of acceptable behavior for children. Some children try risky behavior during their childhood (a time in which they are not fully responsible for their consequences) than do other children as a direct result of how their parents raised them. I believe all parents bare some responsibility for their children's outlook. Now I will make a leap: if ever your children do drugs, I will bet that you will be able to detect it before it is too late. I also wonder how it is that the parents did not know their children were doing crack. If their children broke a window, how would the deal with that??? I think part of the problem with parents dealing with their children doing drugs is precisely an internal family matter. It requires the parents accepting (or refusing) responsibility for their children. It is easier to attack the drug dealer. Next year, I will trolling for an article in the paper that says "once Calgary started with only 6 people but now the numbers have grown to..." Keep going, keep going. That point is moot. You do not need to believe in state law. Closer, closer. I will not stop you. Ouch!!! Kudos. Good shot. I agree. The pen is more powerful than the sword.

How? Many Canadians have dual citizenship now. Many Canadians never made an oath of allegiance to Canada. Like what issue? Wine imports?

This sounds like a boogeyman. What exactly do you fear?What is the worst that could happen if we have a Prime Minister who is a citizen of an other country? Maybe it would be a good thing.

I am not perfect when it comes to language arts (sarcasm and wry humor often get the best of me; admittedly, they alone can be a major source of confusion, worse than poor grammar) but I do believe that grammar and spelling are exceedingly important. Some people say that grammatical mistakes make the writer look dumb. In my opinion, the level of intelligence of the writer is secondary. Let us be practical: it is easy to misunderstand and get the wrong idea from a written work. Proper grammar is the only tool a writer has against misunderstanding and deliberate misrepresentation. Therefore, is it not advantageous to make sure that our grammar is polished?

reported to Admin Calm down. Do not promote violence.

Wrong. There is denying this social conservative boogeyman shadow. Actually, NO, it is not an excuse. It is a response to the unfounded attacks levelled by raging socialists. Wrong, again. The Conservatives are not playing Canadians for idiots at all. It is quite the contrary. The Conservatives are responding to the cheap attacks by the opposition parties. From now on, the raging socialists will never be able to attack the Conservatives for being anti-gay or anti-marriage or anti-SSM or anything. The issue will be closed. The smear campaigns will have to be based on something else.

No. That is not what I am saying. I am not denying that kids will have bad impulses. I am saying that how children act and the decisions children make are MAJORLY influenced by their parents. Parents are the primary people who present direct consequences to children. Nobody else can punish or teach children consequences except for parents. However, all kids have to face their own parents. Yes, I do. Parenting is not an easy job. Would it make sense to assume that all parents are equal? No. I believe that children are mainly a product of their upbrining. Would it be fair to ask if your parents knew you smoked pot? If we are to make strides in the concept of justice, it has to start with the family.

I (and I am sure everybody who drives regularly) see these all of the time. Sometimes these fatal crash sites are marked by flowers and sometimes there is just a spray painted epitaph on the adjacent stone. I am always moved by these reminders to slow down and be grateful. They help us in the same way as cautionary highway safety signs do -- maybe even more so by personalizing the risk of driving.