Kindred

BC Liberals broke all kinds of contracts with teachers etc. No problem there, Governments do have the power to throw out everything that has gone before ... the wording of the original treaties if adherred to would not be of much benefit to the Aboriginal people. In place of free medical and dental each band would receive a fully equipped "medicine bag", for example. The question then arises, which treaty is the preferred treaty? They have been written and rewritten, originally based on a very tiny population in what was unsettled areas of Canada, ie Vancouver - all of the Northern area, before resource exploration and development. Do we or can we proceed as if there has been NO progress since the original treaties were signed? Do we look at Canada as it was THEN compared to how it is NOW - That would be ridiculous -

I have already concurred with that, it did indeed become the purpose of residential schools, however the original purpose and motivation was the high mortality rate of Indian infants. In that it succeeded, mortality rates dropped remarkedly, thus ensuring the survival of Indians. Prior to residential schools the mortality rate was somewhere around 80 per 1000 births, and dropped to around 10 per 1000 births. There was also an issue of vacinating indian children againt TB which wasnt successful until they were in residential schools. I am not quoting exact figures here, I am trying to "remember" and my brain is tired from too much information in it. I HAVE studied residential schools, Canadian history, native history - I was never allowed to use my traditional language in school or anywhere other than in our home, and even there my parents didnt encourage it - society never supported me in preserving my culture. Hell I was told by a teacher that it was "wrong" for me to give my children fish for breakfast ! She had the nerve to tell me they would be better off on cold winter mornings to start the day with a bowl of nice cold Trix or Fruit Loops or some God awful crap so many people feed their kids -- hot soup and fish was apparently on par with child abuse or something ........ Apparently putting toddlers on skis is right up there too as "not normal" behavior in terms of parental behavior --- But thats really being picky and small minded compared to the trauma suffered by children removed from their parents. Still its something the British do willingly to their children, as do many parents in Canada. On a flight to Victoria I saw next to a very unhappy little boy from Calgary who was on his way to an upper class elite boarding school. I dont understand it as I fully support that concept of "the village" raising children and mourn the loss of this valuable resource in todays society. I want to emphasize a "healthy village" environment But it is history, its something that started out with good intentions and then the fanatics and nuts got hold of it - the pedophiles, and while I concur some abuses did occur I do NOT support the claim that ALL Indian children were sexually abused - to that I say Horse Shit - didnt happen. Its become one more cash grab and innocent people are being victimized -- And by victims I also mean Indian people who are being brain washed into having false memories that are impacting on their mental and emotional health - and undermining their independence and determination. Yes there was some abuse, deplorable yes, but its been blown way out of proportion. And is being used as a crutch to avoid self responsibility for ones own well being and successes - Jews coming out of concentration camps went on to build very successful businesses, havesuccessful families, etc. Their treatment was way way more horrendous .... we dont see the same multi generational trauma and ineffectiveness resulting from the abuses they suffered. The problem is a learned sense of trauma and ineffectiveness , a dwelling on the past, there is a collective sense of helplessness that is fostered and nurtured generation after generation - when your whole entire focus from the time you are born is that you are a victim and nothing else you become helpless and hopeless. I'm sorry but its one great pity party that is hurting the indians more then it is hurting anyone else. What would happen if Indian children were told that they are intelligent, valuable little people who can be anything and do anything they want to instead of being told "there is no point in trying to get anywhere because you are Indian and the white man wont let you be successful?" Standing on a barricade, attending entitlement meetings, hearing their elders go on and on about how oppresed and abused and down trodden they are is NOT teaching children what they need to succeed - they need strong mentors NOT "victims" shaping their future and leading them....

Recently, say over the last five years I have witnessed numerous incidents on some kid hitting, kicking, and otherwise attacking his/her mother in a public when told no - what the hell is up with that? With each incident it has been the mother being attacked, and I am wondering, are these kids witnessing this behavior in their homes or getting the message its ok to hit mom? That would be the day my kids would have tried that one on for size - they wouldnt have dared to think about it, never mind slap me .. or kick me . spit at me or pull my hair. Maybe its true after all, spare the rod and spoil the child? Whats interesting is how children in other countries and cultures can sit quietly and respectfully through very long ceremonies and public appearances.

Can you show me the exact laws and not second hand quotes from books on History please? I am interested because I have searched and cannot find this information anywhere. I have searched law articles, legislation etc and have come up blank on actual enactment of law prohibiting use of Aboriginal langugage and cultural practises. I dont say this to argue, if you have a source, please post it because I want to know FACTS whether they support my argument or contradict it -- Legislation, Court Cases, etc would be appreciated

Why bring up a court case in the US in 2004 on a thread about Liberals and their stand on abortion and the death penalty? This is Canada, not the US. Would the death penalty prevent murder, damn right it would. People who think its to their financial advantage to murder their spouse rather than split the assets in a divorce would think twice about it, and I bet they would choose divorce over being put to death themselves. There was a case in BC where a guy told his coworkers he was going to kill "that bitch" before he was going to hand over half of everything he had worked for - and he did - and he isnt the only one. I just happen to know some of his coworkers who heard him say it, and he was out in three years, half a million dollars richer than he would have been had he gone the divorce route instead. AND he got his old job back too. Half a million for three years in jail? Not bad ......... I think the term "pro abortion" is inaccurate because its really "pro choice" and its whether a woman has the right to have control of her own body, and the right to choose what happens with her body, or doesnt happen. I think it should be obvious that is a fundemental freedom in a democratic country. As long as men do not and cannot become pregnant, and will never face the possibility of being FORCED to carry the pregnancy to term against their wishes then they shouldnt have a vote or any legal say in the matter. Especially not when women still suffer the stigma and financial hardship a child born to a single mother can bring with it, not to mention the physical repurcussions of pregnancy - A guy gets some woman pregnant and he can walk away with NO financial or physical repurcussions - therefore IMO its something women should decide - not men.

Again that is something that happened in the past. I dont believe a law was ever passed forbidding Indians from speaking their own language. The purpose of Residential Schools was originally to ensure the survival of Indian children and however unfortunate the outcome, the original intent was based on the extremely high infant death rate of Indian children. So some people who initially meant well, decided they should step in and ensure the survival of indian children. Somehow, somewhere along the line they decided it would be a good idea to "whitewash" the indian children, forbid the Indian children to speak their own language or keep their own culture. It was very wrong - as was the abuse of some children. To suggest it was a diabolical plot by "white people" is wrong, pedophiles manage to find their way into every organization or institution where they can find child victims, from residential schools to public schools, boy scouts, the church, Big Brothers and Big Sisters. This residential school mentality is not that different from what non-native children suffered in orphanages, and church run boarding schools. The abuse IMO arose from the assumed superiority of the church and its teachings - look at what happened to Doukhobor children in Canada. They were taken from their homes and placed in residential schools, foster homes and orphanages and not allowed to speak their own language or maintain their culture - It was wrong, all of it was wrong, people were ignorant. Its from this kind of history that Canada has not copied the US "melting pot" expectation for immigrants and visible minorities etc. It also provides for freedoms of religion and all cultures in Canada. And it also says : I think reservations were wrong, I think that ANY plan that divides indians and non-indians along geographical lines is wrong. I dont believe that turning land over to the indians will solve anything, it will just increase the problems, increase the separation, and foster resentment and hatred and racism. The drug and alcohol problems on reserves prove this, we CANT be isolated from each other. The only solution that will work is education - and integration - and respect for each other cultures - but we have to live TOGETHER as one community - no privilige, no isolation. Does the Government apologize for what its ancestors did? It does. BUT we cannot keep on repeating the mistakes of the past, and that is what land claims will do - it only increases the gulf -

The Vikings needed agricultural land, Norway is very rocky and mountainous so they decided to take it from the Britons - and do a lot of plundering and fighting along the way. So everyone has a history. Some people want to let others never forget theirs and ignore their own,

As a non-native Canadian I am also asked if I live in an igloo - the ignorance is global when it comes to knowledge of other countries, it doesnt matter what race you are. The majority of Americans think we dont have electricity or paved roads, or television or "real houses". There is an exhibition of two centuries of native art in the Vancouver Art Gallery, I am hoping to be able to take it in - the Haida art is a favourite of mine. I dont suppose most people know the difference between Cree and Metis, or Haida or whatever but then we are called "white people", no recognition of whether we are Norwegian, Swiss, English, French, Swedish, whatever .. when you think of it my ancestors were the aboriginal people in their own country - the Vikings. No consideration has ever been given to that. That should apply to all people and all cultures.

Essentially no one country has a clean record, unless as I said Denmark has And the Vikings are Norwegian arent they? Most blonde haired, blue eyed, (but then there was Eric the Red) and not highly respected in Norway, or at least their descendants arent as they seem to have a sense of entitlement, a fondness for drunkeness and a lack of motivation to actually work. I was surprised to hear that - from my Norwegian cousins. Damn here I thought it was cool to be a Viking ... but not good if you want to sit on the Security Council when you think of all the raiding and plundering .. As for the whole Security Council thing, I think Its a good idea, but its not viable - something that looks good on paper - Its okay ..It seems everytime I turn on the TV there is a "discussion" consisting of Americans saying what is wrong with this country or that country and how they can fix it, and make it toe the "American line" and be more "American" or what Americans think Amercia is ...... and I think "whats the point of it all?" The US is seen as the world power and no one challenges them, no matter what they do so what IS the point?

IF the topic is Japan, then how did it suddenly become China? That seems off topic to me if you go by your rules for the forum ..............

I should think that to the average person it would be OBVIOUS that my posts pointed out that if this were the criteria for not allowing Japan to join the Security Council then none of the members should be allowed on the council.

The forum is for an open discussion and posters are not restricted to responsing to ONLY YOUR COMMENTS and opinions. However it WAS your assanince comment that I responded to ... with a perefectly reasonable and informed rebuttal to YOUR comment about polluted cities in China NO I didnt use a rebuttal to show WHY Japan shouldnt be allowed on the council because I DONT AGREE WITH YOU, If THESE previous posts arent a rebuttal to your post I dont know what the hell is I dont see how or why environmental factors deserve ANY comment when discussing the Security Council , but to make the post and then get bent out of shape if someone responds pointing out the reason behind your objection is a tad over the top. US has been charged with multiple war crimes, in one war after another, do they belong on the council?

Lets not forget the "mommies are us" brigade who even go to school with their children, volunteer in their classrooms - phone other "mommies are us" to arrange for their childrent to "be friends" and sit and supervise all their interaction, tell the children what to say to each other - and run on the theory that everyone loves their brats when they are "expressing their creativity" by running wild and disrupting an entire restaurant full of people, or dismantling a doctors office while waiting to see the doctor. Too many parents dont draw a line between the adult world and the world of children and feel their children should be attached at the hip to them - and forced onto other adults in public places that common sense should dictate isnt a place to bring children, especially ones who cant behave. I also blame a lot of society ills on the media. Not the movies so much as the music. Young people in other countries watch the violent movies, and they listen to the music, but they DONT UNDERSTAND THE WORDS AND CONTENT OF THE MUSIC, and their behavior isnt as bad as it is in western countries. In Asia young men who speak fluent English are more likely to give their parents and society problems.

Its really quite simple, if you dont agree with the land claims, no matter what kind of "evidence" you can produce to support your point of view, you must be crazy. If you dont agree with the Indian spin you dont know anything, and need to be "enlightened". How many years of anthropology, and history have you studied Native Charm? How many digs have you been on? You dont seem to know a lot about history, or what is happening outside your own neighbourhood. What makes you an expert? I am very interested in knowing this ... and dont say being an indian makes you an expert. How many sources have you spoken with, how much research have you done? Do you have relatives and friends who are both native and non-native? Have you worked with native and non-natives in social services or youth services? I have a problem with an apartheid system that benefits any person because of their race. You dont want equality you want supremecy - there's a helluva difference. And that is something I and the majority of Canadians will NEVER agree to. Authentic native history isnt published by fanatical internet sites promoting Native Rights anymore than it is on White Supremecy sites. You really ought to follow your own advise ..........

Can you imagine what it is like for an educated, experience, once respected person to be told they can find work in a "workshop" for the disabled making birdhouses? Being funneled into a system that is so generalized that you are lumped in with the severely mentally handicapped ? Or be told you can live in community housing with "low lifes" and "career welfare recipients", substance abusers etc? I dont want to appear judgemental, oh what the hell, I am judgemental, substance abuse is a choice. Being a welfare mother with six children and no education is a choice, and to lump everyone together in one great cesspool of humanity is unhumane and to be "judged" to belong with this group is too horrific to seem real. But it is real. Its what is happening to the person who got the education, had the career, was earning the big bucks, had the BMW or at least was aiming for it -- had the perks, the respect and admiration, the house in the burbs, the 1.5 children, a spouse and a Pension Plan ...... And suddenly that is all yanked away from them and they are told you belong with this group of non-achiever, low life substance abusers and career welfare recipients -- its not JUST the poverty, its that they are told, meant to feel THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE now ----- Suddenly you deserve no respect, no consideration, no independence, or anything other than the scorn of those who are supposed to assist you? If anyone thinks WCB, or Long Term Disabilty Plans will protect them think again .... its a myth. How long could any of the posters here sustain their lifestyle and pursue their dreams if they were suddenly forced to do so on their savings and assets with NO income from this day onwards? How long would it be before you had absolutely nothing and were standing on a street corner begging for money for food?

Not I Injustice, I know what a fight you have ahead of you and all I can offer is dont give up, and sympathize and emphasize with the frustration and injustice you have suffered, and all the disabled have suffered in this "great" democratic nation of ours. Which treats people kind of like the Naizs did. Claude Richmond years ago (1980's) when he was an MLA or whatever, said "some people will just have to fall by the wayside" when questioned about cuts to Social Services and other benefits for the poor and disabled. What the hell does that mean? "Fall by the wayside?" Richmond has just spent hundreds of thousands here in BC "teaching" the poor how to cook properly Never mind that they cant bloody well afford food in the first place. A letter to the Editor that I wrote pointing this out was never published because Richmond is part of the "old boys club" ..... You arent allowed to criticize the "Good Ole Boy Gods" in the media ........ not in BC anyhow. I wont say "keep trying, it will get better for you" because that is a platitude too often give to too many disabled people and its, frankly, a stupid thing to say, it doesnt get better. It wont "get better" until Canadians, as a united people, come on board and say "Disabled people deserve more -" and this is what they deserve. How often have you heard disability or poverty issues raised as a campaign platform? The biggest hypocrites are the NDP. I dont expect the Liberals or the Conservatives to give a damn about the disabled, but a long time ago I naively expected the NDP would -- yah right. But sometimes miracles happen ..... One can only hope that in time as more voices are added there will be changes. The poor and the disabled could hold a lot of power if they could just unite in a cohesive vote for equality - The unfortunate part is they are the people less able to demand justice and speak for themselves. There are people like FTA fighting for individuals but what is needed is a message to the Politicians that there are over a million of us and we WILL control the election of our Government. One individual at a time isnt going to change things for the majority. Most people appear to thing that if a person is diabled its because of a lifestyle choice they made, because of something they did. There is still an archaic superstitious thought in the world that "bad things dont happen to good people". If bad things happen then you must be a bad person and deserved it. In 1996 there were over 400,000 disabled workers in Canada, however there arent good stats collected or gathered. The Government appears to not want to know them. found here Canadian Attitudes Toward Disability Issues http://www.sdc.gc.ca/asp/gateway.asp?hr=/e...p2.shtml&hs=hze

You're the one who brought it up in the first place.as a reason to question their suitability ... :rolleyes Funny how is someone responds to a comment made by you that person is "off topic".

China is held hostage by its dependence on fossil fuel, namely coal for power production and heat. They are attempting to develop alternatives, recently dammed the Yahngtze River to produce hydro power that created a great deal of contraversy in its own country and abroad. Many people felt it was wrong to dam this amazing river - but they have so few alterntives.

Has anyone else tried to access Government Services and noticed a lot havent toll free numbers anymore? If you need to appear in person for a service you need to travel to Vancouver or Victoria, and if they do have a toll free number the line is usually busy or the hold time can be up to an hour. I recently tried to phone the Income Tax office to get some information and for four days in a row I received a busy signal on each call, up to 20 calls a day and didnt get through until the 5th day, Friday and was on hold for close to an hour. A working person, 8 to 5 CANNOT access Government services as most employers do not want you tying up phone lines for personal business by being on hold for such long periods of time. I am really ticked off about this. I am trying to contact the Tenants Association, got through once after being on hold for 30 minutes - (four busy signals before that) and received the wrong information. I just phoned back again and received a busy signal on the toll free line, called the local number for residents of Vancouver and was placed in the queue immediately but advised the wait time was 35 minutes - which is Government Speak for an hour or more ..... Seems to me the first thing Campbell did was close all the Government offices and make sure no one has access to services, fire most of the employees who there arent enough to handle the calls -- My favourite thing is phoning an office that closes at 4:30 at 4:00 pm and being put on hold for half an hour then receiving a message that the office is now closed. Campbell is such a jackass.

I do not believe North Korea has made any threat against Japan. I believe the statement was made about N Korea testing their missiles which were allegedly fired into the Sea of Japan which is off the Korean coast - which is kind of funny when you think that the US tests many of their missiles over Northern Canada over populated areas and it apparently isnt an issue for Canada -

Its really quite simple, if you dont agree with the land claims, no matter what kind of "evidence" you can produce to support your point of view, you must be crazy. One thing I have noticed is that Indian "Land Claims" seem to spring up AFTER someone has developed the property and invested huge amounts of money in it, then the Indians step up and demand it be turned over to them so they can reap the financial rewards, kind of a ransom thing in my opinion. Its always so much BS that the indians always claim they were never paid, or the money just somehow dissapeared, or I didnt sign the sale agreement my Grandfather did and he didnt know what he was doing .. If there is a lesson to be learned here, its one many people in BC have learned, do NOT ever lease land from Indians or enter into any agreement with them - Land sold in 1985 is worth more today and so the bands werent "properly compensated" because everytime the value increases they expect to be compensated in some way Wouldnt that be great if that was the way it worked for all of us? The house I sold in 2004 is now worth at least $170,000.00 more then I sold it for, I should go back to the purchasers and demand I be compensated for the increased property value ......

I would keep an eye on Japan and what is happening inside that country in terms of wanting to be seen as a major power in Asia. There has been some confrontation over natural resources found in the oceans, with China and now Korea - Japan strikes me as a bit of a sleeping tiger.

I am not sure but I think the only member sitting on the present council who hasnt been charged for war crimes might be Denmark - but as I said I am not sure about that.

US has been charged with multiple war crimes, in one war after another, do they belong on the council? http://deoxy.org/wc/warcrim2.htm http://deoxy.org/wc/warcrime.htm http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&...16B265&set_id=1 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3834089.stm This is an interesting link on NATO being charged with war crimes http://www.infoshop.org/news_archive/warcrimes.html Answers.com The biggest offending for repetive charges of having commited war crimes is the US - who has the US apologized to for the crimes they have commited? UK violates International Law Amnesty International why? Who then is qualified to sit on the UN Security Council? In your opinion. Maybe its time to stop laughing and take a history course or two so you dont make this kind of ill informed comment again?

Do we pay for sex change operations? I dont know this, and if this is true than why do we not pay for reconstructive surgery after cancer, or an accident? I mean GOOD cosmetic surgery, not just a patch up job