Alexandra

Thank you. That hammer blow, although slightly subtle, elicited a huge shriek of laughter. Frightening the cat! `

Right. One of the good things about B.C.'s medical system right now is: If one is unfortunate enough to break any bone in any part of one's bod. don't even think of rushing off to St. Paul's emerg. All of the bone docs. are on strike. The docs. employer, the British Columbia Government, has not acceded to whatever the docs. demands were. Obviously. Break a leg? Let's see. Which emerg. could I hobble off to. Which orthopaedic surgeons at which hospital are not on strike this month? It's about that time for the Nurses' to strike and then the hospital workers refuse to cross the picket lines and on and on. If the 'not-so-good things' could be fixed about the B.C. (Canadian) medical systems why then after so many years and years has it not been fixed? This bitching and moaning is typical of any conversation between B.C.'ers about B.C.'s broken health care system. Americans who come over to the opera or to shop or whatever and have an accident or illness soon learn how wonderful our medical system is and just how costly it is for a non-resident. `

Canada's Social healthcare: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...0724.pregnant24 This is just the tip of the iceberg. The pregnant women with medical emergencies have been shipped across our border for years. Nothing new here. It is never, ever, made public though that B.C. does not have the facilities to care for these women or their kids. B.C.'s 2006 budget allocated (and spent) over 47% of it's total public spending on healthcare. This year it will probably be 50% of public spending. Well, damn. There goes all of that 'green' spending on rapid transit and wind farms! In B.C. in the past month 4 people received joint replacements at the new Skagit hospital in Bellingham, WA, a half hour from Vancouver. They had been on a waiting list. Of course if they had been covered by Worker's Compensation or members of the B.C. Lions or Vancouver Canucks they would have gone straight to the head of the line and had surgery within a day or two. That large mountain of hot air Moore is obviously totally uninformed about Canada and it's pathetic nationalized health care nightmare. `

The question is, who would put themselves in the unenviable position of making a complaint to the HRC about a message board? How would one prove an anonymous poster had incited hatred against the complainant on the net. Why would a disaffected poster expose her/himself to what could be unfavorable publicity -- or worse. This group at FD seem to be an extreme hard core right wing anti-abortion, anti-gay and anti-Harper 40 and 50 year old somethings with a very few 20 somethings thrown in to the pot. Obviously their rather venomous attacks against red tories or moderate conservatives would offend anyone tory or liberal but to take it to an HRC for the purpose of shutting down the forum or whatever is infringing on the right to offend by 'speaking freely'. I keep reading how a guy on this board brags about shutting down the CBC forum. IMO that is something totally without merit of any kind. Matter of fact I think working to shut down a Canadian forum whether left, right or center, speaks to the character (or lack of) of anyone involved in what appears to be nothing more than an exercise in egotism. Which could be the case with this FD thing. Or, ideology. `

Difficult to believe don't you think that the media would accuse the DND of --- acting in bad faith --- Imagine that. You jdobbin wouldn't think of making the same accusation against the DND as a few of our rather untalented and lazy reporters, would you? The fact these reporters choose/elect not to provide the information produced at press briefings/press releases (if they even bother to get off their butts to attend a briefing) to the Canadian public then opine in writing or on the News at 6:00 that ` sniff ` the DND refuses to produce [sensitive information which may in effect compromise our troops] so obviously the DND is hiding the truth of Afghanistan from the Canadian public. Sound familiar? A rabble of self-righteous REMF's sitting in their cubicles in Toronto whining. `

Which information is being withheld by the DND and requested by whom? Since July 5 2007 (and since the inception of troops in Afghanistan) the DND has held press 'briefings', conferences and issued press releases on an almost daily basis. If the media chooses not to attend these briefings or read the press releases and if the media then chooses not to report this news on an almost daily basis how else should the Canadian people be informed? By logging on to the DND website on a daily basis perhaps? Is Jack Layton, S. Dion, et al. informing themselves on a daily or weekly basis do you suppose by attending all of the press briefings and reading all of the press releases by the DND? You think? How many Canadians believe it is their right to be spoon fed on a daily basis the government's explanation to 'justify' the Afghanistan mission d'you figure dobbin? How many Canadians know for example that 2,000 Van Doos from Quebec will be on their way to Afghanistan? More to the point how many Canadians care? Most Canadians, unless political junkies, are too busy to spend hours a day posting to an internet message board their opinions and complaints about whether they are receiving enough information from the government on foreign affairs, NATO or Afghanistan. `

This rationale escapes me. Why would G. Bush even consider alienating his one true ally in South America? Considering the fact that the loud mouth Venezuelan dictator, Hugo Chavez, has been rattling the nationalist, socialist, saber against Bush & Co. and considering the fact that Peru, Bolivia, etc. have swung to the left as well. The answer is; G. Bush would not cut off his close ties with Alvaro Uribe. Nor would Bush cut off hundreds of millions of US dollars promised to Uribe/Colombia this year no matter how much the Democrats thump their desks and speak with all of their bombastic high-blown rhetoric about human rights. If even Leech contradicts all of the yada yada about Bush & Co.'s stance on Uribe and Colombia then jdobbin's sanctimonious protestations about human rights, death squads and the cessation of friendship between the US and Colombia is seen for what it is. An anti Harper tempest in a teapot. As usual. http://www.colombiajournal.org/colombia252.htm : )by Garry Leech As the Colombian government becomes increasingly engulfed by the rapidly evolving “para-politics” scandal, the Bush administration refuses to question the legitimacy of democracy in Colombia. The US government continues to stand firmly behind Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Washington’s closest ally in Latin America, despite the fact that dozens of pro-Uribe legislators, the president’s former campaign advisor and head of Colombia’s secret police, the family of his foreign minister, and several top military officials have all been implicated in the scandal linking government representatives to right-wing paramilitary death squads. Despite all the overwhelming evidence suggesting a significant democratic deficit, the Bush administration has not once questioned the legitimacy of Colombia’s democracy or re-evaluated its massive funding of a government and military closely linked to paramilitaries on the US State Department’s list of terrorist organizations.

With due respect Margrace the topic is Employment Insurance. Believe it or not there are many young people today, i.e., Geoffrey, with work ethics and a sense of responsibility/accountability who do not believe that the Government(s) are their Nannies. The sense of entitlement appears not to be with our generation solely but with the previous or in fact, your generation. Whatever gives you and yours the impression that because you or yours made choices in life which ended up with you or yours having to scavenge for food this should somehow be used by you to attempt to humble a younger person who has made more successful choices in life than you and yours? This is not the first and won't be the last no doubt that Geoffrey and others will be the recipients of a lecture from you reciting all of the misfortunes which have been visited upon you and yours for the past so many long years. But. What does it all have to do with the topic at hand and you Margrace? `

Agreed the RCMP should be a true federal force only, with it's headquarters in Ottawa. The provinces should definitely organize and operate their own provincial-territory and municipal forces. But. In my opinion, The federal force should forever be the ROYAL Canadian Mounted Police. It is probably one of the last vestiges of what some or most (when asked to identify what they consider to be a Canadian) Canadians consider their 'national' identity. Out of curiosity August why would you even consider renaming the RCMP? `

Interesting. Does this mean that each time jdobbin begins one of his Harper/Conservative party/government threads it will automatically be rolled into the Harper, et al. thread he started at 0730 each and every day, Charles? If so, the federal politics thread will have one topic! `

http://www.thenews.pl/archives/690-Speaker...fghanistan.html

Do you really think objection to a war/mission no matter where it is has anything to do with party affiliation? How could anyone be left with the impression your objection to Canada's mission in Afghanistan has anything to do with party affiliation. <sarcasm off> Does this sound familiar Shakey? `

Naomi Klein is the reason for an epiphany? Naomi appears to be expressing her fears of the technology age only, in this opinion piece, which Israel and it's tech industry are benefiting from as is the province of B.C. Naomi must be suffering from a slight case of paranoia if she thinks it is just the jews in Israel who are inventing and testing 'homeland security' devices. She obviously didn't notice all of those cameras and obstacles outside Harrods' on her last shopping trip to London. It is pretty revealing Naomi's book sales haven't been doing very well if she would stoop to publishing an article in this old hippie rag, the Georgia Straight, to promote her 'forthcoming book' on Israel's death dealing tech industry. She could be considered an alternative progressively socialist Straight, I suppose. `

Not necessarily jdobbin. According to the NDP. The NDP'er, Dawn Black, is carping at the Liberals 'who got us into Afghanistan' in the NDP's Action Plan for Afghanistan. The NDP'ers must be incensed over the NATO non-peacekeeping mission; didn't read their whole 'manifesto'. http://www.ndp.ca/page/5462

Quite possibly your musings will be answered by the people of your province after the Van Doos have been in-country a month or two: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/213071 "Now, it's the Van Doos' turn to carry the load But sending Quebec-based troops to Afghanistan carries extra political risk ........... " `

The Iraqi prisoners may even prefer being imprisoned with the American monster woman guard in charge. Too bad. She's been back in the U.S. for a year or two and is now serving a long sentence in a U.S. jail along with the other former Abu Graib guards. All of The former American guards of the prison accused of torture were returned to the U.S. some time ago. The woman guard accused of the worst Iraqi prisoner abuse certainly deserves to be referred to as a monster since it is the extreme feminists of the world usually wailing about the abuse-rape-assault of women by those misogynist men! Too funny. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...9/10/wirq10.xml

If Kuzad had bothered to look beyond the American bias logic would dictate that Bin laden would remain on the FBI's List until he is either captured alive or dead. If Bin laden is not wanted by the FBI why is he on the Most Wanted's Top Ten List as Most Wanted Terrorist? On the various bios/studies of Bin laden nowhere is it stated that Bin laden was working for the U.S. in Afghanistan. Bosnia? Really .... where, when and how? `

Wth is that supposed to mean? That sounds sick coming from a so called Canadian. These two 'so-called' Canadians are more than likely little old women living in tiny little apartments with a cat or two. Somewhere in their Trudeau past they absorbed the 'I hate America' policy of his decade. These two little old ladies probably took offense at the manner in which Trudeau was smacked down by the then president, Lyndon Johnson ( I think), and from there any peoples or countries associated with or friends of America were open season for their bitterness and animosity. This could be an explanation for their obsession with the jews, Israel and the Americans or maybe it is simply that they need to give each other a daily jolt of gossip and rumor by dredging up and posting on a message board whatever old and nebulous articles found on-line re either or both of their only topics. Or, Maybe they just don't have a cat or two! `

Given Stephen Harper's opposition to abortion and even embryonic stem cell research, and given who controls the CBC pursestrings, the outcome is less predictable than some might think. Harper's decisions on abortion certainly has the pro-family, anti-abortion, crowd slightly annoyed, wouldn't you say N.chateau? Didn't you state unequivocally Normanchateau that Harper's conservative party is comprised of mainly extreme-social conservatives? http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/060627a.html The anti-abortion so-cons must not have paid attention to their religious/activist groups in 2002 when Harper was elected leader of the Alliance over Stockwell (extreme anti-abortion) Day! With Layton and Martin using the debate in 2004 as their bully pulpit to accuse Harper of being opposed to a woman's right to choose Harper makes it clear they are wrong. After searching for Harper's pro-abortion, religious so-con policies, et al. it is interesting to note Normanchateau that you truly do take the prize for fixated propaganda. If Harper was or is an anti-abort, anti-choice, politician as you consistently state then you are obviously one of the few who do. Even the NDP'ers choose their words and spin carefully when it comes to Harper and abortion. `

How does B.C. end up paying for Quebec next year? Have you perused the equalization formula applied to B.C. which is now a Have province.? Tielman is merely blowing smoke in his usual NDP fashion; why this Tielman blog would be of any use to prove whatever point you are attempting to make is beyond me. `

Khadr should be accorded justice? What justice did this Khadr kid accord the American trooper he killed? The American trooper who, as a medic, was simply trying to save the life of another American trooper in this firefight that Khadr's father was also killed in? I wonder how much justice the American medic's widow and family feels Khadr should receive at the hands of a military tribunal? I wonder if the American medic's widow feels that justice would have been done if the Khadr kid had been left to bleed to death from his wounds? Instead, the Khadr kid's life was saved by another American medic. The Americans have made a huge mistake. All of these 'foreign fighters' in Gitmo should have been shipped back to Afghanistan to rot in one of the Afghani prisons. The Canadian liberal (not party) bedwetters could then shriek and holler and wring their hands about the treatment of the Convenient Canadian citizen Khadr kid in a filthy, squalid, Afghani jail cell. Why Canadians are paying for this Canadian lawyer and his team to represent this Khadr kid in a U.S. tribunal while the U.S. has provided an excellent defence team is another question. Cut the little puke off and maybe he'll be only too pleased to accept the U.S. defence team --- free of charge of course. Just as he accepts all of the other 'privileges' he receives in a U.S. rather than Afghani jail. `

Jonathon Kay's essay today: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.h...a9-8208fa746442 etc.

What do the Senate bill or Kyoto have to do with the quote in your post? Do you post after every jdobbin post? edit: oh wait there are a whole 2 in here you missed. Never mind. You're joking, right? You could accuse a number of people on this board of 'posting after every jdobbin post' since jdobbin posts the majority of new topics; also on every topic he doesn't open he usually has the majority of posts. The only way a poster could avoid being accused of following or stalking jdobbin is clearly to not post on this board. `

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2007/0...230280-sun.html At least Bronco is suggesting/creating productive solutions to the infrastructure funding for his City. It is noted the Mayor of Toronto and the Mayors of the cities of those 'Have Not' Provinces such as Winnipeg, etc. have not come up with any solution to their infrastructure financing other than, as Miller of Toronto complained, ...."the monies should come directly to the cities ..." from the Feds, of course. Miller and the other 'have not' Mayors should perhaps take another long, hard, look at their spending and budget for their new Green Environment - smog reduction - programs. It's called innovation. What a novelty. `

I don't think so. Topaz stated "how dare the PM say ....." This is what the PM stated in the House: It is clear the PM was repeating the Minister of Defence's instructions. The PM did not say HEwould pay the families all reasonable funeral costs. wdystfuahagaj.