Black Dog

In Hinzman's case, he tried to get conscientious objector status through the correct channels before, but his request was "lost". I guess the dog ate it. I agree that it's kind of dumb to join the frickin' army and then not want to fight, but it's understandable given the U.S armed forces' pratice of luring young recruits in with big signing bonuses and promises of benefits. They make it sound, as one Marine put it, "like a frat party with automatic weapons."

I think the fact that Bush passed a law as governor allowing hospitals and medical facilities to "pull the plug" on patients with no hope of recovery and who could no longer afford treatment is proof of his hypocrisy. Ditto brother Jeb, who signed the law in 1999 that added feeding tubes to the list of "extraordinary measures" that people could discontinue in such cases. Of course little puppets like you don't see this hypocrisy for what it is becaus eyou're always willing to give your ideological kin the benefit of the doubt.

Unless they are found guilty of committing a crime, they aren't criminals. Yeah I'm sure a Quaker like Jeremy Hinzman, or any other Americans who left the U.S. rather than kill Iraqis, pose a real threat to our society.

I guess you didn't get the memo. The leftist homosexuals are all in charge now. Report to your nearest RCMP detachment for transfer to re-education camp and mandatory gay marriage.

What difference does that make? What really matters is that this man has given 15 years of his life, first in hpes of her recovery and later, when that hope wa slost, to carry out what he believed her wishes would be. But the courts have determined the evidence was clear and convincing that Terri would chose not to continue living by the affirmative intervention of modern medicine -- that she would chose to have her feeding tube disconnected. In a second trial, brought about by Terri's family's claims new therapies could restore her and that the existence of such a therapy would make her "change her mind," the trial court again heard evidence from all sides and determined that no new therapy presented any reasonable chance of restoring Terri's brain function. The propriety of these decisions -- from the sufficiency of the evidence to the appropriateness of the procedures used -- has been unanimously upheld on appeal many times. Um...Florida law gives the courts the right to intercede. How abou this angle: what gives her parents the right to decide that Terri should continue to languish in a state of brain death because they believe a miracle will occur? I don't beleive in such a higher power, but believe death would be a mercy compared to rotting away slowly. No. Having been in a situation where I had to watch a loved one slowly succumb to disease I can honsetly say that the end was a relief compared to the state they were in. Terri can't recognize anything. Her cereberal cortext (the portion of the brain that controls conscious thought) is destroyed, replaced by spinal fluid. She can't think, can't feel. Do you honestly think a life that is dependant on machines, that stands zero chance of ever improving, can be considered a gift? Being born isn't that much of a miracle: we've got 13 billion miracles walking around today. Because it's apparent that is not what she would have wanted.

And it's pretty clear which side of the wacko fence david "Free Zundel" Icke lands on.

Iraq wrestles with role of Islamic law Women activists have been suffering since the last war in Iraq because of calls for improved rights and equality with men in this Muslim country.

Lebanon has been holding parlimentary elections for many years.

Judge rejects Schiavo Appeal

Why? If I were to tell you that I wanted to build a rocket to Mars out of an old washing machine, would you want to see the plans before declaring it a stupid idea? BMD is a fundamentally flawed concept. It's poor execution is merely the icing on the cake. I don't see what the beef is with having national standards. Wouldn't you feel better putting your kids in an accredited and certified child care facility than some fly-by-night? Well, i won't open this particular can of worms, but suffice it to say, this is one reason why I'll never vote Conservative. Instead of this fig leaf, why not PR, which would actually give the democratic process some real meaning? Fine, provided there was some very specific criterea as to what is considered a "violent offender". Minimum sentencing has led to massive overpopulation in Ameriocan prisons and I'd hate to see us go down that road. I haven't seen a plan yet. Is there a plan? And the HarperCons wouldn't? Riiiiight. If only they were that bold. I'd actually consider voting for them. Argus, I believe we find ourselves in rare agreement.

Which is the case with Alberta and Canada as a whole: there's too much diversity of values, beliefs, backgrounds for a broad national identity to exist in any meaningful way. Actually, I think it's proof that trying to compartmentalize everybody into narrow silos based on such flimsy criterea as geographic location is futile. People need to think of themselves as part of a broader whole.

This framing convieniently glosses over the "redneck" stereotype is the mere flip side of the "maverick, rugged indivdualist" identity some Albertans deploy to demonstrate their distinctness from the R.o.C.. Neither is the complete picture. Nationalism of any stripe is the product of primitive sectarian tendencies and shouldn't be encouraged. By the same token, what of those Albertans that do not fit the "real" Albertan mold (there are thousands of us)? For example, I'm an Albertan. Born and raised here, a second generation son of the prairie soil. Yet, on this very forum, a poster felt free to denigrate my Albertan credentials by virtue of my political beliefs and geographic location, which says to me that there's people out there who equate "Albertan" with "conservative, rural/Calgary-dweller" and have nothing but scorn for those Albertans who don't fit their narrow bill. This whole fostering of the "Alberta vs. the East" mentality ignores the myriad differences in our own midst.

Glad to see you have a solid plan.

Technically, no. I'm only 11 feet, 9 inches.

SO Alberta is a have province now. How, pray tell, wopuld Albert ahandle all the extra responsibilities soverignty would foist upon them (such as defence)? Even better: what would happen to Alberta when the oil runs out?

Hilarious ecerpt from "Them: Adventures With Extremists" by Jon Ronson. Beset by lizards A friend of mine just lent me this book, but I haven't got around to it yet. How fortuitous that one of its subjects should (allegedly) come my way right here on MLW! I'll be sure to crack it as soon as I get home.

Oooookay. I thought you were a crank, but I had you pegged as a garden variety prairie malcontent, not a full-on black helicopters/new world order kook. As for "Albertans want(ing) out", is that why support for seccession hovers below 10 per cent? The separation option appeals mainly to rural cranks. Everyone else knows that, while Alberta may be a big fish in the small pond of Canada, it would have a hard time swimming on its own. One other thing: when the "corrupt house of cards collapses" what makes you think Alberta would be spared?

Canada is the least costly place to conduct business

You might think so. In that sense, you're no different from a generation of Alberta politicians who have taken the concept of western alienation and the stock Alberta identity and turned it into a caricature. people like Ralph Klein have a good reason for pushing that rubbish: the fear of the eastern "others" keeps him and his ilk in power. What's your excuse?

In this particular case, Florida law calls for the trial court to determine what Terri would chose to do in this situation. The court determined the evidence was clear and convincing that Terri would chose not to continue living by the affirmative intervention of modern medicine. That seems like a reasonable method to me.

At least 108 people have died in American custody in Iraq and Afghanistan, most of them violently.

Hey IKB, did you just awake from a coma? I know this might come as a bit of shock, but I feel obliged to tell you that it's the year 2005. Pierre Trudeau is no longer PM. In fact he died in 2000. So your antipathy is misplaced.

We've all seen the headlines, and I'm sure many of us watched the Congressional debates over the fate of the Florida woman who's survival depends on extraorduinary medical means. First: the facts. So the G.O.P, party of individual freedom and small government, has decided to swoop in and, essentially, declared past conclusions the Florida courts null and void. Trial by legislation As far as I'm concerened, this is just political grandstanding by the Republicans, who are trying to appeal to their pro-life base. Sure enough.... A few other things to keep in mind: George W. Bush signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. The Republicans have voted en masse to pull the plug on medicaid funding that pays for the kind of care that someone like Terry Schiavo and many others who are not so severely brain damaged need all across this country. The tort reform that is being contemplated by the Republican congress would preclude malpractice claims like that which has paid for Terry Schiavo's care thus far. The Congressionally approved bankruptcy bill will make it even more difficult for families who suffer a catastrophic illness like Terry Schiavo's because they will not be able to declare chapter 7 bankruptcy and get a fresh start when the gargantuan medical bills become overwhelming. "Culture of life" indeed... :angry: The latest: Bush Signs Bill That May Let Schiavo Live This is the same Bush who, as governor, put more people to death (including the mentally retarded) than any other elected official in America. Fu*king hypocrite.

Th eproblem with your "new evidence" is that it's the same old evidence. That's the original, anti-Styrian story, which of course ignores the physical evidence of a suicide bomber. Also: the posthumus casting of Hariti as a brave, anti-Syrian voice in the wilderness overlooks his history of cooperation with the Syrian hegemony. Democracy, by George?

You left "freedom-hating" out of your boilerplate.