theloniusfleabag

Dear Black Dog, I hardly think so. He's gotten off 'scot-free' (or is that 'Scooter-free?), and the whole thing will be a wash. Libbey will likely be found innocent due to 'lack of evidence', and the whole thing will be swept under the rug. It must be pretty filthy under there.

Dear Mr. Hardner, I agree, the outright abolition of unions would not have transition 'go smoothly'. That is why I used the term 'abandoned'. If the Gov't was able to shop around, with union labour being just one of the bidders, they would not always (indeed, rarely) be competitive. My answer to the Gun Registry debacle was along the same lines. Turn over the admin to private registries, like vehicle registration. Have the user pay a private company, and have the company submit the info to the gov't/police. Much, much more cost-effective.

Dear Mr.Hardner, I would think a good start to this would be to abolish unions. Though I am a 'leftist', I think unions cause more trouble and cost than they offer benefit. Most reasonable labour standards are covered by law, the union movement is passe. There have already been major strides and savings in 'jobbing out' things such as road paving, public works, etc. to private companies. (Though pitfalls include the notorious 'Adscam'). The more privatization of public services occurs, the 'less gov't' (or at least, bureaucracy) there need be. CUPE doesn't need to be abolished, it needs to be abandoned.

Dear August1991, I think that the world needs to move towards having no borders whatsoever. That being said, I would favour a policy of No immigration until that time. Yes, but I would make the exception of repeat criminal offenders, and/or pending criminal charges (that are in line with our laws, not someone facing a beaheading for practicing homosexuality). I agree, a lot of what I have read would certainly fall under the category of 'flame posting'. I sincerely hope that this thread becomes the only one to deal with 'immigration' notions.

Dear August1991, From what I understand, the player in question is David Beckham, an Englishman. Yes, but then so does almost every team in the NHL. Evidently, Carolina has more Canadian-born players than Edmonton.

Dear Shady, Upon re-reading the book, I stand corrected. From the book, pg.195 A qualifier in the back of the book, about the religious parties and 'warlords', tribes, etc....(listed under the 'moderates', and not the 'fundamentalists')

Dear August1991, Tee hee. I agree, sensitivity is important, lest one be easily compared to an inanimate object. The meat of the matter is moreso about what gratification one can accomplish with one's membership, not how often one uses it or how big it is. Penetrating to the heart of an issue, thrusting to reveal the main point, is most often a 'labour of love', and should not be simply an exercise of unfocused verbal ejaculation.

Dear killjoy, I have to agree here. The Taliban was an abomination, both in the world at large and internally. Hamid Karzai, though an admirable figure, (I first read about him in the book "Soldiers of God: With the Mujahideen in Afghanistan" by Robert Kaplan) was simply another warlord backed by the US (among others). A policy that got you into trouble should almost never be used again to get you out of that trouble.

Dear killjoy, Well done. Garbage like this... should have no place here, 'left or right'. I think BD's point (and Dyer's) is that replacing one Islamic fundamentalist regime (that insists on Sharia law) for another is going to be fruitless (for the 'West') no matter how it was done, whether democratically or by simply backing the strongest horse.

Dear ClearWest, I am not sure, but I found that fondling it can help you attain 'Rigid' or 'Swollen Member'.

Dear crazymf, Good luck, hope to see you back soon. Oddly, this was mine. I didn't know he was a legitimate 'turn the other cheeker' when I posted that, and though I am not a 'conservative', nor 'right wing', I though his actions were a bit odd, so I asked about them.As to some of the other stuff, some of it is 'flame material', some genuine. I would say that this board has a fairly equal mix of left and right, and that it is a good thing.

Dear Argus, An excellent post. This rings true, and is one of the few articles that seems to take a pragmatic view, one that both the 'left and right' should heed. However, it raises the question as to whether or not the Koran demands the destruction of 'the alienating society'. Jews (orthodox and other devout sects or individuals) that try to keep 'kashrut' lifestyles would likely not find it easy in a western, secular society, but it can be done. The same goes for Muslims, for there are 'halal' butchers and restaurants, mosques, etc. and limitless opportunities to create 'righteous lifestyles'.

Dear August1991, Indeed, when has anyone? You bring forth the flaw in democracy, not in the UN, though it suffers because of it too. Think of this... as 'the bad Libertarian', and it puts us at square one. If I may quote a line from killjoy, The US believes that the voice, health and welfare of 'Mary Jones from Topeka' should always be valued above and beyond 80,000+ 'Maha Jarifs from Taif'. I never said that the US should be big enough to vote against themselves. Why I quoted killjoy's line was to show that the US will never acknowledge any kind of grievance, legitimate or otherwise: they claim that there are none. No offence meant here, but the CIDA has no expectations to meet, and no authority to implement the use of force to help achieve ends. They cannot be held accountable for any failure other than budgetary, and if they actually do accomplish something, they would likely receive 'praises and raises', rather than scorn or derision. No wonder they seemed happier, that is like a dream job to some.

Dear Argus, Well, this line of thinking demands that our unemployment rates should dictate immigration numbers, till they both end up at zero. Not a terrible policy, but some might think it a tad 'cold-hearted,', or 'inhuman'. A piffle of a half-measure, declare war upon them and be done with it. Or, at least have the knackers to challenge them to a theological debate. (I don't mean specifically you, I actually concur with what I believe is your intent: Challenging Islam to 'put up or shut up')

Dear killjoy, Excellent line. Exemplary, in fact.

Dear August1991, I would say that the 'left' is critical of both sides, as they are generally critical of any kind of religious fundamentalism. That includes radical Muslims, Zionists, and kimmy's It seems, though, the 'right' can never be critical of their own actions, and assume that any opposition can only come from either jealousy or hatred. The 'left' is often critical of our (and the US') actions and 'hegemonic' foreign policy, but this is often twisted into catch phrases such as 'the left's self-loathing' and other such rubbish.

Very funny, Wilber. I heard a joke long ago about a hockey fan who dies and goes to heaven. He asks St. Peter, "Is there Hockey in heaven"? Peter replies, "Oh yes, there is a game tonight, (tix are free, of course). I'll show you... So, at the arena, the man asks Peter "Who is the team in white?" and is told, "Those are the Angels, they think they are very good". So he asks, "Then that team in red, they must be the 'Devils'?" Peter replies, "You are correct, and they think that they are very, very good". Then the man asks, "Who the heck is skating around at centre ice doing pirouettes, wearing number 99?" Peter replies, "Oh, that's God. He thinks He's Wayne Gretzky".

I'll have to agree with Shady and crazymf, and Not much different than a serial killer, just fueled differently. If Micheal Berg chose to forgive him, so be it, he is a more generous man than I. Zarqawi chose to spread death, not life or knowledge. The world needs less like him. August1991, I don't believe you can simply write off their comments as being motivated by the 'madness of grief'. That would be akin to saying "They don't mean it, they have just gone crazy for a bit. Give them time, and they will come around to thinking like I do". Unfortunate? Hey, it sells papers, so it must be 'good'.

Dear August1991, This is not exactly what was said, and it is a bit disingenuous for you to put it in such a light. Brown admits that the UN is not up to snuff. (the "Guilty on all counts" bit) He also said that the US is partly to blame. This is true, insofar as the US usually does not help UN missions when it is not in their direct strategic or economic interests to do so. The speech doesn't mean it, it is merely an example of it, but it is true nonetheless. Haven't you been putting the pieces together? The 'New World Order', the claim that the US shall never allow another country to even come close to matching US military capability, the declaration that the US and it's soldiers will never be tried for war crimes, and that it retains the right to pre-emptively strike anyone, anywhere, anytime it deems such an action to be 'in their national interest'. Doesn't leave much room for an international body to set any rules to which they might be bound.

Bolton was known to be arrogant and abrasive before he became UN rep. The US knew full well what stance he would take, because he made no secret that he hated the UN and what it stood for. The US gov't (and the businesses it serves) have nothing but disdain for the UN. Not because it is an ineffective beuraocracy, either, but rather because it is a hinderance to the free hand the US wishes it had in international politics.

Dear August1991, There is already a topic in the US Politics thread on this, not sure if you meant for this one to be a bit different.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060608/ap_on_...al_zarqawi_berg What a strange take on the matter.

Wonderful stuff. My wife and I fostered many dogs and a few cats for an Animal Rescue Foundation in Calgary (we only adopted 3!). A much needed service and tremendously rewarding. Glad to see Harper feels the same.

Dear Argus, How would it be possible to let in 'fewer of this type of person' (really, it should be none at all of this type of person) when there is no way to screen what is in 'their hearts and minds'?

Dear Darth Buddha, You can't use the more than 10 times in a post or none of them will register.