theloniusfleabag

Dear Mr. Hardner, Let's hope to hell not...but here are a few other numbers to consider. In Calgary, there are ads out for bus drivers wanted. Starting at $24/hr. At 250 days worked a year, (8 hr shifts, plus 4% vacation pay, but not including overtime) that works out to almost $50,000/yr. Some friends of mine own a hobby shop in Fort McMurray, and recently a young guy came in, saying he had just quit his job. He was upset that he wasn't getting any overtime, and could make more money elsewhere. He said he was clearing $1200 a week, setting up scaffolding on job sites.. At 50 weeks a year, that is $60,000 net (so the actual wage must have been near $100,000/yr.) Then again, when my friends moved up there a few years ago,(one of them was born there, so it was actually 'going back home) they bought a mobile home for $128,000. Three years later, it has been valued at $340,000. Mind you, when the sands get milked dry, that trailer probably won't be worth $50,000.

A couple of corrections I must make, Mr. Sliwa's name is Curtis, not Chris -The amount the city may spend is 15+ million, not 25, -the name of the Herald reporter was Sherri Zickefoose (a really nice person, she was as astounded as we were at how prevalent the crack usage was) KrustyKidd, Yes, we were in awe at the abilities of Mr. Sliwa. Loaded with charisma, and absolutely confident and fearless. The kind of guy you would love to have as a neighbour. Yet he was very affable and down to earth.Evidently, according to the Calgary Sun, Curtis Sliwa had been shot in New York by John Gotti Jr. a number of years ago. That probably really hurt.

Dear geoffrey, My wife and I met with Chris Sliwa, Founder and President of the Guardian Angels, along with two other gentlemen from the Denver chapter, and one from the now defunct Toronto chapter today. We took them, Rick Bell from the Sun, and a nice female reporter from the Herald (forget her name, I think it was Julie) on a walk-through of the neighbourhood around the drop-in centre. Wow. Even Mr. Sliwa was astounded by the amount of crack use, crime, etc. happening right around city hall. They confiscated a knife from one seriously spaced out crackhead woman, a crack pipe from another, and broke up a fight right outside the Cecil. Then we took them to Olympic Plaza, as Mayor Bronconnier had just announced in the Sun today his intention to spend some 25+ million of 'tax-kickbacks' to hire more police and emergency services for the downtown core. The mayor had commented in the Sun, "If I am getting asked to buy crack downtown, across from city hall, then it is time something has to be done", or some such. No guff. As luck would have it, we walked around City Hall today, from the crack and heroin addicts on the back side, to the front side (Olympic Plaza) where, lo and behold, the "420" demonstration was being held, in an effort to legalize marijuan. Grant Krieger was there, as a guest speaker, and they were in the process of doing a prize give-away, where the lucky winners got pot pipes, 'Cannabis Culture' magazines, or 'bud-buster' grinding tools. There were about 8-10 uniformed police officers there, just keeping an eye on the crowd (as per regulation when the city issues 'demonstration' permits) and we all had a bit of a chuckle. Mr. Silwa commented, "If I were a tourist coming into the city, and seeing what I have just seen in the last 2 hours, you'd think Calgary was a real 'drug city". My wife and I were in awe today, and it was incredible that, for a change, it was in the capacity for someone to be a force for good, and positive change, rather than our usual disgust at seeing the capacity for waste and the bad things some of our fellow beings are capable of.

Dear Argus, Excellent post. All of these things are good for the economy (and Mammon), no? I agree with everything you say here, and feel the prison/ justice system is most need of reform. No more free rides, make them work for their daily bread, no TV, etc, and make prisons an undesirable alternative. Turn them over to the military. No nonsense, no luxuries, and the military could use the extra funding (and practice).

Dear geoffrey (and all), As things have turned, out, I did hear back from the Guardian Angels, and am scheduled to meet with them tomorrow. They are doing a few 'spot checks' in Calgary and Edmonton this weekend, and may be considering 'chapters' here.

Dear Riverwind, 'E', or MDMA, never had 'valid uses'.

Dear August1991, To borrow one of your phrases, August, 'typical of the' right, why do the "Scales of Justice" always weigh as 'injustices versus a pile of gold'?

Hmm, $500 fine and 3 months in the hoosegow. Seems a little 'Leninesque', I should say (just for putting in Elvis Presley or Adolf Hitler and Marilyn Monroe as residents, with some 50+ kids) Mayhaps we offer deportation or a beating to wring a few more answers out of you.

Dear August1991, The Washington Capitals. The Dallas Stars.PS> Don't feed the troll.

Dear Black Dog, It is weird, and pretty much true. If Calgary had scored a couple of lucky goals and won the game, most everyone would have agreed that they did not deserve, or earn a win. To use the idiomatic vernacular, 'They shit the bed.' When this happens on a big date, you usually gome home with head hanging in shame, and unsatisfied.

Dear crazymf, I agree that this is not a good argument, and not one I try to put across, though it may sound a bit like that. However, 'legalization' implies control, while 'underground black market' means no control. I personally mean it to cover plants, and not refined product. I had said 'most people can use some drugs', not all people, of course, and not all drugs. I read a book some time ago called 'Drug, Set and Setting", a study done on 'drug users' of every kind. Yes, there was someone who did heroin once a year, as a treat. Not for me thanks.

Dear August1991, You should not seek advice from others on how to fill out the form, you should be doing whatever you heart tells you to do. That being said, I find it difficult to believe that you would consider resorting to dishonest measures in the hopes of personal gain, yet at the same time deny that this mindset would occur in the free enterprise world.

Dear crazymf, No, some addict's lives may collapse into chaos (well, even further into chaos), but try to criminalize booze and see what happens.It is my view that all natural plants should be legal (with accompanying laws of standards), while refining them should be 'severely illegal'. The poppy, the mushroom and the weed all occur naturally (or by God's will, if that is your bent), so banning (or rendering 'illegal') a part of nature seems a bit silly. Like demanding all the 'phallus plants' be hidden from sight, or covered appropriately. It is a question of "Use versus Abuse", because they are already so well established, it has long been proven that most people can use some intoxicants responsibly. I think the line can be drawn at the refineries. I read a great 'comic book' by some weird 'adult' artist, where that notion was given a couple of pages...'robot cops' that did such a good job they had to produce 'robot robbers' to keep them from harrassing everyone.

Dear geoffrey, True enough, but some things, in moderation, can be beneficial. I am against decriminalization, actually, and would prefer outright legalization of marijuana. Decrim does not really address the issues of grow-ops, gang related trafficking, etc. that are very damaging in their own right.

Dear Black Dog, Tee hee. The way I have heard it told, as to how unfair 'labels' can be, "You can screw a hundred girls, but you suck one cock and everyone calls you gay".

Dear geoffrey, You need to kow that 'biblio bibuli' is merely a troll yanking your chain for 'shits and giggles'.

An interesting note on this issue today... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060502/ap_on_...ng_temperatures But is it true?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060502/ap_on_...ca/mexico_drugs While I don't agree with hard drug usage, like heroin, I think that this approach will be better in the long run. it will free up police time to go after dealers and producers, rather than pursuing the common user at great cost and almost no effect.

Dear August1991, Who would pay for it, and who would profit from it? (you might say we all would profit from it down the road, and I would agree, but that is not a consideration. For those who serve Mammon, only the next quarterly balance sheet matters) Mammon requires it. Planned obsolesence is a real marketing tool, to encourage more consumption. Consumption means that the product will be bought over and over again, a wonderful thing for profits. Mammon would have you believe that consumption is the meaning of life. Profit from consumption for Mammon's sake is likely the most amoral way of doing thigs. Even death, or stealing and vandalism are then 'good' things, for they require people to spend money and get virtually nothing in return. Excellent for the economy, no?As Mr. Hardner opines, we are becoming somewhat near the 'libertarian dream', 30+ million 'nations of one'. The purpose of marketing is to coerce in subtle and sophisticated ways. Betsy includes a a very sobering and 'human' tocuh to this thread, well said, betsy.

My two bits here:Greed isn't the main issue, at least not solely for money. Self-gratification (even advertisements reinforce the notion "It's all about me!")is trumpeted as the greatest good, without being accompanied by responsibility. As responsibility for one's actions wanes, so do the problems grow.

Dear geoffrey, Who is to say our society is the more desirable one to join? Besides, I have been on many reserves, and seen a great level of industriousness from a lot of the 'Originals'. Some very well-off farmers live on reserve.Drea, Do you like apples? How would you like 'them apples'? The 'Originals' could actually show the rest of us how to live in a country without destroying it, and everything would be free, provided you had the 'spiritual and moral' gumption to respect it.

Dear KrustyKidd, Gee whiz, spoken like a true 'debater', you don't even want someone to agree with you! Careful, you might feel compelled to change your argument and become schizoid! The truth is, I have a couple of other friends who are like-minded on this issue, and we all feel pedophiles cannot be rehabilitated, and likely don't deserve to be. From the book "The Gulag Archipelago", the common cure for 'undesirables' was the administration of nine grams. Of lead to the back of the head. That, however, is a topic for another thread.

Dear KrustyKidd, Now, now, I am on 'the left', and am in complete agreement with you. I read a book some time ago, called "Tears of Rage" by John Walsh, who later went on to host some television police show. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with interest in this subject. Mr. Walsh's son, Adam, was abducted, sodomized, and decapitated, then discarded in a swamp. The person Walsh suspected actually taunted him from prison, laughing "Yeah, he was crying for his mommy while I f*cked his little pussy". I would have done everything in my power to kill this person, had it been me. Mr. Walsh has my enduring respect for his composure (though, at times, they allude to many personal difficulties) through it all. I also seriously doubt that 6% of pedos re-offending is an accurate number. I suspect that this is the number convicted of a second offence, and guess that the number that actually re-diddle is likely above 50%.

Dear KrustyKidd, You may be right. However, in 1979 Vietnam was still a fairly recent lesson on 'o'erweening arrogance' to a major power, and no one had managed to conquer Afghanistan in a long, long time. I'm sure some people had put the Pathan's odds at 50-50, least of all the Pathans, etc. themselves.They say patience is a virtue, but in guerrilla warfare it is a tactic.

Dear KrustyKidd, I knew I should have been more clear...the folly wasn't the action against the Soviets, the folly was to do it again...after seeing the results. Cozying up to Osama and their ilk was a move the US might have thought was risky, and it certainly proved to be harmful to the US in the long run. Then, they went to someone like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and others of his ilk, to overthrow the Taliban. As I understand it, (and I know a few people that work for Talisman) they pulled out of their Sudan interests after public pressure mounted for them to stop funding a hard-line military despotic regime from oppressing their own people for the profit of those 'in the west (Canada, mostly). Then, Talisman worked hard to 'clean up their act', and has become one of the most 'ethical' large companies around. I am afraid I am unfamiliar with the Guyana mines. I have acknowledged in the past that France was in bed with Saddam, and TotalFinaElf lost a bundle when the US invaded, which is 'tough toenails' for Total, they didn't get France to send troops in to protect their investment and help fight off the US invasion.