theloniusfleabag

Dear Canuck E Stan, Actually, this was eureka's work, not mine. eureka, Do you mean the US is 12% unionized? This just got me thinking... Capitalism= serve only one Socialism= serve more than one Marxism= serve everyone

Dear eureka, I had not heard that any deaths were directly attributable to 'safety cutbacks'. I get the "Occupational Health and Safety" magazine, but it is mainly about Alberta. I'll have to take your word for it that there might be demonstrable 'cause and effect'. I can only assume that the changes were made to cut costs, and not 'to make the workplace more exciting'. I only hope you don't come back and say "Since they stopped firing alcoholics, workplace fatalities have risen 2%". I disagree, because I think they are less profitable to the worker. WCB (such as it is), minimum wage laws and labour standards have replaced the most important things unions were for in the first place. Once upon a time, I agree, unions were indespensable. Now, hoever, workers simply pay double (union dues and taxes)for benefits they could be able to earn for free. I can only say that I believe that Orwell has it wrong. Fascists can use unions, pure Capitalists abhor them. As long as a union can be used as a tool by fascists, they will encourage them. What would really be trouble for Capitalists is if unions banded together not only their production power, (which, to some degree, can be replaced) but also their purchasing power, in a focused effort and direction, then they might have rekindled their purpose. As it stands now, they are all about 'self-service'. I think, as it stands, my benefit is about equal. However, if a union can force an employer to become unprofitable and/or close, then I must stand against them, for no more reason than 'they have not yet got it right'.

Dear BubberMiley, From "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the ROMANS" Chapter 1, verses 26-27... I am not sure if 'meat' is spelled right, it is a rather old bible. FTA Lawyer, Well said. It is 'fundamental religious conservativism' that seems an affront to many, and unfortunately this means, in our country, 'Christian'. Not a bad thing, but religion nonetheless.

Dear Argus, It is all about the political will to set precedent. Incarceration rates have fallen largely due to the fact that money is the primary concern for society. The gov't denies that they have a 'revolving door policy', but the numbers bear out :'1 in, 1 out'...I have heard that there hasn't been a new maximum security prison built in this country for 25 years. Fenbrook is the newest 'medium security one from 1998...http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/facilit/inst...enbrook_e.shtml Note the incarceration rates, very similar over the last few years. I am sure that the population has grown, crime stays about the same per population, but the prisons aren't growing... So, the judges will continue to have the revolving door policy until they are told to set new precedents upward, but it will cost money if the same setup is followed. I think a major overhaul of the prison system is in order...

Dear Argus, The state recently upheld the 'spanking law', and as well they should have. One of my signatures used to be "Corporal Punishment is better than General Mayhem", and I believe it. So, no, not all 'lefties' will sneer at it. I believe it to be a major factor regarding the degradation of society. However, both 'right' and 'left' have recently championed 'individual rights' without giving a single thought to 'individual responsibility', and think that if they do something stupid, they can either blame someone/something else, or sue the victim and possibly win.

Dear PocketRocket, A sobering tale indeed. It reminds me of something BHS said a while ago, when we were talking about 'parental responsibility' and theft. Something like "my dad would have kicked my ass up and down the street had I been caught stealing"...Some blame 'political correctness' for the apparent lack of discipline and respect in today's society, and they are not completely wrong. But, truly, if people are born 'tabula rasa' then the parents, first and foremost, are responsible for what gets written on the slate under the heading 'Morals'.

Dear PocketRocket, No offense taken, it is a bit of a long name. (With some names here, I have actually cut&pasted then rather than typing them...notably Tokyo Takarazuka(sp?)Of all the shortened versions I have heard of my moniker, I like this one best.

Dear August1991, I share this fear, mostly because it is unproductive and somewhat misplaced. 'Unsupervised' children reared by television and popular culture, and not their parents, are IMV, the main catalyst in the degradation of society. There was a study done on the streets of Calgary recently, (withing the last 5 years) and it found that most of the 'street kids' were from middle-to-upper middle class families where both parents were working, mostly in the corporate sector. Many kids (13-17 yr olds) felt that they were more of a 'family' with the other street kids than at home.

Dear PocketRocket, Oh dear, this doesn't say much for the relatives he is trying to 'educate'. Perhaps he is from the Ozarks. He might even have a 'step-uncle-brother' that answers to 'Dad'.

Dear Black Dog!!!, Indeed, why the unhealthy fixation with the 'DU'? I am beginning to understand where 'restraining orders' come from. A sock puppet, though? That would be against forum rules. Shady is more likely just a fawning sycophant. Still, there are a number of similarities, including the tired rhetoric of 'broken resolutions' (most of which have been debunked) and the refusal to debate or drop disproved points, the smearing with a broad brush of anyone to the left of Anne Coulter, blaming everything bad in the US from the loss of the Vietnam war to Hurricane Katrina on Bill Clinton, and now this 'DU envy'.

Dear Renegade, I agree, for the most part. There are standardized safety regulations that go beyond this contract, (Occupational Health and Safety) as well as Employment regulations that cover most everything. A decision by employers and employees to breach these rules should not be considered 'their own business', though, and usually any employer found breaking the rules is heavily fined. This is one of the reasons I am against unions, for most of what they were once there to protect (worker's rights to safe and profitable employment) are now covered by law.

Dear PocketRocket, I am inclined to agree. Radiation is one of those things that has almost zero practicality in the hands of ordinary people. It is my understanding that light is a form of radiation...http://www.astronomynotes.com/light/s3.htm So really, a 'sniffer' doesn't 'see' into the building, it detects the radiation that 'leaks out'. With buds the size of watermelons....'closet farmers' across the country would be tickled pink...not to mention possibly sterile....er,...I'll stick to the old method, thanks.

Dear PocketRocket, It can be done from space... http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/mti.htm or from the ground... http://www.grove-ent.com/nucraddet.html Mind you, thermal imaging has been used to find pot grow-ops, even though the actual imaging isn't admissable as evidence by itself.

Dear August1991, No, the embargo against Cuba is still in place and still enforced. from...http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2005/12/12/embargo.shtml Actually, some say that the enforcement of the embargo is getting worse, and the recent 'headline de jour' is about the Cuban baseball team. from... http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/o...ack=1&cset=true

Dear August1991, Indeed, I believe it has been used to connote 'better and more modern ways of doing the same things', rather than meaning change, ala liberalism. It isn't all about getting the opiate to the masses, or whether or not you give them a choice. Ultimately they will always choose. It is all about controlling the opiates, or, weaning the masses off.

Dear August1991, Not really, territorial gains by conquest did not become a moot issue because of the collapse of the USSR. In fact, territorial gains became less important that 'influencing governments' long before Russia collapsed. Britain's Empire used this method with mixed success. I agree, though it also must change it's structure and abilities to 'project force'. Sudan, Angola...indeed, when your resources are coveted more highly by others than by yourself, you can stand to make great profits...or great suffering. You are wrong on this one, August. Once the Multi-nationals have their hooks into the meat of the matter, it is only a question of how long the devouring will take. The US still has an embargo against Cuba because Cuba nationalized US assets, some 30-40 years ago. Those 'oil royalties' will be protected under force of arms for as long as they exist.

Dear Argus, What a wonderful show, often both hilarious and frighteningly real. I believe Sir Humphrey used the phrase 'pig's breakfast' instead of 'muck'... What good would this action do? Having a 'Democratic League of Nations', an Arab League, an 'Axis of Evil League', etc. would only serve to polarize nations and really serve nothing except create greater conflict. Iraq under Saddam claimed to be democratic, (a farcical one, mind you) so where would that put them? How about Saudi Arabia? The US still supports dictatorial and oppressive regimes when it is in their interest to do so, so how would the rest of the 'democratic league' stand against them? Cutting off all foriegn aid might actually be a good thing, so long as all foriegn intervention is also cut off.

Shady, I must admit that I had not heard of this before... but I still contend that the main reason information is not shared is 'protectionism' within departments. There are a prolific number of examples of this, one only has to read. The book by John Walsh about the abduction of his son held many examples of this. Only recently has there been a serious attempt to coordinate departments, and I am sure many still balk at it. However, some good has come of cooperation, such as the 'Amber Alerts', etc. This is extremely petty, inaccurate and against forum rules. I suggest you prove your words or retract them.Besides, you and Burns missed the point (surprise, surprise)... This was my point that I wished to raise for debate. I was reading news releases on GlobalSecurity.org and came across the news snippet that I posted. It got me thinking as to whether a global police force should do the job or should it be left to individual countries and their own legal systms.

Dear crazymf, Why make laws then? Sounds like you think Saddam's only crime was losing to a bigger force. They represent the law. Should we abolish laws?

Dear crazymf, Nonsense, it is illegal and should be so. Otherwise, you are supporting anarchy and individual theft as a 'right' also, which is simply the absence of 'rights'.

Dear crazymf, Truly, but the UN was created to try to end this practice.

Dear all, Merry Christmas.

from... http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/libra...223-rferl01.htm I wonder why the Italians are making such a move, if they support the Us 'War on Terror'. Really, though, I wonder whether there should be and independent 'World Police' (besides 'Team America') with jurisdiction anywhere. The UN has proven corruptable and ineffective recently, although with some re-tooling, and a mandate amendment, something like them could possibly be effective.

from... http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2F3...45A3ECA829C.htm Usually, truth comes out last when major events happen. Some dude said ..."Truth is the first casualty of war"...

Dear August1991, I think that you are overlooking a couple of important points relevant to this 'anomaly'. Firstly, most churches (and religions that hold marriage in high regard) have, for centuries (and some millenia) espoused (nay, beaten the idea into heads) the view that sex is evil, unless it is while married, and then only for the purpose of pro-creation. Contraceptives are 'against God', as is abortion (though many secular people oppose it for their own reasons).Secondly, birth rates have always been higher amongst the 'poorer' classes. So, too, has been 'religious fervor'. Most religions would dictate that women should stay at home and become 'baby-factories'. Some recommend this more vehemently that others, mind you. Why would the church oppose gay marriage if it was of no concern whether both parents worked and produced no children? (Well, besides the literal translation of the Bible, and especially of St. Paul)) The 'church' has birthrates as the overwhelming source of 'new recruits', I would say at least 95% of Catholics were born that way. As Monty Python once sang..."You don't have to be a six footer, You don't have to have a great brain, You don't have to have any clothes on, You're a Catholic the moment Dad came..." from the song "Every Sperm Is Sacred" Crusades and forced conversions are things of the past.