theloniusfleabag

Dear Riverwind, I think that this first notion suits best the 'right-wing/anarachist, but with the further caveat of: "And so what?" That is, 'why should the prey be protected from the predators'? I suppose that in an absolutely free society, they wouldn't be.

Dear Riverwind, Interestingly, some people (and I have heard the argument come from a local politician) believe welfare payments should be increased so some people don't turn to theft. Which must lead one to question: Is welfare simply a way of paying off would-be thieves so they don't steal from you?Which leads me to another question. What percentage of a population that 'went anarchist' would survive until the system stabilized to a reasonably functioning level? I think perhaps 2-5%, and I'd go to 25-50% if a gov't got formed to stop the skid. Charles Anthony, I think you misunderstood. How is 'will' enforced (whether through gov't or private police) without the 'use of force' (read: coersion)?

Dear Black Dog, Since I work with dogs, I find this question interesting. 'Positive reinforcement' (praising good behaviour so it, rather than bad behaviour, gets repeated) is the preferred method of dog training these days. It can be taken to silly extremes, mind you, and doesn't address 'consequences for bad behaviour'. I think that there needs to be an equal, but fair, mix. Punishment does not have to mean beating, it can be as simple as a 'time out'.

Dear Charles Anthony, Private policing. 2 questions...how would a 'private police force' accomplish anything without coercive force? Secondly, who would ultimately be responsible for the 'moral limits of said coersion'?

Is it ???I always though Canada's national cuisine was beer and back bacon, eh? Otherwise, pretty much every nationality is represented in the restaurant scene, even here in Calgary. It's wonderful. North America is pretty young, culture-wise, so of course most every recipe is imported. I had some wonderful bannock made by a nice elderly woman while on the Tsu'u T'ina Reserve, but oddly, she was German (actually a German-speaking Sudeten Czech whose family lost their land to the Nazis) who was the widow of a former Chief.

Dear Black Dog, Not really, for I have actually known a couple of 'welfare moms'. I won't say that they actually connived to have more children, but they sure as hell did nothing to prevent it, either. They also knew exactly what the 'pay scales' were for every child you have to support was worth, oddly enough.One of them, a young mother (I would guess 17-18) in my area, was offered a part-time job, and her response was: "I can't work, Welfare won't let me". I almost spat out my coffee. An extreme case of 'looking at the same coin from different sides'.

Dear kimmy, I do just that, and get superior quality products at better prices, since I don't drink milk. (actually, my wife drinks it like water, so I do buy it) The Habib-mart near me sells excellent spices such as black pepper, crushed chiles, sugar, turmeric, cumin and the like for 1/4 of the price of what 'Super' markets do, and are in my opinion, of better quality. I go to Chinatown (I work 2 blocks away) to "Big Wang's Meat' and get frest meats at half the price of Safeway, with no added 'pump'. ('Pump' is the colloquial term for injected or otherwise added filler, usually soy protein and it's ilk. Maple Leaf sells 'pre-cooked Roast Chicken and beef, with the 'pump quotient' for the Chicken at 21% and the roast beef at 23%! Imagine buying a meat product that is almost 1/4 'not meat'! Same goes for the ads Maple Leaf Prime Chicken ran, "We don't add water!" True, they add 'pump' instead, and having tried it once I will never buy it again.) Chinatown in Calgary also has a 'Dim Sum' place that I go to for frozen, prepared meals and appetizers that are restaurant quality at wholesale prices, made right there. Cheap and way better quality than any supermar=ket apps you will ever buy. The 'Habib-mart' and the local Farmer's markets also sell produce of often better quality, a way bigger size (some apples and green/red peppers I have bought there are half the size of your noggin!), for usually less than half the price at Safeway. I love sports, but hate 'professional sports'. Regardless, this is a political forum, and the moderator was been asked in the past to introduce an 'off-topic forum' The answer has always been 'no'. If you want to talk about Maury Povich or NFL football, go elswhere. Unless, of course, there is some sort of political bent to the story, which here, there obviously isn't one. Anyway, glad I could drift this bit into something more interesting than who ran over whom while holding some little football.

Dear kimmy, Yes, indeed it is. I am assuming he is still a 'celebrity', though I could be wrong. To me, they are all pretty much the same...Geraldo, Barry Bonds, Payton Manning or Tiger Woods, they are really all the same. Idols to millions that provide 'entertainment' that is technically of no (or even less) value to society, in a world of 'make-believe'. I vehemently (on a personal basis) disagree because I still have to pay a portion. It is not impossible, but highly difficult, to keep some of my paycheque from going towards rubbish liike this. Even grocery shopping, or going to the bar, contributes to it. If I order a 'rum&coke', it will either be Coke or Pepsi, I haven't a choice. Grocery stores like Safeway advertise heavily, so if I shop there, some of my cheque goes to Maury Povich, Tiger Woods, or some other worthless boob. I try to drink micro-brewed beer, Canadian made if possible (though the world is full of fine breweries), but never 'brand-name' stuff, and I try to go to independent/private restaurants whenever possible. As to Music, I listen to public stations such as CKUA or the local UofC station, CJSW (if only those kids would learn how to shut up and play music!)...and I usually only worship the dead guys, like Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Nesta Marley and Tiny Tim.

Let me just say how tickled I am about knowing that the enire third world could be vaccinated for a fraction of the cost of the salaries of thiose involved in even one major sport like the NFL. I would certainlyu encourage any child to participate in such a fine and fun game, but to pay adults money, let alone hundreds of millions of dollars to play the same child's game, is the acme of the ridiculous. No wonder society is swirling down the shitter, when the equivalent of the GDP of some countries gets laid at the feet of some few idols such as Peyton Manning, Maury Povich and OJ Simpson, while meanwhile, in the real world, people die in hospital waiting rooms, or children fall down and die of starvation because of a 'lack of funds'.

Dear bush_cheney2004, Interesting. When I first heard the story, I believe that they had said "Two helicopters crashed into each other shortly after take-off' and all aboard both choppers were killed'. This may simply have been the story that the press put out without having all the facts, or my memory may be faulty, as it was some time ago. Still, the story remains suspicious. from... http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/s...000/2506807.stm Obviously, as history has shown, the 'unfreezing of assets' was only part of the deal.

Dear jbg, Bah humbug!!! Jimmy Carter led "by example"; the result - Canadians having to rescue Americans from their embassy in Teheran. Leading in that manner may gain the praises of university professors and the editorial pages of the New York Times and Toronto Star. In the real world it's called "surrender". Don't forget, Jimmy Carter sent in a couple of 'Delta teams', or special forces to rescue those hostages. They all died when their choppers 'crashed'. Then, the hostages were released because of secret negotiations behind Carter's back to sell Iran missiles, and the proceeds were used to fund the Contras in Nicaragua. Who was involved, you ask? GHW Bush, as VP to Reagan, and Reagan's campaign manager-cum-CIA director William Casey (nicknamed 'the spookiest of all spooks'). So Carter's efforts with the hostages looks like it failed due to tremendously bad luck, yet when all the circumstance is examined, it looks a lot like sabotage.

Dear Figleaf, Congratulations, you invented two new words today. If you could now give some sort of meaning to them, or to the statement, it might make things easier.

Dear crazymf, Excellent find. Glad you didn't make any sort of 'partisan' comment with it, because this 'politician' could have come from any party, in any country! Well done.

Dear Leafless, Well, this all looks good on paper, but it isn't all true in practice. I don't recall anyone (at least on this forum) disagreeing with the spirit or intent of any of these points.

Dear August1991, I'd be inclined to agree with you. Dion is still too new as party leader to jump right into the PMO. As long as the PCs play it safe, there shouldn't really be a reason for an election call from anywhere. Provided, of course, Layton doesn't try to grandstand on an issue, or some weird gaffe transpires from one of the parties.

Dear kimmy, One of my dictionaries lists only one definition for 'junta', that being "a group of military people who control a country after a revolution or coup d'etat'. This has been the generally accepted definition, but it may be that Webster's has broadened it recently, as Guthrie's definition looks to be a "#2".

Dear bush_cheney2004, I suppose it could be argued that it was a long, steady decline started by Diefenbaker. Their hypocrisy is of a different nature. They aren't claiming to stand for 'truth, freedom and democracy' while commiting actions that are the polar opposite. Tony Blair may be an exception. Hard-line communist countries are generally run by bald-faced liars.

The original point of this thread was... I played High school football, and understand the game reasonably well. My question is, "What on earth does the rest of this thread have to do with politics?"

Dear Leafless, They claim that they do, I wish they would prove it. Whether one plays the role of 'good cop' or 'bad cop', they still remain 'cops', which would ultimately be a good thing. However, the US often plays both roles of 'cops and robbers'. I disagree. We are similar in a lot of ways, yet remarkably different in others. I will admit that not all of those differences are 'good', but then again, not all of the similarities are either.

Dear mcqueen625, Thank you for providing my morning chortle. You'll note that I did call for him standing trial, but in a legitimate court (The Hague) for 'crimes against humanity' (such as using chemical weapons). You should also note that the oft (and ill-)used line isn't exactly true, but simply hysterical bleating from those who don't like to think too much. The Kurds were trying to secede through force of arms, and were quashed by force of arms. Were chemical weapons not used, no one would have said 'boo'. As to the rest of your post, I have to admit, I have not seen such a 'ham-fisted segue' into a completely different topic in a long time. I'll note that I am also glad the Liberals are gone, about the only point in your post that is tenuously connected to reality.

Dear I Miss Trudeau, I was touched by an Angel once, but it made me feel 'icky'. Did you tell someone you trust? Yes, I told the horny limbless midget I keep in my closet, but she just called me a weirdo and asked me again to go for help. Not sure if she meant for her or me. Just kidding. I wonder who was reading this?

Dear Leafless, Not sure what you mean here, what exactly are the 'political and material benefits' that we have that come at the expense of the US?

You must have really rushed to get this one to the top, it is pretty much illegible. Most everyone here posts in English, though I have seen some 'en Francais'. I don't even know what language this is.

Dear Leafless, I shall stand up and say that I am one of those to whom you refer. I should like to think so, but they aren't really doing so. I support our troops in Afghanistan, but believe the mission itself to be misguided and not focused in the right direction. Further, I lament the fact that a real 'war' was not proclaimed, which has handcuffed efforts that might have otherwise been far more effective. To compare Canada to the US, and why I am critical of US foreign policy, Rwanda is a good example. Canada was one of the few countries to actually attempt intervention, even though our military has been grossly neglected. The US refused to send any troops at all, saying that the fiscal reality was that it would take the lives of roughly 80,000+ Rwandans to equal the life of 1 US soldier. Talisman Energy is another example, where they were pretty much funding the local militia to either displace or kill the local inhabitants to gain access to oilfields, with profit being the only concern. Talisman, under much public pressure, withdrew from the venture. In my opinion, that would never have happened were the US involved. In fact, the US would support through money and arms, and sometimes training and materiel, to many ruthless dictators, extremist groups, and tribal warlords if it ensured profits for US based companies, or temporary gains in political climate. Some of these dictators included: Saddam Hussein (formerly 'democratically elected' dictator of Iraq), Manuel Noriega (paid by the US army for 31 years, and by the CIA for 15 years), 'Papa Doc' Duvalier (former dictator of Haiti), Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (Afghani anti-western extremist and Muslim fundamentalist), Augusto Pinochet (former dictator of Chile), Jonas Savimbi (Head of UNITA of Angola, where brutal atrocities were commonplace, and saw heavier fighting than the Balkans conflict at the time, but was kept out of mainstream news...)...etc, etc, etc... So, while I remain critical of US foreign policy on points such as these, it is the abject hypocrisy of the US, claiming to be 'champions of freedom' on one hand, with the other hand covered in blood for their own gain that moreso doth rankle my soul. Lastly, Canada should be preparing for an all-out religious war that appears to be looming. If I should be called upon to join that fight, I can bet you that I won't be fighting on behalf of any religion.

Dear August1991, Not sure how familiar you are with the workings of mobsters, like Al Capone, etc. It has to do with 'turf' mostly. The mob expects a 'cut of the pie', and you could expect bad things to happen if they didn't get it. Doesn't matter who you are, even the president of a country could be killed if it was needed.