Brainiac

That is one of the many jobs of a Police Constable. The emotional outburst by the Peel Region Police Chief was however, unprofessional. The police MUST be seen as being objective even though at times that is very difficult to do.

All I am saying Morgan is that it wouldn't be the first time the Liberals ripped off an Alliance idea and spun it to suit their own needs. Martin will flip flop till the cows come home. It won't matter, because people perceive the Liberals as the 'safe' vote. How many times did they vote in Chretien after he had lied his ass off? You know why? It was because he was the safe vote. People were ready for a change years ago, but there was no one they could feel comfortable voting for other than the Liberals.

The difference is that they would have a choice of who to vote for. Many people didn't see the old Alliance as a viable alternative to Chretien, so they voted for Chretien. That is what I think might happen if Harper wins the leadership this early in the parties lifetime. It is going to take time to shake off the mistakes made by certain Reform/Alliance members of the past. There is no doubt in my mind that people want change, it is just a matter of making that change a little more 'safe' so that they feel good throwing their votes in a particular direction. Harper is doing well when he tries to pain the Liberals as the party of the wealthy and not the 'common man'. Untested, but a seemingly safe alternative. I don't disagree, I just think he needs time to shed the baggage of his previous party. I actually think he would make a great leader, but I think people in the urban areas (where most of the votes are) need time to see him grow out of the old stereotypes that dogged his old party. He is seemingly unsmearable(is that a word?), and he seems to think before he speaks...all excellent indicators that the Liberals will have a difficult time smearing his personal reputation...however, they will have no trouble smearing his former party and that could send Harper into political oblivion. As for Harper using the gay marriage thing for political leverage, I don't think it will work...Martin can do the exact same thing...after all he had nothing to do with the original bill, it was his 'crazy' predecessor. I think that there is a need for some long term strategy, and try to resist the quick fix.

What the new conservative party has to do for this coming election is set the groundwork for their newly merged party to appear merged and seperate from any extreme ideas. So that in the election to follow the coming one they will have improved their perception amongst voters. Electing Stronach as leader may actually be a wise choice at the moment to ensure this future success. To have a socially conservative leader this early in the parties life will surely spell disaster. Once this new party is pegged with the 'crazy social con' label it will be absolutley useless. Social Conservatives need to bide their time and be patient. If not they might as well just form Alliance part two and continue to split the conservative vote.

Well the decriminalization legislation that was brought forward earlier this year actually raised the penalties for people who sell or grow drugs. The decriminalization aspect of the legislation is meant for users of 'small' amounts. So I don't understand how the above scenario could work out to damage the PM, if that is what you are suggesting. The PM introduces tougher penalties on pushers and growers and then some people in his party get caught selling pot, or using drug money to finance political activity. That would make it look like the PM didn't know what they were up to, making him no part of the illegal activity. Now whether or not that is a bad thing I wouldn't know. Is the PM suppose to have tabs on everyone who works for them?

Dunno? Why don't we? I am sure the gay bars and resorts (didn't know there was such a thing)wouldn't mind, good way to make some extra cash. Good idea. I think the reason we don't is because breeders don't feel they need to have a parade. Be nice to see though. Maybe the pregnant and nursing mothers could get a float so they didn't have to walk. I do that already. I have them love the fact that I am straight and not asshamed to let people know!

If you say so. Criminals probably don't read a lot of things. What is your point? No. I never said that corrections statistics give Toronto Metro a greater sense of confidence. Do you think they should? Do you think Toronto Metro lacks confidence? I personally don't know any Toronto Police Officers who are terribly worried about the rise in the number of homicides in the city anymore than they need to be to solve the crime. It isn't a daily reality for them. The Statistics however might help some people who read the Sun chain of newspapers on a regular basis get a better perspective on the homicide situation in the country, that is what I am getting at. I point out the Sun because they have a tendency to really play up crime issues in the paper more than other news outlets. Life must seem so simply when your world is painted with such broad brush strokes. As for the report that you cited from the Fraser Institute, you gave it a misleading title. The report said very little about the increase of violent crime in Canada. It was a report on how the gun registry is a failure. I would have to agree with that conclusion, but that is another issue. As for the one section of the report that talks about the violent crime increase in Canada, it gets its info from this source Crime Statistics in Canada, 2001 Juristat 22, 6, Statistics Canada I suggest you read it to put the claim the report made into perspective, and to see what sorts of violent crime are on the increase. So what should we do to all the people who commit minor assaults? Kill em? I don't recall ever saying there was a large or small number of anti-death penalty advocates. The idea that the death penalty is a partisan issue is almost as retarded as the idea of partisan politics itself. Trying to pigeon hole someones beliefs is pointless, that is unless they are a mindless fool who just takes in whatever idea their particular wing believes in. What about 'conservatives' who don't agree with a death penalty? Or do only liberals believe that it is a bad idea and conservatives think that it is the best thing in the world. If only everything was that simple, life would be so much more BORING!

Yeah, I am starting to realize that. I hear a lot of talk about how the media is biased to the left and then when it comes to crime and legal issues the media is all of a sudden not a bad place to look.

I will refer you to the Correctional Services of Canada website. This is what they say about the above myth. Myths and Realities This link may also help some other people on this thread get a better idea of what the real facts are concerning our Corrections system in Canada. The media has failed in just about every attempt they have made to try and get across information regarding crime in Canada. The reason being is that it is too complex of an issue to be blurted out during the evening news cast or to fill a column on a page in a newspaper. I see that lack of understanding a lot in these threads. Udawg, serial rapists do not commit that many rapes here in Canada...the majority are commited by men that the women know and who are more than likely on a date with. To use serial rapists as an example is nothing more than some lame shock tactic that holds little water. It is like saying everyone who commits a murder is a serial killer. Completely ludicrous. Here is a Statistical Overview done by the Correctional Services of Canada The Safe Return of Offenders to the Community It is very recent and dispells a lot of the rhetoric that gets shot around on a topic such as this. The CSC website is very helpful in trying to get a better idea of the corrections situation in Canada. That being said, it will probably not change anyones position on the death penalty, but it will give them better information to base their opinion on.

Jeffery Dahmer was a cannibal. Sado-Masichism is not the same...it is a sexual kink that is performed between consenting adults. As for the counsellor being fired...on its face that is a little extreme, but I am curious what was written in the letter to the newspaper...what if a gay student wanted to talk to the counsellor? Would his beliefs effect his job? Are his beliefs Christian or just bigotted? Did the bed and breakfast owners allow couples with no children and who were not married stay at their place? Did the gay men say they wanted to stay there so they could screw all night? I find that difficult to believe. Again, the whole story might help shed some light on the situation. Also, are the owners Christian or just bigotted? Did the school allow straight couples to go to the prom? Was there going to be sex at the prom? If the two guys were straight would they still be allowed to go to the prom together? The Catholic church doesn't condone premarital sex, so what is the schools position on dating? I didn't understand why a gay guy went to a Catholic school in the first place though. She did not want a gay pride parade in the town. So she personally had a problem with gay people. You say she was forced to resign, but just because the gay people in town got to have a parade she resigned? Or did they make her resign? There are also plenty of cases of people using religion as a reason to discriminate against people. These people are the problem with religion today. I am a Christian (Baptist) and I don't understand why people think they can push their religious beliefs on others in society. Being a Christian I have never had anyone tell me I should shut up about my beliefs...but then again I don't use them to discriminate against my fellow citizens...and try to force my beliefs on people. If gay people want to have a parade, who cares. They pay taxes too.

Capital punishment, just like any other punishment for a crime is only so good as the publics perception that they will be caught and the punishment will be dealt out. You can raise the traffic fines to whatever amount you wish, but if people think they can get away with it, they will still continue to speed. People will still shoplift if they know they could lose their hands for doing so if they don't think they will get caught. Criminals are not smart people, if they were they would not be criminals. Some criminals commit crime for things such as survival (ie.stealing), but most do it because they aren't smart enough not to. They also have very little respect for their fellow citizens. I don't agree with having a death sentence because there is no guarantee that only guilty people will be put to death and its effectiveness as a deterrent is unfounded. As for the emotional aspect of killing a killer, sure it might make some people feel good that that person is dead, but that doesn't change the harm that they did to the victim and quite honestly, I believe death would be a pretty good sentence if I raped and murdered a little child...it is better than having to live with yourself for the rest of your life and have nothing to do but think about what you have done all the while knowing that life is passing you by on the other side of the wall that you get one hour a day to walk around inside of.

I suspect the reason that the Canadian Government may have been keeping quiet about this case at the beginning is because of an ongoing investigation by the RCMP and CSIS into friends and associates of Mr. Arar. Him being arrested by the United States may have compromised an operation that the Canadian authorities had going on Mr. Arar and his cohorts. Not to mention it turned the whole thing into some political circus that the Canadian Government had no choice but to make some kind of stand on. Intelligence work is best done outside of the view of the public...the US arresting this man and sending him to Syria possibly screwed up a seemingly successful operation by forcing the issue into the eyes of the public. This damages intelligence sharing relationships between governments. Watching a suspect is not a method used as a protective measure so much as it is an intelligence gathering measure. When you watch someone you have two goals. You are trying to determine what he is up to and how many people are in on this with him. Making sure he doesn't act out his plans is a by product of the surveillence. Intelligence Agencies purposly try to make themselves appear incompetent to an extent in the eyes of the public. That is a large part of their effectiveness. The US probably should not have arrested Mr. Arar for the simple fact that it probably alerted a number of sleeper agents he may have been working with. Some of these agents were probably known to Canadian authorities, but I bet there were ones that were not yet. Intelligence is a game that requires patience in order to win big. There is no place for politics in such a situation.

I know some see the old Alliance as either being a party full of racists or that they are hell bent on making Canada more 'American', whatever that means. I can't say I agree with either of these sentiments, but that is the reasoning behind why some people distrust the old Alliance. Having them change their name is a start, but the perception is still there. As for your predictions, I suppose only time will tell. As for the resentment being based on them not doing well I can see how that would come from people who voted for them, but how does that explain the resentment from people who didn't vote for them?

Morgan, I got your point. I just don't believe that there are only two BSE cases in North America and I think it is useless to blame one country or the other for this 'outbreak'. The fact of the matter is both countries have been less than thorough with their measures towards stopping this problem from happening here. The fact that the States has an equally shoddy system is not moot to the broader picture. Cattle does not just flow from Canada to the States. What if the feed that the cow in Canada ate was from a rendered cow from the States? It is an integreated system that demands cooperation and openness from both sides of the border. Just because the second cow came from Canada doesn't mean Canada is the reason for the problem alone. I agree that the idea that these are spontaneous is utterly ridiculous. I haven't heard that explanation myself, but I am sure it was the idea of the beef industry who has a lot of influence in both Canada and the United States.

The Charter is a legal document thus it is law. Being a law is where it gets its power from. If it wasn't a law there would be no way for people to have their rights enforced. As for rights being unchanging, I disagree. Any right that cannot change with a changing society is basically useless. Note, changing doesn't mean that anyone loses their rights, they are usually extended. A gay man being able to marry has no effect on my right as a straight man to also be married. As for the issue that started this thread...it appears that the group wants to extend sharia law to Family Law in Ontario if both parties agree to it. There is a Muslim womens group that sees it as being a waste of time. I think I agree with the Muslim Womens group.