AngusThermopyle

So, you've taken what could have been an interesting discussion and turned it into a vehicle for your personal attacks against BC. Nice, just carry on impressing everyone with your juvenile whining. By the way, I may not always agree with BC but I have to say that he shows way more class than the more challenged people attacking him in this thread. Just grow the f*ck up junior.

I have a way better idea than that. How about we ban Canadian twits who spend their lives obsessing over ways to criticize our American neighbours.

Not yet but if we work at it I'm sure we can find a reason to do so.

Actually I thought it was rather good. It is after all just an op-ed piece so we can't expect it to be conclusive given its limited scope. the part I found to be very telling was the part I quoted as it sums up our Canadian attitude towards criminals in a nutshell. Personally I believe that if you're dealing with a murderer then the whole issue of rehabilitation is irrelevant. removing the murderer from society should be the priority, not returning them as quickly as possible.

Couldn't tell you WB, now you mention it I have to admit that I can't remember the last time I heard of someone being charged with first degree. They said on the news that this guy was being charged with second degree murder, go figure. We really do need to stiffen penalties and make them actually mean what they should. Instead we concern ourselves with the rights and rehabilitation (thats a joke all on its own) of the criminal. There was an interesting article in the paper yesterday about how our system is more concerned with rehabilitation than public safety. I'll try to remember which paper it was and see if I can find the article online. Okay, I found it. Good Article

Thats insane! Not only is it as low as it gets but its also illegal. He should be prosecuted. What I don't understand is how these guys can even have a career after flapping their gums that way. I'm pretty sure that if one of our politicians started threatening peoples children and insulting them they would be flushing their career down the toilet.

Well thank you, thats so nice of you to say. Now, what about this child bullying, I didn't hear about it myself.

Just wait till we move on to Honey Cruellers.

What exactly is the point of the silly poll at the start of this thread? Wait a minute! I've figured it out! Its a Troll poll.

Even if they could organize it with acomplices the chances of success would be very slim. During my time in the service I did a six month stint up at Alert. Believe me you simply can not imagine the conditions when you go that far north. It would be interesting to see how it would work out actually. I think I'd be willing to bet a years pay that none of them would survive. Travel in those areas is extremely dangerous, even for military personell who have been trained for the conditions and are equiped with the gear needed. Its the sort of place where even one miscalculation or mistake means you are dead, no second chances. We don't see too many escapes from prisons in milder climates so the chances of success in such a harsh and unforgiving area are slim to none at all. You really do have to experience it to truly understand just how much like the inner circle of hell it really is.

In the same vein, are you going to answer my questions about your unintelligible post?

What exactly is the point of this thread? Does it have a point?

Okay, how about providing a cite or two that will show how your previous statement is not in fact pure speculation. Also could you explain just what "the results of their acts can be linked very closely to their chance of getting more or more powerful guns" means? Do you mean the killing of someone will cause the killer to have access to more powerful guns? If that is so then I have to tell you I haven't heard anything quite so absurd in quite some time. If that is not what you meant then your statement can only be described as meaningless drivel. Personally, without something to verify it, I think your whole statement is pure speculation, rather incoherent and very juvenile. As such it should be given as much consideration as the rantings of Pee Wee Herman.

Very true, I still remember the emotions I felt during this whole affair even though one served well it tends to be a case of being tarred with the same brush. Chretiens government did nothing to disabuse any ill feelings or will directed toward the forces at this time. In fact they did quite the opposite, the press were in a feeding frenzy seeking to spread the dishonour as widely as possible. One must keep in mind that the Liberals have never been friends of the forces and in fact have more than once publicly voiced their disdain for the Military and serving members. I believe that this actually goes a long way toward explaining the scorn and dislike many in Canada feel toward our military to this day.

Actually not ridiculous at all Guyser. I just finished reading an article in the paper about a gang banger who was shot in Calgary. He was sentenced to 15 years without chance of parole for murder. When he was shot on the street in Calgary he would have been in his twelfth year if he wasn't actually walking free.

What does this mean?

You raise some good points BC but I still maintain the comparison is invalid. Chretiens government acted after the fact in a sort of damage control mode. That does not in anyway justify what they did, it merely serves to illustrate what I've always said about them, that they were a dishonourable dishonest lower form of life. They were more concerned with their personal reasons than with honesty and the good of the country. As for Matchee, well I'm sure you are already aware that he removed himself from the entire judicial process by turning himself into a catatonic vegetable so no prosecution could ever occur. Personally I have my doubts as to the validity of the claim that he did it to himself. I believe that some of his fellow soldiers decided to enact that old military tradition of expunging dishonourable conduct in a draconian manner. The disbanding of the Airborne was just a political publicity stunt and should never have been contemplated in the first place. It turns out that it was neither here nor there though since we still have our Airborne, they just cant call themselves that publicly anymore. Why didn't anyone react more quickly to Browns information? Thats a damn good question and one I've asked myself over the years many times. I think it can only be explained by the Ostrich principle, that or fear of being deemed disloyal and untrustworthy. Never the less I have always believed that such concerns should be subordinate to the truth and doing the right thing. Anyway I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on the validity of your comparison.

Darn it BC, you were doing so well with that post until you blew it with this. This is an invalid comparison and I'm sure you are well aware of it. What was being discussed was officially sanctioned torture and as such your comparison is meaningless. The Somalia incident was a rogue action committed by one member (passive participation by a few more more) in no way sanctioned officially. Therefore to compare it to official government policy is both false and disingenuous. If it were officially sanctioned then why were those involved prosecuted? Thats a rhetorical question anyway, I know for a fact it was non sanctioned as I did my six months in Somalia during the period of time this occurred and can assure you that our orders were pretty well diametrically the opposite of what these people did. Using your analogy I could state that a small percentage of Americans murder other Americans so Americans murdering Americans is official government policy. An absurd comparison to be sure, yet one that falls in line with the reasoning you used when you made that statement. If you mentioned it only to score some points it was a dismal failure.

Well that article cant be right, it didn't say anything at all about security. It also got the ages of two of them wrong. As we were told repeatedly by another poster here all involved were 14 and 15 years old. Such shoddy journalism, they should have consulted our erstwhile poster if they wanted to get it right.

Wow! Do you actually believe this! Obviously you have never been up north. Someone escaping in that location would last a day at most, don't worry about Bears, the environment would do the job very quickly. Not to mention the fact that they'd end up going in circles as there are no roads or landmarks to guide one, no rivers either. When the wind blows and the temps hit -40 to -60 even the hardiest of gangbangers would wilt like a hothouse flower. No amount of bling or homies who cant shoot straight would change that fact.

How very true, if only they'd run it more like Russia or North Korea or China. Perhaps it should be run more like just about any African or Middle Eastern country. Or maybe a European nation with there idyllic societies that suffer no problems at all. Quite often I have found that those who label themselves as left will do nothing but criticize the very society they live in whilst not recognizing the fact that they live in just about the best place they possibly could. Personally this just tells me that they have no personal experience with the rest of the world. Of course extreme views abound on both ends of the spectrum, thats only to be expected. For instance, thew other day I was talking to a person who would definitely fall into the category of "right wing". This person told me in all seriousness that they didn't believe in Gravity, Evolution and Physics. This would be an example of either extreme ignorance or extreme ideological leanings. Conversely I have met those who are "left", they in turn have told me that all the worlds problems could be solved if we all acted as a collective and funded every good cause one could think of. When asked who would generate this funding without a Capitalist system in place they have become angry and loud. So, we have those on both sides who harbour extreme and irrational views. Some would label me as Conservative, on this I would disagree with them. Personally I prefer to approach any subject from a basis of practicality and non emotion, if possible. Of course, as with anything there are no absolutes so from time to time I find emotion clouding my thoughts on a subject (quite a bit lately, for some reason I've been irritable and rather short recently). what I do find strange is the way that people just jump to conclusions and automatically label others. So, bullies do exist on both sides of the spectrum and one will find those on both sides who operate from a basis of emotion rather than rationality. Perhaps I've just been unfortunate in that I seem to meet quite a few extreme leftists. Wimpy loud strident insulting ones at that (one of them is my nephew actually, a professional student who at 33 years old has never held a job).

Well I have to admit you're right about that. I did make an assumption based on nothing more than the perception created by the lone post.

I see this discussion going on for days with no resolution in sight. Lets just get rid of turbans and stetsons and johdpurs and all the rest. They should all just have to wear assless chaps and Carmen Miranda fruit hats instead.

Damn it! You did it again! I think I read the same article. Around here the cops most certainly do turn a blind eye toward Native antics, in fact I've heard a couple say just that more than once. In this area the term "catch and release" is not just for fishermen but Natives too.

Hmmm, who says I'm right wing? For instance I support the right of gay people to marry. I think Canada's stance on Marijuana is ridiculous. I think people deserve equal treatment no matter what race or origin. Does that make me right wing? I just don't support the left wing habit of spouting garbage constantly and labeling anyone who disagrees with them, labels such as racist or right winger for instance. Your post does illustrate perfectly the feeble minded response of the left to any who do not march in lockstep with them though.