Wild Bill

You keep saying that and there is some truth there. However, not in Ontario! And Ontario has a huge number of voters! It would be easier to re-elect Mulroney than for the NDP to gain majority support again in this province. Bob Rae's term just hurt too many people too badly! It is a waste of time trying to argue with people. It is not a "head" thing but a "gut" thing. A lot of voters are going to have to grow old and die off before the situation will change. Now, that being said, there has always been a small demographic in Ontario that would vote NDP even if Charles Manson was their leader! Perhaps with a small block from Ontario and increased support in other provinces the federal NDP could achieve power, as did Harper without support from Quebec. If this ever happened AND the federal NDP did not make any serious mistakes it would go a long way towards erasing Bob Rae's legacy. However, it will NOT be an easy thing to make happen!

Man! This was all SO predictable! Someone should have sealed an answer in an envelope to be opened after a few years. Apparently, the critics have conveniently forgotten that they castigated the new Harper government for not recognizing a coming recession and DEMANDED zillions of dollars of stimulus spending! Being in a minority situation at the time, Harper had no choice but to go along with the demands. A few years later, those same critics are now screaming that Harper put us into a deficit! A number of us predicted it at the time and now we have been proven right. And some here wonder why some of us refuse to take them seriously...

And the weather! It's so hot! The conservatives are personally responsible for global warming!

Got a couple, BC. A Sanyo for workaday applications and a late 50's Roberts that weighs a ton for serious stuff!

This is a carryover from the days of the cassette tape! We can all thank Sheila Copps for this. Back then the record labels were complaining about people transferring their vinyl albums onto cassette tape, then making extra copies for friends or supposedly for sale. They petitioned the Feds and Sheila Copps became their champion. Every blank cassette had an extra 25 cents added to the price. The money was supposedly for artists who were losing royalty money, we were told. Now, I am very close to such musicians in my career and in all these years I have yet to meet one who every received even a dime! The cassette gave way to the CD and then the DVD. The extra charge just followed along. Now the SD is the target. For the amount of actual piracy it always seemed a sledgehammer to kill a fly approach. Also, many people resented having to pay extra just to put something they had already paid for, like an LP, onto a different media. What's more, many people used cassettes and later CDs for things that had nothing to do with music, such as taking notes or dictation or for data recording. It's not as if the record labels are in the forefront of new artist discovery and career advancement anyway! This ripoff charge should go the way of the one for the plastic bags in Toronto.

Yeah, before we could have the tactile sensations we would have to invent tractor and the converse, pressor beams. Implants or something similar to RF induction is more likely in the foreseeable future.

Last week I got a phone call. The call display said that it was anonymous, which is always suspicious. When I answered, a gentleman with a thick 3rd world accent identified himself as an employee of MicroSoft who had detected a virus in my computer. If I would just cooperate with him he would remove it for me. I couldn't help it, I started to laugh! It was so obviously a scam! And a very lame ass executed one at that! After a few moments of hearing me laugh uncontrollably he realized that it wasn't going to work and hung up! Unbelievable that anyone would believe that MicroSoft would call them personally to fix one computer with a virus...

Oh, forgive me Melanie! I thought it was about the Gay Pride parade being hijacked by some as a vehicle to attack Israel. I should have realized it was actually all about Mr. Canada! I can be a bit slow sometimes. This is yet another example of why I find the left far more inclined to ad hominem attacks than the right. I happen to deplore Mr. Canada's views on homosexuality also but I find these debating tactics even more disappointing..

Yep, if someone says something you don't want to agree with just put ridiculous words in his mouth and treat him as if he actually said them!

You are entitled to your dream, Vineon. While I would prefer to have a united Canada I would respect a free and democratic choice from Quebecers. Where I take exception is when I hear outright ridiculous claims from BQ and PQ leaders that the separation would be painless and that it would not hurt Quebec financially - that TROC would cheerfully support a common currency and be all warm, loving and fuzzy about dividing up assets and responsibities. This is just romantic crap! TROC would be hurt and angry! Any politician who appeared to be soft on a separation agreement towards Quebec would be committing political suicide! Remember, when Quebec no longer had seats to offer a party it would immediately become irrelevant to the fortunes of a politician and his party. In the long run I believe Quebec would adjust to being a separate nation but a lot of people would be hurt in the meantime.

Yeah, another meaningless poll taken in the middle of BBQ season! It means even less than most polls but those times when polls show the NDP in the lead, even when its still within the margin of error, will serve to bring cheers to all the NDP supporters! They will take them to mean that victory is not just within their grasp, it is guaranteed!

August, I feel you are trying to argue strategic points with emotional patriotism. That just can't work. As I have said several times, I too want a united Canada. However, my feelings are not going to change a damn thing as far as how things are REALLY working! It is a fact that Quebec has very different values than TROC, perhaps far more in tune with the NDp than the Tories. They are not likely to embrace much of Harper's team unless he becomes very much more leftwing in his approach. It is also a fact that this would hurt his support in TROC quite deeply. How we feel about this is quite irrelevant. It is what it is! It is a far smarter move for Harper to protect and encourage his support in TROC than to try to appeal to Quebecers. He has already learned he can get a majority without Quebec. If that doesn't make Quebec irrelevant I don't know what else does! How do our feelings change such facts? Do you have any other ideas as to what the CPC could do next election? THAT WOULD WORK? Or do you think Harper SHOULD try to cater to Quebec and thus lose his majority? Because make no mistake about it August, that is indeed the reality of the situation. Your conception of the values of TROC are completely at odds with that of all of us who live here! Have you ever lived for an extended period of time in TROC, August? Frankly, you always sound very much the typical introverted, parochial French Canadian. I don't mean this to be insulting. It works quite similarly in reverse with we Anglos towards Quebec, as I am sure most Quebecers have always known quite well. If we are ever going to get past all this and be a truly united country we are going to have to deal with realities as they are and not confuse it with the desires of our heart.

In what context, August? As far as providing jobs and income, Alberta is richer than Ontario, at this point in time. In the context of culture, Newfoundland has the rest of the country beat for music and fun, hands down! Just as money by itself can be cold, it's hard to party when your kids are hungry.

This is a good point. Gay Pride should not allow itself to become associated with any particular political viewpoint. If nothing else, it dilutes their message. Worse yet, through coverage in the mainstream media people might start to assume that all gays are of a certain political stripe. From there it is but a small step to make the assumption that if you want to support gays you have to support those same politics! We have seen the plight of American blacks who dare to be Republican. So we really want that sort of thing here in Canada? Where people assume what party you vote for by the colour of your face? Where if you are gay yet vote Tory you would be ostracized by the gay community? Bigotry comes in many forms.

I don't recall making any Moonbox argument. I thought I was making my own. Sorry. I'll leave you alone.

There have been some media reports, Melanie. Not just for this parade but for the past few. Do you realize you are giving the benefit of the doubt AUTOMATICALLY to the Gay Pride Parade? If it happened at the Fat Old White Guys Parade, would you have done the same? If Harper had been accused of such a thing many here would instantly have accepted it as gospel and called for him to be publicly hung! Double standards are insidious things. Lots of links if you care to do a google. Here's one: http://www.haaretz.com/news/anti-israel-group-could-cost-toronto-gay-pride-parade-its-funding-1.284697 "Toronto officials consider pulling city funding over participation of group named 'Queers Against Israeli Apartheid'." "The municipality's general manager of culture, Mike Williams, told the Toronto Star this week that the city has received complaints following the use of the phrase "Israeli apartheid" at Pride Toronto. T-shirt slogans equating Israel to Nazi Germany were also reported, with some complaints coming from Israel. He added the complaints pertained to the group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid - or QuAIA - which may have violated the city's anti-discrimination policy in previous parades, and may do so again if allowed to participate this summer. This, he said, would have "very serious" repercussions for organizers." There's ALL KINDS of reports, Melanie! Hardly a mystery and certainly fact, not just rumour.

Once again, I am both sad and amazed at the reaction of many to such reports. You ARE displaying a double standard! Who gives a damn if they are gay? If any group allows itself to be used as a forum for hate the fact that its main message is for some minority group is no excuse for not bothering to take action. Years ago when the Reform Party was new they sometimes discovered racists had taken out membership. When one was discovered they were unceremoniously given the boot! In fact, when one CANDIDATE for election was discovered Preston Manning himself booted him out, leaving no time for an alternate candidate. Reform allowed the riding to pass uncontested. Meanwhile, a similar scandal had broken over a liberal candidate and he was allowed to continue in the race, with the feeble excuse "Well, what can we do? We have no time to replace him!" Now we have open displays of anti-semitism in Gay Pride parades. Are we supposed to IGNORE racist behavior within its ranks? Do anti-semites get a free pass because they are gay? Give yourselves a shake here, people! Wrong is wrong! The organizers of the Gay Pride movement have an obligation to throw such characters out! How can they expect fair treatment for themselves while allowing bigotry within their own ranks?

You seem to completely confuse coldly logical games theory with emotional value judgements, Peter. As usual, any question demands a context! I don't recall anyone saying that ignoring Quebec is good for the country. Certainly, I would never have said that myself. My own emotional preference has always been for a united Canada. I just don't believe that any price to achieve that is positive. At the time the Liberals enjoyed a long stretch of power Alberta seats WERE irrelevant! As long as the context was simply to stay in power, that was the case. Emotionally, it severely damaged the relationship for the long term between many westerners and the Liberal Party, which is now paying the price for that choice. I would say that if you view all politics in such an emotional light you are lucky you are not responsible for trying to increase support for any party! You are entitled to your own opinions, no matter how emotional they may be. However, you lessen the chances of many wanting to share your position.

Yeah, and last I checked Alberta didn't have its own embassies and immigration department...

Tell us how you REALLY feel, Rick! Man, I swear you would blame Harper for bad weather! You always take it over the top and into the irrational. Perhaps you should get counseling. I think even Jack would have been leery about having you on his team, for fear you would get them all tarred with the same brush... You make the Taliban look like free thinkers!

Earth to Peter! I need votes to get in power. One group will not give me any. Another will. There are enough of those that will to get me into office. The group that won't has unique demands that would upset the group that will, reducing the numbers I need to achieve my goal. So simple games theory says I should not pander to the group that offers me no support anyway. Now what's irrational about that?

I guess this is the path we are following: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/inquiry-opens-in-case-of-uk-man-who-drowned-as-firefighters-refused-to-help-citing-safety-rules/ "Inquiry Opens in Case of UK Man Who Drowned as Firefighters Refused to Help Citing Safety Rules" "n a story that seems too unbelievable to be true, a charity shop worker drowned in a shallow lake in Gosport, England, after firemen and rescue workers stood by and refused to help. The man, 41-year-old Simon Burgess, fell into the water while feeding swans and was left there until a rescue team with individuals who were legally able to assist reached him 28 minutes later. And while the incident occurred last spring, officials are starting to hear testimony in an official inquiry this week. Simon Burgess Drowns in Shallow Water as Firefighters Watch The firemen, who were reportedly only 25 feet away from the man, allegedly refused to rescue the man, as they cited health and safety regulations. And a police officer who arrived after learning about the incident was reportedly called back after he started moving into the ankle-deep water to rescue the man." I find this similar to what we have been told about the Elliot Lake disaster. At first thought, of course it's possible that it was too dangerous initially for rescue workers to enter. Possible, but who said? We tend to confuse possible with actual and take the report as a given. Rescue workers are supposed to be trained for dangerous situations and to use their own judgement and initiative. This is not what had happened in Elliot Lake. A Health and Safety official had made his own decision and called the workers off. In effect, rescue work was made into a bureaucratic procedure, where individual judgement is substituted for a rule book, a very thick rule book! Individual judgement is removed. It seems to me that this incident in Britain perfectly illustrates the end result of such thinking.

Here's my questions again, Jack. Forgive me if I'm blind but could you quote me those answers you claim you gave me? All I saw was a complaint than you had some bad management. Perhaps I missed it.

Great! I get chosen as a Senator. I serve 5 years, after leaving my existing job and career. Afterwards, how do I make an income? If I get a pension after only 5 years, will you be one of those complaining? No thank you! If chosen I would refuse to serve.

Jack, I think you are so upset you are confusing me with other posters. Those were not MY contentions! I would never deny that some companies bargain in bad faith. Just because I criticize one side does not make the other all saints. The world is not so black and white. Nonetheless, you didn't answer a single bloody thing I asked!