Wild Bill

You know Boges, I think it's even worse than that. I'm betting what they're really afraid of is everyone finding out their accounting is in a mess! They've never been accountable for how they spent their money before, not to the people of Canada or to any bank for corporate financing. If they ran a deficit the federal gov't would always have to bail them out. So their books are probably a total mess! Like a teenager who has had the house to himself all summer and suddenly learns his parents are cutting their vacation short a few weeks early and will be home that evening! If this is what is revealed it will be a far worse scandal than just where they spent their money. It would show that even the CBC doesn't know where and how much!

And sometimes what happens to one influences the actions of others.

Oh fudge! And fuddle-duddle! It reflects badly on the entire House! I've never heard any minister yet who properly made sense. They all spout nothing but politico-babble!

No problem, Michael. I've done the same myself upon occasion. Besides, everyone knows it's all Mike Harris' fault anyway!

That's hindsight, Tilter! Surely a G20 summit could be a viable target for many terrorist groups, who would appreciate the diversion of some rioting lougans? Are you saying NO security is necessary? Or that the minimum would be adequate? Unless you're a psychic, I don't see how you can safely make that determination. Then again, I'm old and could be missing something. Then again, if it were YOU or your family at risk, who would you rather have setting the security standards?

If I understand you correctly, the US is causing the problem by being the biggest financial sponsor of the UN. Couldn't many of the other countries prevent this simply by ponying up their own delinquent dues and stop being deadbeats? This would drastically dilute that "hated American influence".

Michael, I think you've jumped in without reading the posts from the start. I think I have been more than obvious that Kent is NOT my hero! I have agreed that he is an idiot, more than once. What more do you want? My issue with Olp1fan, as I clearly stated in an earlier post, is that he ONLY targets Tories! Even if he has to stretch a trivial issue, which is virtually all the time. I maintain that politicians of ALL parties tend to lack even a basic scientific education! However, since they are expected to be managers and not actual technicians it doesn't really matter. I also take exception to Olp1fan slagging a politician for his poor knowledge of basic science when he himself has never shown any such knowledge! He seems to expect it only of Tories, not members of any Opposition party or even himself. I suggest you read the whole thread Michael and then decide if your admonishment is appropriate.

Once again I just can't understand how you came to such a premise. This was a security issue! There was every possibility that someone would blow something or someone up, real good! Isn't it simple prudence to try to prevent that? To use intelligence gathering techniques to find out if there is a real threat or not? What are you implying here? That the Tories wasted money because the threat wasn't serious enough? Would it have been better to have had a much more serious threat that possibly happened? Or are you upset that they didn't flush out and arrest enough people to match the expense? Perhaps you would have been happier if they had have arrested more people. Me, I really wouldn't care about numbers. I'd be happy if with such security threats they came up with just one guy - the one with the actual bomb!

No, I accept the insult to the Tory as deserved! I just take exception to the fact that YOU only insult Tories! What's more, you seem to stretch any trivial thing you can find and race back home to post it here! TORY CAUGHT PICKING HIS NOSE IN QUESTION PERIOD! TORY MISSED HIS EXIT RAMP WHILE DRIVING THE 401! TORY HAD A 'SENIOR'S MOMENT DURING MEDIA SCRUM! We don't seem to get decent scandals here in Canada. When I was young, I personally found out about a prominent NDP leader bopping an underage female and setting her up in Ottawa as his mistress! Now it's "TORY DOESN'T KNOW CHEMISTRY OF OZONE!" I'm sorry, but your partisan fixation on trivial factors just seems so "high school" to me. I'm gonna pop over to the Science and Technology thread, where everyone has been waiting for YOUR contributions!

I've always loved that bit! I also have a CD of rock songs featuring heavy use of the cowbell, entitled "More Cowbell!" Great driving music to distract my mind whenever I can't avoid driving to Toronto.

No, YOU don't get it! A cabinet minister is not expected to DO the science himself! Rather, he is supposed to form a team of experts who will give him policy alternatives that he can take back to the cabinet table, where it will be vetted against political considerations more than the science involved. The Liberals supported Kyoto but I'll bet a bottle of 12 year old scotch that NONE of them actually read it! I'd bet another bottle except for the fact that Kyoto wasn't about science anyway! Just as a matter of interest, have YOU ever read the Kyoto Agreement? I did! I downloaded it and scratched my head through it. I didn't understand all of it but that was because I'm not a lawyer, not because of a lack of science background. The whole thing was nothing but politics based on wealth re-distribution! I'm NOT exaggerating! Read it yourself and you have to admit that it's obvious. Kent was expected to be a manager, NOT a scientist! Next you'll be telling me that a minister for Science and Technology must be an astronaut.

I've always wondered how ANY of them stay awake!

Why are you so surprised? Politicians usually were educated in POLITICAL science! Or law, I suppose. Who on earth would expect ANY politician do know even a basic level of most sciences? ust because he's a cabinet minister? Hell, most prime ministers have never seemed qualified to make scientific decisions to me! Also, you seem to be implying that Kent was ignorant just because he's a Tory. I've got news for you. The only one I ever knew who had a reasonable science background was Chuck Cadman and he died years ago! Why doesn't someone ask Hedy Fry a similar question? Or Nycole Turmel? Or dig up a few of the oldies, like Sheila Copps! I'd love to hear Carolyn Parrish explain Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity! To make a partisan thing out of Kent's ignorance when so many of them couldn't put a plug on a lamp cord is really a stretch! Still, I have to admit that no one would try harder to pin something on a Tory than you! I suspect your right eye is blind and you can only see through your left one. For that matter, YOU have never impressed me with your own level of scientific knowledge! Haven't seen many posts from YOU in the Science and Technology threads! It would be great fun to see you take on Bonam and Waldo on environmental issues! To be fair, you're in good company. The average Canadian graduate of today's schools thinks science is all about bean seeds sprouting in wads of tissue paper stuffed into a jar! For every kid we see in the paper with an impressive project at a Science Fair there are hundreds who dropped science as "just too hard". Some Canadians invented the Space Arm. Most others are wondering when we're gonna follow it up with a Space Leg. I heard a rumour that at parties Nycole Turmel asks everyone "What Sign are you?"

Well, at least the Ti-Cats did better this season than they have in a long time! Maybe things are starting to turn around...

Better centifuges? They also have a zillion more of those than they need for "reactor cake"! Why do you think someone hit their centifuges with the Stuxnet virus? William, wake up and take a look around! Don't make up your mind first and then ignore what you don't want to contradict your premise! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet "Different variants of Stuxnet targeted five Iranian organizations,[9] with the probable target widely suspected to be uranium enrichment infrastructure in Iran;[10][11] Symantec noted in August 2010 that 60% of the infected computers worldwide were in Iran.[12] Siemens stated on 29 November that the worm has not caused any damage to its customers,[13] but the Iran nuclear program, which uses embargoed Siemens equipment procured clandestinely, has been damaged by Stuxnet" Geez, I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't get out much!

Topaz, my whole point is that nobody tells lies that are THAT stupid and easily found out! It would have to be a screwup and not a deliberate act. Politicians may not be the brightest people sometimes but they ALL have a great deal of animal cunning, far too much to do something this clumsily.

No, I truly don't remember this! 2003 was a while ago and I've had a few things on my mind since. That being said, after having read the article I believe that Harper was equally wrong to air Canada's dirty laundry on a foreign news channel while he was in Opposition! Some things I agree with and some things I don't. As I have said many times on this forum, I support the present CPC not because I blindly agree with everything they day and do but simply because to me they stink less than the other parties! Reform was the only party that ever matched my own values closely, with only a few exceptions. Since they've left the picture, I've been left with slim pickings indeed.

Was nuclear physics your major? Or was your only science political science? Iran is not enriching just enough for a few power reactors. They are enriching enough for a ZILLION power reactors! Which is the amount you';d need to build more than a few nuclear bombs...

You have to consider the right premise for this to make sense. It's not about letting some offenders off scott free. It's about the SYSTEM and not the LAW choosing which laws to enforce! Usually for political purposes.

Probably not. The kids are likely to be gone by the time the cops respond. Still, what's your point? How is that relevant to Harper's crime Bill? You seemed to be implying that I might get my stereo back! I've been there and know for a fact that would never happen. Yet this Bill is setting MANDATORY sentences, trying to force cops and courts to follow their wishes! You really think the feds will not respond if the courts and cops ignore their direction?

I agree, my good Dr. ! What are the parameters going to be? Some people in this thread seem to assume that pot intoxication is the same as that of alcohol. Sez who? Comedians have made jokes for years about potheads driving down the highway at 30 mph! They recognize that pot tends to make someone excessively cautious, not rash. I'm not at all suggesting that intoxication from pot doesn't impair a driver. The question is, HOW? That leads to the next and necessary question, how MUCH is a dangerous level of intoxication? We have the ability to make tests on human hair that can show someone took a hit or two of marijuana six months ago. If the same person or people who drafted the present CPC Bill got to set the standards for marijuana intoxication what level would they set as impaired? I suspect if the tests showed usage anytime in the last 6 months they would declare that sufficient to jail the perpetrator! Proper scientific tests would have to be done, as was done years ago with alcohol. Since politicians tend to care more about winning votes than scientific realities I'm not sure they could be trusted with this...

Bad example, BB. If your stereo gets stolen the cops today do absolutely nothing! Except to give you a report number for your insurance claim.

I'm not worried! Or even that concerned. I guess I'm just disgusted with the NDP! I think it may have something to do with their present lack of experienced and mature leadership. It's well known that I've never been an NDP supporter but still, I don't think Layton would have shown such a lack of class. He died too young. His party needed someone like him more than perhaps they are smart enough to realize.

Man, I hope so for all those people's sake but I fear that jbg is unfortunately right. Fundamentalists always refuse to allow other citizens to make their own choices, especially if they are holding guns! There's going to be a lot of blood, I'm afraid. I wonder if the same folks that wanted us to stay out of Afghanistan want us to do the same with Egypt or Syria? As the death toll of innocents mounts up you have to be a hard case indeed to be indifferent.