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tango

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Everything posted by tango

  1. Hamas is the democratically elected government, and it has a military for protection. This is quite normal for any state, but Israel doesn't want Gaza armed to defend itself, so they surround, harass and call them terrorists, and the world follows. What's notable is that Hamas is transitioning to a negotiating body too.
  2. Isn't this getting confused? Omar Kahdr was in Iraq, and taken prisoner by Americans, who were operating without a UN mission. Canadians living out of country have to come home every six months so they can maintain their residency and health insurance. That's no secret. Plenty do ... from Florida, for example, as well as overseas. I don't believe the Kahdr's hate our way of life. Omar and his sister both sound pretty Canadian to me. I think while they were growing up they were caught in what their Father was doing. That doesn't go away, but they've lost their Father and another brother. Omar, who was a child himself when he started helping with schools for other children, under his Dad's eye at first, not armed, not a soldier ... went to Guantanamo to pay for the sins of his father and brother.
  3. Oh now let's just see this again in all of it's glory ... T...F...F !!! omigod ... friggen hilarious ... straight men ... Christians ... society ... morality ... championing ... Godless paganism ... You crack me up OL ... and truth is I don't like apple pie either. Thanks for a great laugh. You are really too much. Sooo funny! All the way from a lawsuit blasphemous championing the cause of godless paganism ... how pricelessly irrelevant and quaintly archaic ! ... Did you 'channel' an 1800's evangelist snake oil salesman ancestor to come up with that? Are you <snicker> perhaps a reincarnation? hawhawhawhawhawhaw... jk Paganism is nothing more than being in harmony with Mother Earth, something we've neglected. But ... red herrings and logic flaws and hawhaws aside ... what say you about Kingspan's chances of successfully suing the City of Brantford? Did Brantford show good faith in its dealings with Kingspan?
  4. mm ... not quite I think ... I think he's damned for not listening to Canadians, just telling us instead. Communication is a two way street. Harper's a one way talkbot. imo.
  5. Kingspan's case is yet to be proven in court, it's true. However, the critical evidence is the letter from Six Nations in Sept. that should have been divulged to Kingspan before the October closing date. It appears that Brantford did not act in good faith. It doesn't matter right now. The land cannot be built on until the claim is resolved. The Feds (Harper) are in charge of negotiating the land claims, not McGuinty. However, McGuinty is hiding from the province's duty to consult with Six Nations about any development being considered for disputed land. Yes, so we taxpayers need to keep better control of what our local government is doing with our money, I would think. There are/were several properties under development that were also known to be under claim. I agree with you there. 'The Crown' is the province in this case, and legally should have tried to resolve the development issues before it gave approvals to the municipality to build. If a claim is not considered legitimate, the feds simply reject it. Six Nations has 28 claims that were submitted and not rejected. The strength of their claim would also be considered in the province's consultation about plans to use of the land, if they did any. The Supreme Court has given some guidelines for that. I think you are right, and I think that's why protests occur ... because our governments do nothing! They only deal with any crisis that arises, and they deal with them by running, hiding, stalling, and dragging them out as long as possible, as we have clearly seen in Caledonia and Brantford. It's terribly frustrating for all involved. I can only say ... they are our governments. We're supposed to be able to tell them what to do. (Isn't that a depressing thought!) Maybe we should boycott our taxes, eh? What else can we do that they will even notice? I'm assuming (from my own reading of the article above) that Kingspan has a pretty darn good case against the City of Brantford, but I think that's the only assumption I've made on this topic. Is there something else? On this specific topic of Kingspan's lawsuit against the City of Brantford, as I said above, I believe Kingspan has a good case. Do you agree? I think this is very significant because municipalities may now be more inclined to consult with Aboriginal communities ahead of time, instead of encountering such disruption after they've already paid mega taxpayer bucks to put infrastructure in, and now a lawsuit too as a result. Honestly, I don't think the province can currently control the development in municipalities. I think the municipalities have to learn the hard way, like Caledonia has and now Brantford. I wonder if other municipalities in the Haldimand Tract got a letter like that from Six Nations, indicating concerns about development in certain areas.
  6. It hasn't, but the land cannot be built on until a decision is made. However, decisions about land claims are being made in negotiations, not in court. Um ... Ontario Loyalist would suggest we bomb the elders and youth and women and children perhaps? and imprison the men, or imprison them all? He has to have a point somewhere ... I have to hear this ... (popping popcorn now ... )
  7. Only the law. (See my post.) But that's thread drift. And on the decriminalization/legalization of marijuana topic ... what do you say?
  8. I'm a fan of gradual legalization, with increasing licensed commercial production, currently serving only the medical market. I believe the government is starting to get it going better, after failing at production themselves. If we only decriminalize, we are still just feeding the existing (criminal) pot distribution organizations. The US would have more problem with that, I think. If we simply increasingly legalize through the medical route, and target only 'export' as criminal, maybe Obama will look the other way. bluegreen, what an interesting turn of conversation. I hear you, and I think in our ideal world, we will be indebted to Indigenous Peoples for their role in ensuring that growth and production of marijuana feeds Mother Earth and her people, and does not harm Her. Even in this real world today, your Aboriginal rights under Canadian law entitle you to "A say in development and a share in revenues" on your traditional lands. That's not settlement of treaty and land claims, but it's an important start, to acknowledge what the Supreme Court has repeatedly said. "the Crown has a duty to consult, and if necessary, accommodate Aboriginal interests when it has knowledge, real or constructive, of the potential existence of an Aboriginal right or title and contemplates conduct that might adversely affect it." [http://www.lawsonlundell.com/Resources/News-and-Publications/The-Crown-s-Duty-to-Consult-and-Accommodate2] and ... Carmen Diges, vice president of legal and business affairs at Noront Resources Limited, a Toronto-based exploration-stage resource company, notes that the supreme court decisions "didn't specifically encompass private actors' duty to consult and accommodate." But Diges adds: "Because private actors need a good relationship from the beginning of a project, they often can't wait for the government to step in. It's too long and slow of a process. So the private actors are starting to take responsibility for those duties." http://www.law.com/jsp/ihc/PubArticleIHC.j...d=1202427248612 In our ideal legal marijuana world, we will acknowledge Aboriginal rights to a say in how commercial marijuana grow operations are implemented, and where, etc., and a share in revenues from them.
  9. I think as more and more boomers and gen x's get to the retirement years, 'medical marijuana' will become big business in Canada (eg, for arthritis, insomnia, headaches, appetite, chemotherapy, etc etc ... we all have at least one of those!). Perhaps then the government will see the value of legalizing it for everybody, licensing commercial growers, regulating quality and strength, and taxing the hell out of it to pay for other things, just like alcohol, and likely in the same places (LCBO here). I agree that the cost of policing, courts and jails, etc. for marijuana offenses is ridiculous. I have no idea what the cost is, but it's a silly waste of money. Interesting to note that when the topic came up in the news a year or so ago, the National Association of Chiefs of Police wanted it decriminalized (due to policing costs), while the officers association wanted it to stay a criminal offense. I think it might have to do with the fact that they use it as an excuse to 'interrogate' and threaten people to get information about other things and people. I personally think that is not a good enough reason to harass people who are not doing anything wrong, imo. The officers assoc couldn't say that was their reason, of course, and all they could come up with was that if it was legal there would be a lot of "crime" that they couldn't do anything about. Ie, their argument didn't even make sense: If it's legal, it's not "crime". Even cops will tell you that pot smokers don't cause trouble - drinkers do. People who say it is a 'gateway' drug generally don't know much about addiction: The people who go on to other things very likely would have anyway, and alcohol is by far the most troubling addiction as it is so widespread. It also needs to be said that the people bankrolling the opposition to legalization are likely the big time dealers - the exact ones we want to put out of (that) business by legalizing it. Perhaps this time of economic crunch is a good time to reconsider pumping up the government coffers with 'Mary Jane' taxes.
  10. City sued for $10 million Company blames municipality after building site targeted by natives Posted By VINCENT BALL, EXPOSITOR STAFF Updated 1 day ago Kingspan Insulated Products, which intended to build its North American headquarters in Brantford, is suing the city for $10 million over its thwarted plans. The company abandoned its building site in the city's northwest business park last July and, in a statement of claim, cited the problem of Six Nations protesters contesting the property as aboriginal land. ... The company, which makes insulated wall and roof panels for the construction industry, now is planning to build in Bolton, according to a building industry source. Besides the $10 million, the company also is seeking to rescind the deal to buy land from the city. In its statement of claim, Kingspan accuses the city of misrepresenting the property. Kingspan also claims the city failed to disclose pertinent information with respect to the land claims and the potential impact the land claims could have on the company's plans. ... Kingspan says the city advised the company that the property was not subject to any specific claim and that it had been validly surrendered. The city also said no claim had been made against the property in litigation initiated by Six Nations in 1995. ... Kingspan claims the city received a letter from the Haudenosaunee putting Brantford on notice of potential claims to the property. The letter advised the city the Haudenosaunee would take all legal and peaceful steps necessary to protect their rights until the issue was resolved. The letter was dated Sept. 28, 2007, prior to the Oct. 19, 2007, closing date of the sale of the property from the city to Kingspan, the statement says. Brantford breached its obligations and duties to disclose the letter prior to the closing date, choosing instead to withhold the letter. ... After vacating the property, Kingspan asked the city to repurchase the property from Kingspan and compensate the company for costs and losses. The city failed to respond, the statement says. Moreover, the city required Kingspan to provide a letter of credit authorizing the city to draw on Kingspan's account up to $1 million as security for Kingspan's completion of development of the property. The city, Kingspan says has notified the company that it intends to draw on the letter of credit due to the incompletion of the development. Kingspan is asking the court for an injunction stopping Brantford from taking any action with respect to the letter of credit. Brantford Expositor Hmm ... So I guess if municipalities are 'approving' development without consent of Indigenous Nations with claims ... it may just come back to bite them! The city put in all that infrastructure and the taxpayers paid for it, but now they can't build. They knew there was a problem and ignored it. silly them!
  11. Exactly. You have confirmed that the 'free market' is currently constituted as a tool for the rich to steal from the rest, and leave them without jobs, houses or cars as well. Nothing to brag about really, imo.
  12. It was done in 1763, by the Crown: ... but that, if at any Time any of the Said Indians should be inclined to dispose of the said Lands, the same shall be Purchased only for Us, in our Name, at some public Meeting or Assembly of the said Indians, to be held for that Purpose by the Governor or Commander in Chief of our Colony respectively within which they shall lie "Overthrowing our society" eh? Every time a gay couple marries, a hetero couple is forced to get divorced? A gay president is going to turn everyone gay? We all know people don't 'turn' gay ... they are born gay. Of course, there is also good evidence that people exhibiting homophobic behaviour are revealing only their hatred for themselves. And there is the certainty that with hateful filth like that on this board, normal people will stay far away. I would have thought the admin would have considered that, maybe even put something in the rules about being 'civil' so as not to drive decent people away. It is their prerogative what kind of hateful comment they allow on the board. Thanks for revealing yourself so completely, both in your twisted anti-native logic and paranoid homophobic delusions. Now I know that you and your posts are simply to be dismissed, and that civility in doing so is not required.
  13. I read a comment somewhere by an American. He said "That's my ammunition that killed those kids in Gaza!" Food for thought.
  14. The onus to ensure land transactions were proper rested with 'the Crown'. It was the Crown's law that they must be ratified by the Indigenous community. Your signature ... If gays are Nazis ... WHO ARE THEY KILLING? What an asinine, offensive thing to say. Reported.
  15. I don't know. Have you asked any? I know someone who served in WWII and in later years one of his best friends was a German vet. I've asked myself this too. What would have happened if it had been Canadian soldiers confronted with a 15 year old, badly wounded Canadian-speaking kid ... Comes down to what the soldiers on the spot would have done. I have no blame for the US soldiers in general, though. Although there was a cover up at the time, and he ended up in Guantanamo, it's Canada's fault he stayed there so long. We got sucked into the cover up and didn't ask enough questions. I'm impressed with the US soldier and the Guantanamo guard who have come forward to correct the lies. Also the forensic team. They were able to clarify in court that - Omar was covered in rubble, badly wounded and blinded and could not possibly have thrown the grenade. - The grenade was a US one. It was 'friendly fire that killed the US soldier. - Omar was tortured in Guantanamo, in violation of the Geneva convention, and he said whatever they wanted to hear. Of interest, his sister recently said that he was helping with a school, just caught in the fight. Omar was a child doing what his father told him to do. He was not a "terrorist" and he broke no laws. That's a very good question. We need to be thinking about that. Iraq is the US's war as far as I'm concerned, and I don't believe it is a legal war. Saddam Hussein, monster that he may have been, was going to nationalize the oil wells so they would belong to Iraq instead of the international(US) megacorporations. That's why Bush started the war. That's where the US troops were sent first in Iraq ... a beeline to the to 'secure' the oil wells (for the US ... It's called THEFT!). Bush tried to do the same thing in Venuzuela, and Chavez called in the Russians ... just a few months ago ... I shit you not! Bush backed off. It's interesting that Obama wants to stop depending on Middle East and Venuzuelan oil. I think he wants to get the US out of Cheney's horrible 'war-for-oil' industry. I think a lot of Canadians feel like I do - we know Iraq and Afghanistan are US wars of aggression for oil. We support the troops ... but we need to think very hard about whether they should stay there, and in what capacity. There are no easy answers, but we do need to ask ourselves the hard questions. As for the Iraqi-Canadians over there fighting against US soldiers ... omigod. I wish for their safety as well. Half a million Iraqi children were killed in the initial bombing of Baghdad. I can understand well why they went. Is the US any better a 'leader' than Saddam was? Not Bush ... Bush only catered to the war-and-oil industry. Bush is a war criminal.
  16. Yes, and in any case the rockets were a response to Israel's blockade of Gaza which started almost a year ago, breaking the ceasefire. Food, water, medical, supplies, everything was held at the border, to the point that 30% of the children in Gaza were anemic from starvation. http://stopthesiegeongaza.blogspot.com/200...isk-anemia.html
  17. It's clear you don't know enough about it to be commenting. There are two sides to this story, and in this case it is clear that Israel has gone too far. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/mi...ls-1452294.html A Palestinian father has claimed that he saw two of his young daughters shot dead and another critically injured by an Israeli soldier who emerged from a stationary tank and opened fire as the family obeyed an order from the Israeli forces to leave their home. Khaled Abed Rabbo said Amal, aged two and Suad, seven, were killed by fire from the soldier's semi-automatic rifle. His third daughter, Samer, four, has been evacuated to intensive care in a Belgian hospital after suffering critical spinal injuries which he said were inflicted in the attack early in Israel's ground offensive. Mr Abed Rabbo stood near the wreckage off his subsequently destroyed home on the eastern edge of the northern Gaza town of Jabalya yesterday and described how a tank had parked outside the building at 12.50pm on 7 January and ordered the family in Arabic through a megaphone to leave building. He said his 60-year-old mother had also been shot at as she left waving her white headscarf with her son, daughter in law and her three grandchildren. "Two soldiers were on the tank eating chips, then one man came out of the tank with a rifle and started shooting the kids," Mr Abed Rabbo, who receives a salary as a policeman from the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in Ramallah said. The family say they think the weapon used by the soldier was an M16 and that the first to be shot was Amal. Mr Abed Rabbo said that Suad was then shot with what he claimed were 12 bullets, and then Samer. The soldier who fired the rifle had what Mr Abed Rabbo thought were ringlets visible below his helmet, he said. The small minority of ultra-Orthodox Jews who serve in the army are in a unit which did not take part in the Gaza offensive and only a very small number of settlers who also favour that hairstyle serve in other units. It has so far been impossible independently to verify Mr Abed Rabbo's claim and the military said last night Israeli Defence Forces "does not target civilians, only Hamas terrorists and infrastructure". It added: "The IDF is investigating various claims made with regard to Operation Cast Lead and at the end of its investigation will respond accordingly." ... The soldiers had in the end let the family leave on foot, he said. He added that they walked two kilometres before finding a vehicle to take them to Kamal Adwan Hospital. He said: "I carried Suad, who was dead, my wife carried Amal and my brother Ibrahim carried Samer." He added: "We are not Hamas. My children were not Hamas. And if they were going to shoot anyone it should have been me." He added: "I want the international community and the International Red Cross to ask Israel why it has done this to us. They talk about democracy but is it democracy to kill children? What did the kids do to them? What did my house do to them? They destroyed my life?
  18. Can you please provide a reference to support you claim? Opinion is not sufficient.
  19. I fell some envy for the US today, because we have such duds as politicians. There is no excitement, no light at the end of the tunnel in Canadian politics, even with the present 'crisis'. It's just about as depressing as ... winter.
  20. I've noticed that babble has had to lighten up a bit too. I've also noticed that this board has become more open to alternative opinions. Canadians, afterall, are really people of the centre. None of us has been well represented in the polarized politics of the end of the 20th century. However, today is the day when it looks like we really do step into the 21st century! GO OBAMA!
  21. You are at least correct about them being sovereign!
  22. If that was true, there wouldn't be anti-immigrant postings here. Centre and left Canadians don't do that and don't tolerate it.
  23. I agree, trooper. In fact, this board is a particularly right wing haven, though some of us try to balance it. But you won't find the anti-immigrant sentiment on babble, for example. I think the internet is a great way to share information and ideas. Prejudices are exposed to the light of day here too. We don't always agree, but we do often learn, even if it is just learning that others don't have the same thoughts as you.
  24. Oh balls! Secular people like myself are not without morals, ethics, honour and integrity. In fact, we are much clearer about those things than people who give their first allegiance to a church. We don't depend on the mind control of a church to tell us how to think or behave. History is full of violence and oppression and corruption in the name of a church or religion. The founding of this country is a good example of that, founded on religious persecution of Indigenous Peoples ... genocide ... and still in many places in the world. For their part, Rwanda's Catholic leaders admit that many of their number, including some priests, likely were accomplices in the genocide, and that many more failed to speak out. Capitalism is heavily supported by religions, and is the 'army' used to keep people down, pacify them, paralyse them with guilt, keep them from knowing how the megacorps are running our governments and stealing our future. You are very confused ... we are communists who support corrupt capitalism? You clearly don't know what communism is, beyond the 'bogey man' you've been taught it is. That's the danger of religion: It's mind control used to sustain corporate control, by feeding people lies, scaring them with the 'communist' bogey man. GMAFB! I believe in market economies, so I am not a communist. However, I am vehemently opposed to corporate control and manipulation of populations which often uses the church as a tool to protect the status quo. THINK FOR YOURSELF FFS!! Don't just adopt the prejudices of a church. They are designed to keep you down, keep you in you place as a peon, keep you from discovering how many ways they are ripping us off and feeding our money to the wealthy (who in turn are generous with the church.)
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