Molly

There is a chance that he wasn't directly involved but only plead guilty to reduce his sentence. 'A chance', you say. A chance. http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101026/khadr-sentencing-hearing-101026/ Edney did not provide further details on how or when the new charges were presented to his client, but said his confession "confirms that he would have admitted to the killing of John F. Kennedy if doing so would have got him out of Gitmo." By pleading guilty, Khadr was able to enter into a plea agreement that caps his sentence at a maximum of eight years. He will also be able to apply for transfer to a Canadian prison after serving 12 months. What was the first hint?

(Without political or value judgement at all... he DOES look like a walking coronary!)

That's why it was so critically important to extort a guilty plea. Serving in Canada was undoubtedly one of the conditions of the deal (to the great relief of both the US military, and Omar's lawyer) else he'd have been nuts to make that plea. He's coming home.

For the record, I took up shopping at No Frills specifically because they make the boxes available for reuse, so that there's no need for bags. The shift to re-use is an overdue change from the store policies of an item or two per bag, and layer after layer of packaging. It makes me crazy to see someone put a bag of bags of milk into a bag.

Look for nylon bags that can be folded into a tiny 4x4 inch attatched pouch. They are more-or-less waterproof, completely washable, compact, strong, attractive, light... Generally they cost about $5 a pop, but they are well worth it. Royal Doulton stores carry them, but so do other places.

Our tax bill is down quite a lot, but that's largely because our income has been cut in half. (And, of course, we didn't/don't qualify for any of the safety-net programs either, not even EI.)

Our rural township is having probably the most exciting election in it's entire history. The great issue- and often the elephant in the room- is the wildly excessive and apparently abused authourity of the local conservation authourity. (A sample of that is our neighbour who went looking for a permit to bring in a couple of loads of topsoil in order to plant a lawn around his new house, and was invited to first pay for an environmental impact study...) That's an issue on its own, but it's also personal. There's a jolly internicene war going on among candidates. Some of what is being offered on unsigned screeds in the mailbox and anonymous electronic phone messages is likely actionable. Great fun. Anyway... I'm speaking in defense of 'slick politicians'. At least they know the ropes. Starry-eyed neophytes wandering in with their sunshine-and-roses expectations are patently incompetent. They don't recognize the pitfalls until they hit bottom, or machinations until the final bills are tallied. They don't have a faint clue how to accomplish the beautiful things they imagine, and their apprenticeship can cost us dearly.

Bill, do not- seriously DO NOT- - dismiss or defend Bandelot or anyone else tossing around the word 'squaw'.

(I can't get over the amazingly detailed similarity between the actions/intentions of Mike Harris and of Roy Romanow. The neocon and the socialist... could be twins.)

We noticed.

(Whoever would have thought...) Shady, I agree with you.

Funny how, through fascist eyes, libertarianism becomes 'left'.

Have you ever travelled that road? (Or perhaps more importantly, needed car repairs along that road?) The connection with Winnipeg abd Minneapolis is very tangible. Entry into the Ontario economic zone occurs ... eh... someplace east of Nipigon, and you're still pretty much adrift among the outer planets until you hang that right turn at Sudbury.

That OP is completely useless 'pox on all their houses', and out-to-lunch, besides. (Authouring a newspaper column never did make anyone wise.) But Grainfedpraireboy, that's some refreshing honesty.

Isn't that interesting! My experience is that when you run across a dangerously inconsiderate jackass on the road, 10:1 it's a 40-something year old white male. (The one left is likely to be a twenty-something white woman with a cell phone.) Southern Ontario does have deep trouble, though, with normal driving practices. Yes, even the native born struggle with the most basic of rules like what speed limit means, who has right of way, what turn signals are for, safe stopping distances... Arguably one must drive the 401 at rush hour as though it was a video game, but those bad and dangerous habits just don't belong on the 10th sideroad.

I find the tendency to punishment without due process pretty darned disturbing. The notion of police functioning also as 'judge, jury and executioner' is horrifying. I realize that random inspection is not punishment, but that, in conjunction with fines and suspensions and expenses without due process conferr wa-ay too much power. There must be some sort of check that authourity is not abused.

(This is so beyond dopey...) Which person?

I've got nothing to add to this. It just needs to be repeated- and repeated some more.

Pfft! Any argument that can be made in favor of the absolute NECESSITY of an uncovered face can also be made to demand the uncovering of all other body parts, yet no matter how xenophobic the bigot, none seem to think that witnesses should all, always, be naked in order to give valid evidence. Judges are perfectly capable of deciding if there is a compelling need for witnesses to strip, whether just their faces, or down to their toes.

Reminds me of the dealing with the experts from Ontario who would be sent out to help us. I feel your pain.

Maybe more like this: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/how-parliament-would-look-if-only-youth-voted/article1747999/ "Canada’s youth would elect a Liberal minority government, with a substantial increase in representation for the New Democrats, Bloc Québécois, and Greens, according to projections based on recent polls of Canadians between the ages of 18 and 24. The Conservative Party would be severely reduced, virtually wiped out east of Manitoba." "Based solely on the support of Canada’s most elderly citizens, the Conservative Party would be swept to a huge majority with 192 seats and 44 per cent of the vote, with support levels topping 50 per cent in the western provinces and Atlantic Canada. The Liberals would win 106 seats and 34 per cent of the vote with strong performances in Quebec and Ontario." "The political landscape would radically change if the Canada’s youth voted in similar proportions to the rest of the population. "

Last I saw the Conservatives are the ones talking about increasing healthcare transfers after the Liberals cut them to something like 12% from 30%. Yeah, that would be the Conservatives, who brought us the new improved $55 billion deficit. I rather doubt they'll be restoring much of anything any time soon. They've already spent everything we have- accomplished that before there was a cloud on the economic horizon. Wizards. They can make balanced budgets disappear.

Excuse me? The great crime of the UAE is to dare expect something (fairly paltry) in return for their (fairly important) service to us.

I find (usually right wing) self-identification as 'centrist' pretty amusing. Yes, yes indeedy, I believe that each individual is the centre of his own universe, but politics is subject to a different standard of measurement. Atilla the Hun was not politically 'centrist'.

I share the collective disgust, but I must also add that wind and solar energy collection systems NEED to be placed on the acres upon acres upon acres of roof made available by urban sprawl, not wastefully placed on land that is not already human occupied. Every roof should have solar collectors and a windmill. Every darned one. To that very limited degree, I applaud the IKEA deal.