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Icebound

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Everything posted by Icebound

  1. You know.... this High Profile Sherrif was a keynote speaker at the RNC, blasting BLM.... and he is right in a lot of ways.... BLM DOES over-reach, For example, their call to eliminate police presence from the Pride parade is ludicrous. HOWEVER.... he would have a lot more credibility if he was not part of a police coverup, himself. When one of his deputies went through a stop sign in 2013 and was involved in a car accident, he unjustly charged the other driver with drunk driving. Within 2 days, the Sherrif's office knew of video evidence that exonerated that driver but the police sat on it for nearly a year.... while the drunk driving case proceeded.... before a media investigation finally uncovered the truth. The victim's court filing against the Sherrif and his deputies is here: https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi2vNjQpYPOAhVLxoMKHbUWAfIQFghIMAg&url=https%3A%2F%2Flocaltvwiti.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F07%2Ffederal-lawsuit.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHPX2vpsHxBxB-OZ5c1lM4jXWEoig And more information: http://fox6now.com/2014/07/07/fox6-investigation-prompts-a-lawsuit-crash-victim-filing-federal-suit-against-sheriff-clarke-others/ http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/witi-investigation-helps-prove-false-arrest-sparks-federal-lawsuit/128172 When these are the sort of front-and-center supporters of Trump, it is small wonder that people are skeptical.
  2. By then, there was nobody left in the auditorium except for the reporters. ...
  3. Well, sure:.... exactly.... You have to PAY for it, and the Nordics do. Up to 25% VAT on some items. Try setting the GST in Canada to 25% and lets hear the uproar. ...
  4. If all governments of the past 50 years had stuck to strict "balance the budget and cut taxes" practices.... then the revolt against the "elites" would have come a LONG time ago, and probably not in the form of a more-or-less peaceful referendum. Social Welfare is what has kept a lot of these people afloat as long as it has. Naturally, as more and more of it is cut back.... and as the promised "trickle down" effects of "lower taxes, more trade" never really materialized.... the anger has built up. If we don't like "social welfare", then... we had better find a better economic model than "balance the budget, cut taxes". ..
  5. Without Quebec, lots of things would be different. As they would without Ontario, or without BC, or without the Prairies, or without the Maritimes.. But Quebec exists. It was part of the original 4 Canadian Provinces around which the rest of Canada evolved. And it still exists... meaning that over 1/5th of Canada's Population deems French as its first language. French immersion education is popular across the country, including red-neck Alberta where enrollment keeps rising as a percentage of total students. So whether "Canadians" without Quebec would or would not support Bilingualism is not relevant. Canada is NOT without Quebec. Including Quebec within Canada is pretty small price to pay for a more-or-less peaceful, borderless trade, travel, and work zone sea to sea. Where would Ottawa get its cheap beer if they couldn't get to a Quebec Costco without a visa? Contrary to what Bryan might be saying in a later post.... French IS relevant. Its relevance may be diminishing, but that is in large part because both sides of the French-English fence see the advantages of bilingualism, and serving both sides in language-of-choice stops a lot of needless wrangling.. If we kept it up to the point where everybody in the country was bilingual, THEN you might say that it has truly become irrelevant.
  6. An interesting... albeit lengthy ... non-partisan explanation of HOW the UK got to where it has. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/30/brexit-disaster-decades-in-the-making This is the kind of crap that has been happening in Canada as well. Lessons for Politicians everywhere..... a couple of excerpts: "During the campaign, our departure from the EU had many proud and pushy parents. In victory it is an orphan." ... ... In 1951, 97% of votes were cast either for Conservatives or Labour. By last year, the combined total was 67%. Fewer people want to vote, and fewer voters want the two major parties. With a first-past-the-post system, designed to ensure that one of those parties wins a majority, our governments now preside with diminished legitimacy over a splintered political landscape. Cameron’s Tories were elected last year with only 24% of the eligible vote. In 1950, Winston Churchill was defeated even though 38% of eligible voters backed him. ... The leave campaign did not invent racism. The deployment of bigotry to suit electoral ends has a longstanding tradition in this country, which is often denounced even by those who have done exactly that. Neglect, both benign and malign, and indulgence, both covert and overt, left those prejudices open for opportunists to exploit for their own ends. This was one such opportunity. ... This week, David Cameron condemned “despicable” xenophobic attacks in the wake of the EU referendum. But just last month he was galvanising the Tory faithful in London with claims that the Labour mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan, was in cahoots with an imam who, Cameron alleged, supported Isis. That claim was so utterly false that if the prime minister did not enjoy parliamentary privilege against charges of defamation, he would have had to pay damages ...
  7. That's all well and good.... but the purpose of government is to do WHAT IS BEST for the people of the country.... and not necessarily what the people THINK is best. That's why most viable democracies operate as REPRESENTATIVE democracies. I don't have the TIME or knowledge to research every single issue before the country... and especially so for complex and IMPORTANT issues..... ... so I vote for and elect the smartest people in my community to represent me.... and they have access to the research and professionals who assist them in making those decisions, while I go do my shift-work assembling widgets for Acme Corp. While my representative votes on the issues based of his own research and convictions base on reason and understanding.... and not on some leader's say-so, BUT... ....Democracies have been corrupted away from that model, and partly by the voters themselves. Instead of electing the smartest, we elect the loudest, richest, and most "generous". Furthermore, we don't really give a sh!t about our representative, We only vote on the charisma and supposed talent of the leader. Our representative doesn't really have a vote anyway, because he is being forced to toe the party line, although that is not supposed to be the intent. We don't give a sh!t whether the "generosity" being showered on us hurts the rest of the country or not.... it was promised to US and we want it. In this atmosphere, referendums are toxic and never to be used. Referendum are a tyranny by the majority, which democracies are supposed to avoid. Never say never, but pretty much never. . And seasoned politicians know it.... which is why Kenny and Clement want one on the electoral reforms. Maybe as some sort of clearly-stated non-binding information-gathering survey only, but that's about it. Even a simple question such as: "Do you think that number of seats in parliament for each party should reflect the percentage of votes that each party receives in an election?" .... is apt to be misunderstood by half the electorate....... However, if a question like that were posed, the results might... might.... help politicians decide the mood of the country for electoral reform, although I certainly would not accept it as a mandate for simple proportional representation.. I would expect my representatives to do a lot more research than that.
  8. It is ironic that the pro-business governments who were the most in favour of "globalization" ... and who mostly ignored the screams from the "left" that globalization will be bad for "the little guy".... ...these are now the same governments which are pretending to "speak up" for the "little guy".by pretending to "curb" globalization. Which we all know won't happen.
  9. Hey ppl, we are in for lots more entertainment !!! Remember Lynton Crosby.... the hero saviour who parachuted in to save Harper's election campaign 2015? He is joining the Boris Johnson campaign to replace Cameron. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1357074/boris-johnson-hires-the-tories-election-winning-guru-sir-lynton-crosby-amid-fears-he-will-be-forced-out-of-the-race-to-be-prime-minister/ Let the negativism begin.... ... ..
  10. I wasn't talking specifically about the supposed reasons for the referendum results.... nor about the Jo Cox situation. I was talking about the wave of racially-motivated incidents AFTER the referendum : http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-eu-referendum-racial-racism-abuse-hate-crime-reported-latest-leave-immigration-a7104191.html
  11. A CNBC commentator has compelling reasons why Britain is going to come out of this better than ever: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/27/nevermind-the-brexit-uk-will-emerge-with-a-good-trade-deal.html ... and he may well be right. But even so, it will not help the "little guy", as I have explained above.
  12. All of that may be true, but none of it will make a difference to the "little man", whose supposed dissatisfaction with the "elites" triggered this whole mess. His problems stem from the fact that his take-home percentage of the GDP has grown smaller and smaller.... and it will continue to do that whether within or without the EU.... so long as the corporate structure funnels surpluses UP to compensation for executives and shareholders.... and not DOWN to increased wages.. No major party knows how to improve that.... and even if they do, they do not have the political will. So whether the UK tanks, or rebounds, or stays the same.... the little guy will still be no better off. And the immigration issue is a red herring. In a "separate" UK... if the economy proves to be that much better than the rest of Europe...then people will find a way to get there, just like they have into the United States. If the UK really wants to curb their immigration, then just tank your economy and job market.... Maybe that's exactly what they have done. Mission accomplished! ...
  13. The whole point of "civilization" is that you do not have to be "real friends" to get along. If 100 people show up at my street party, I doubt that all of them are "real friends".... but they get along. Britain has started on a dangerous road of NOT getting along.... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-eu-referendum-racial-racism-abuse-hate-crime-reported-latest-leave-immigration-a7104191.html
  14. xxx I will be very interested to see what sort of "new free trade agreement with the EU" that UK will be able to negotiate. Most people look at "Norway is not in the EU and they are doing fine"..... but Norway IS pretty much in the EU in all but name only... including the free movement of goods and people, AND including the "Schengen Area" arrangement. Since free movement of people appears to be a non-starter for the UK, then I am afraid there is not much that the EU will be interested in negotiating. (Added on edit) In the end, any "not-in-the-EU" FTA worthwhile, will probably look (and cost) pretty much what being "IN" the EU would cost, only without the vote, and with years, if not decades, of lost time. ...
  15. Okay... I don't mind disagreement, but this is an outright lie. In order to get the market access that it does, Norway implements a significant portion of the EU directives. Including movement of goods and people. And it costs Norway about 290million Euro a year. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/9383678/Is-Norways-EU-example-really-an-option-for-Britain.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway%E2%80%93European_Union_relations Its nice to be "outside" of the EU the way Norway is.... but if the EU actually fails, then there is no market not-to-be-part-of, and Norway is toast.
  16. Oh, that is very well explained here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/25/boris-johnson-michael-gove-eu-liars?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other quote: Now they have won and what Kipling said of the demagogues of his age applies to Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. I could not dig; I dared not rob: Therefore I lied to please the mob. Now all my lies are proved untrue And I must face the men I slew. What tale shall serve me here among Mine angry and defrauded young? :unquote In order to gloat, they had to win something. They just realized that they won a bag of ashes. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/boris-johnson-looked-sick-because-he-has-no-idea-how-fix-national-disaster-hes-bequeathed-us-1567413 Boris Johnson looked sick - because he has no idea how to fix the national disaster he's bequeathed us ...
  17. Maybe. Norway is not part of the EU, but the wiki page on the subject is interesting reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway%E2%80%93European_Union_relations They are not part of the EU only because .... like in Britain.... it is too much of a hot political potato to ever be brought up in a referendum. Only they realize it and didn't bother. Instead, they get around it by implementing a good bit of the EU legislation, anyway... and by participating in the EAA and EFTA to get market access ... and all that costs them a few million Euro, Now I don't know exactly what EU legislation they accept and what they can safely get away WITHOUT..... but it is not a totally free ride without the EU to have become a "rich progressive Norway". Especially: quote: This arrangement facilitates free movement of goods, capital, services and people between the EU and EFTA members including Norway.[5] Free movement of goods means freedom from customs fees, where however food and beverage is excluded (because those are subsidised by the EU). Free movement of people means freedom of movement for workers between Norway and EU, and that Norway is a part of the Schengen Area.[5] :unquote ... All that, but they have no vote.
  18. Farage is already being elbowed out by his own side: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/25/furious-nigel-farage-to-take-control-of-britains-exit-from-the-e/ ... and there is video of their 350million-pound NHS lie.... (not sure if he is the good guy or otherwise since he has been "ostracized" ???) but the hangover continues seriously.
  19. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36626201 Moody's has already cut the UK's credit rating credit outlook to negative. Already things are better, right? Edited to correct mis-read of article. My bad. ...
  20. I love this headline ... ( http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/boris-johnson-looked-sick-because-he-has-no-idea-how-fix-national-disaster-hes-bequeathed-us-1567413 ) Boris Johnson looked sick - because he has no idea how to fix the national disaster he's bequeathed usCameron had made up his mind before the count that he would resign should the vote go "Leave". It was pretty laughable for 84 top exiters to prod him (Cameron) that he has "a mandate and a duty..." to carry on no matter what the vote. I love that he basically said "Fk u" and dumped it on whoever.... hopefully Johnson... ...
  21. People are being "disinvited" by their "friends" because of the vote... https://twitter.com/IainDale/status/746730000079069184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw ...
  22. ... By the way, what is all this about the EU "dictating" immigration policy anyway? I just read the EU website concerning immigration policy and it says this: ( http://ec.europa.eu/immigration/who-does-what/more-information/explaining-the-rules-why-are-there-eu-rules-and-national-rules_en#EUImmRules ) Exceptions to EU-wide rules EU-wide immigration rules generally apply in 24 out of the EU’s 27 countries. The following exceptions apply: Denmark does not apply EU-wide rules which relate to immigration, visa and asylum policies. Ireland and the United Kingdom choose, on a case-by-case basis, whether or not to adopt EU rules on immigration, visa and asylum policies. ... ... ... National Immigration Rules Each EU country alone decides: The total number of migrants that can be admitted to the country to look for work; All final decisions on migrant applications; Rules on long-term visas – stays for periods longer than three months; and Conditions to obtain residence and work permits when no EU-wide rules have been adopted.
  23. All might be true. And CERTAINLY true that "EU is the loser in all of this" But those poor dissatisfied "non-elites" who voted to leave.... they will not be a "winner" in all of this. Their problems do not stem from EU politics, or immigration policy or anything else like that... their problems stem from the economic and banking model within which they live. And THAT is pretty much the same in much of the western world whether within the EU or without. The only "winners" are going to be the few politicians who can now obtain somewhat more power than they could before. They won't actually be able to DO anything USEFUL with that power.... at least not for those millions who feel oppressed. Oh, there may be some pretense, such as limiting immigration for a while...only to quietly reverse it to get more cheap labour... And they will try to "negotiate better deals" ... until it becomes necessary to open back up to get market access. The bottom line improvement for the leavers will be ZERO... except that it will be less than zero when you figure in the political instability, the time lost to re-negotiations, the reduced GBP buying power, the plain stigma. This exercise is now ... and will remain... a negative-sum game. Everybody loses... except for a very few elites, but those always win anyway. ...
  24. Yes, all well and good. But 40 years later.... we still have: https://egale.ca/hate-crimes-targeting-lgbt-community-remain-most-violent-in-canada/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Significant_acts_of_violence_against_LGBT_people (Canada) ... and so on So it's hard to claim a "holier than thou" attitude about Muslim prejudices, when our own are not all that accepting....
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