Sabre Rider

Is the Dalai Lama a slave owner? Perhaps not at this time, however he has the potential to be one, on a national scale at that. While the Dalia Lama and Tibet are something of cause célèbre in both North America and Europe, most people have little to no knowledge about Tibetan history, or its pre-occupation society and the role the church played. Prior to the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet, it was a very closed and hierarchical society, with the Tibet Buddhist Church and the Dalai Lama at the top. Below the church came the aristocracy, then all the rest, the merchant class, the artisan class, the peasant class and finally the so-called untouchables who handled the dead, and were butchers and tanners. It was also a very strict Confucius society that made pre-Nationalist/Communist China look like the very model of Liberalism. In Tibet, you were born into your class and into the role you take in society. If you were born the son of a baker, you were going to be a baker. If you were born a peasant, a peasant you will remain. There were next to zero ways of being able to break from your destined life path and there was little in the way of upward mobility. Nor were the average Tibetan allowed to move from one village to another without the permission of their Lord, let alone immigrate. To ensure that this societal order was maintained and no one broke ranks, there were the Warrior Monks of the church ready to come down hard on anyone who gave the merest hint of rebellion. If you were a women, you had no say in who were to marry, indeed, your future husband was picked for you while you were still in diapers, and it was the same for boys. Women in the old order were first property of their fathers and then property of their husbands. Education and trade were denied to women in the old order because it was decided that they had no need for it. Women of the aristocracy faired little better, other then being able to live a life of relative ease and allowed to partake in the arts in a limited fashion, they to were considered to be property. The only exit a woman had or chance to better her position was to become a nun within the church, however even Tibetan Buddhist Nuns were subservient to the monks of the church. Those born into the aristocracy faired better and were lords over the lower classes. However, even the aristocracy was subservient to the church. And because of Confucius nature of the society, you role was set at birth. The first born son would inherit his fathers title and lands, and all his younger brothers would be slated to be his vassals. However, every family in the aristocracy was expected to "donate" at least one son and possibly a daughter to serve in the church as either a monk or a nun. Again the ones selected for this duty had no say in the matter and were chosen at birth. These children were usually removed from their families around the age of six or seven to be brought up and indoctrinated by the church. Children of the lower class were also selected for church service and it was considered to be an honour and means to escape from their class limitations. However it should be noted that once a child was taken in by the the church, all contact with his or her family was cut off and by the time they had graduated to become full fledged monks or nuns, they no longer had any family ties left, they belonged heart and soul to the church. Even within the church the hierarchical structure of pre-occupation Tibet was evident. The children of the aristocracy the church took in were slated and trained to become leaders, bureaucrats, teachers, law makers and even generals. Those children of the lower classes who entered the church were slated to be become the foot soldiers of the church tasked with maintaining societal order. The pre-occupation Tibetan Buddhist Church was very militant and extremely marshal. In many ways, they could of been considered to of been the Taliban of the Buddhist world. To go against the church in any way was to invite death and punishment not only to the rebels, but also to their immediate family. All education was controlled by the church, as were all governmental functions. The church held the people of Tibet in an iron grip which it was and still is loath to relax. At the head of this very structured and hierarchical society sat the Dalia Lama. Because of his position and due to the strange nature of Tibetan Buddhism, he was and is considered to be a living god, infallible and his word was LAW. Pre-occupation Tibet was also very xenophobic and any foreigner who entered the country without permission from very high authority invited immediate death. Nor was Tibet a peaceful nation as some would have us believe and had invaded its neighbours many times throughout its history. And behind the invading armies came the the church ready to instill it's totalitarian brand of Buddhism upon the conquered people. The Dalai Lama of today is no different from the Dalai Lama's of the past. He is contrary to the image he portrays and the words he speaks is very political and sees himself as the head of state in exile of Tibet. If he were to regain the power and position that was traditionally held by the Dalai Lama's, Tibet would in all likelihood slide back into poverty stricken feudal state where basic civil liberties and human rights would not exist. Now I know much of what I have written here sounds controversial and goes against popular belief, but I myself am a lay Buddhist and follow more of a Japanese style of the religion, however, I was first introduced to Buddhism by a family of expatriate Tibetans. During our conversations, the head of the family who had no great love of Chinese and basically hated them with a passion did state that he had to give the devil his dues. That under Chinese post-occupation administration, the lot of the average Tibetan greatly improved as did their chance to better their lives through access to education and gaining the right to choice their occupation. He also credited the Chinese of finally breaking the iron grip the church once held on Tibet and allowed him and his family to immigrate to Canada, something that was unheard of back in the days of the Dalai Lama's rule.

I take you are all in favour of the old Soviet Penal System as it actions mirror your wishes. Funny how said system never wiped out crime.

To quote Pink Floyd: Waiting to cut out the deadwood Waiting to clean up the city Waiting to follow the worms Waiting to put on a black shirt Waiting to weed out the weaklings Waiting to smash in their windows And kick in their doors Waiting for the final solution To strengthen the strain Waiting to follow the worms Waiting to turn on the showers v And fire the ovens Waiting for the queers and the coons And the reds and the Jews Waiting to follow the worms Did they leave anybody out?

Basically it was the F-22 of its day. Billions and god only knows how many man years spent on research and development , followed up by an extremely short service life that really did not pay back its costs.

Not so fast, Germany declared war on the US on December 11th, 1941 four days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour and began U-Boat operations inside US coastal waters almost immediately afterwards. See the Second U-Boat Happy Time for more information. Those operations costs the allies over 600 ships for the loss of 22 U-boats and almost brought coastal shipping along the US Eastern Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico to a grinding halt. If that is not an attack against the US, then what is? The odd thing about the German or rather Hitler's declaration was that he was under no treaty obligation with Japan to do so if Japan instigated a war between itself and the US, the only treaty obligation Germany had with Japan in regards to war with the US was that Germany would come to Japanese aid if Japan was attacked by the US.

God you are a tool. The Queen of Canada is Elizabeth the Second, not the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean who is the Governor General of Canada, appointed by the sitting Government of Canada and not the Queen, even though she is the Queen's Representative.

Doubt he will be, racist git that he is. He cannot seem to wrap around his tiny brain the fact that the history that is taught and has been taught in Canadian Schools is almost strictly that of Europe stating in Roman and up to the conquest of the Americas by Europeans. The only time that history of say China, Japan, Africa or the Middle East is touched upon occurs only when it interacts with European or North American history. And forget about First Nations history, only time they are mentioned really is when they came into conflict with the advancing tide of European immigration.

After watching that report, I could not help but wonder, how is this any different from messages Muslim fighter are getting from their Military Mullahs......no difference if you ask me. If could well turn the simmering cauldron that is the Mid-East into a raging fire, it doesn't bode well for anyone, be they Muslim Arab or Israeli Jew.

Last time I checked, there was only one race, the human race. But then again I have been called a race traitor coz I was dating a Chinese girl back in college. Funny how some people can't see beyond the shape of another persons eyes or the colour of their skin. As for the OP Lictor......he's just a tool and not worth many words.

Fecking amazing, the racist and white supremest lictor is actually praising an Asian people, in an off-handed manner of course. Someone call up Lucifer and tell him the thermostat of Hell's furnace has gone tits up and the place has frozen over.

Your very words in various posts and threads echo the words and thoughts of Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, Goering and the like. You aren't a Fascist in the traditional sense of the word as coined by Mussolini, that I could deal with. No sir, you are a full blown Nazi regardless of your Grandfathers service. Sadly, your very words and mindset do a great disservice to his service. You should be ashamed, but I see that you have no shame at all.

You truly are one fucked up hate filled piece of shit. My Grandfather spent six years on an old VW class Destroyer making sure the like of you never ever got into power again. His brother went to sea in a Corvette which never returned to stop assholes like you. I personally served 10 years in the CAF ready to defend EVERY Canadian no matter what their race was, how they prayed to whichever god they believed in, whether they sat or stood to take a leak, which gender they preferred to make a life with. But I tell you truthfully, I did not serve to defend miserable pricks like yourself. You're not a Canadian, you not even a hyper-patriotic unltra-conservative, you sir are nothing but a stinking piece of human garbage called a Nazi. Does humanity a favour and top youself.

Actually, he did during the last election...up to that point it looked like him just might get that long sought after majority he has been wanking himself over.....but he had to go and open his pie hole and say everything was bright and rosy with the Canadian economy.....and most pundits agree, it cost him his coronation.

Is there really that great a demand for Jack Boots and White Sheets in Canada? Who knew?

One of favorites is the old Eipper Quicksilver MX, perhaps because that was the ultralight I learned to fly on. Eipper Quicksiliver MX However, if I had the coin, I'd love to get my mitts on of these, a Murphy Renegade Biplane/Ultralight.

I am always amazed just how agile those great lumbering beasts were. Took my late Grandfather to the Abbotsford Airshow a few years back just to see the only flying Canadian Lanc, a Spitfire and a Hurricane. I will never forget the sound of six Merlin engines screaming as the three old warhorses beat up the runway during a fly-by. And this year I had the honour of arranging the ground transportation of a Mosquito from Vancouver to Victoria so that it could be restored to flying condition. Hopefully in a couple of years time I will again get to hear the sweet music of the Merlins.

Scratch a ultra-conservative, and you find a frightened, hate filled, paranoid, small minded git of a racist......and you don't have to scratch that deep it seems as evidenced with the above. Do us a favour Mr. Canada, change your nick name to something more in keeping with you drivel, say Mr. Wadsworth for example.

He must be talking about my town of Tsawwassen BC....oh wait a minute, there is that nice East Indian couple that live down the hall from me.....oh and there are those Filipino girls who work at the local 7-11, almost forgot back the Taiwanese students learning to fly at the Delta Airpark.....never mind...... Mr. Canada, may I humbly suggest you move down south, say to the deep woods of Alabama or Kentucky, I think you would really feel more at home there.

Does that mean I will be getting my 10% pay cut back anytime soon and will Carter GM change their mind about closing their Coquitlam dealership and rehire those 250 people they laid off last week? Does also mean that US buyers will start ordering Canadian goods again so the truck I need to pick up my loads of steel down south can actually get down there? Call me pessimistic, but one a measly .1% growth in a one month does not spell the end of a recession or depression for me. When I see four solid quarters with an average growth of .75% per quarter or 12 months growth averaging .23%, then maybe I will start to think the worse is over.....till then, I am not putting my down payment on that lovely '09 Triumph Sprint ST I have my eye on. As for the "brave and wonderful" Steven Harper, he can kiss my hairy Royal Canadian backside, I wouldn't piss on the man even if he was on fire.

A couple more contemporary tunes. Cheney's Toys

If I am not mistaken, unlike France neither Canada nor the US has mandatory ID laws on their respective books. Citizens of both nations are not obligated to carry any form of ID on their person nor does any law enforcement official have the right to demand ID from a citizen who is going about their lawful business. That we do as a rule carry some form of ID is a matter of personal convenience, not because we live in fear of some LEO demanding to see our papers. A drivers permit is an accepted form of ID, but its primary purpose is not ID, but to show that we are legally entitled and are qualified to drive the vehicle we are operating. Liquor store clerks and clerks that work in shops that sale tobacco do have the right to demand ID, but only if they are unsure of the age of the person purchasing said items, mainly because their license to sell such goods would be at risk if caught knowingly selling to minors. However, the citizen whom the clerk demands ID from has the right to refuse, and the clerk then has the right to refuse service to the citizen. And we are under no obligation to supply a LEO with any information without first being charged with an offense and even then only in the presence of legal advise. LEO's must have reasonable grounds to detain any citizen at anytime. If a citizen is caught in the act committing an act contrary to the law, or has been reasonably identified by a witness as a person who has committed a breach of the peace, then a LEO has the right and duty to detain said person. Said person whoever has no obligation to cooperate with the LEO, although it would be the smart thing to do in most cases. I am surprised that no one in the US has yet to make a Constitutional Challenge about the powers the various US Law Enforcement Agencies have usurped in the last 20 or 30 years. Being demanded to and forced to produce ID while going about ones lawfully business sounds like a violation against the 5th Amendment among others. And I would not be all that surprised to see a Charter Challenge here in Canada in the near future.

Welcome to 1984.........

One of the best things I have ever done was get rid of my Blackberry and other cell........bugger to being "available" all the time.

Apart from obvious technological advances, is there really all that much difference between the two?

I am just curious as to how many would watch blood sports if they were legal and carried on the various sports channels