kimmy

Is there evidence that CN is to blame for the accidents? If CN is the cause, either through negligence or whatever, then yeah their license should be revoked; however, if there is no connection and they were simply unavoidable accidents, then no. The cause of the derailment at Wabamun is under investigation but it is likely faulty rail. I would assume CN is responsible for maintaining the track. CN has also been underfire for not disclosing that aside from the fuel-oil that spilled, highly toxic, carcinogenic pole-treating (wood-preservative) oil was also spilled into the lake. (The volunteers could probably wish they had that information before they entered the lake to place containment booms and rescue wildlife...) CN had initially claimed that the Imperial tanker car contained "lube oil", not pole treating oil. Aside from environmental damage and leaving the residents without drinking water and loss of tourist revenue for area businesses (the area is a popular weekend destination just west of Edmonton) the spill has also forced TransAlta Utilities to shut down the 279 megawatt power generating station at Wabamun. TransAlta pegs the cost of the shut down at $5 to $6 million to date, and says that it will seek full reimbursement "from those responsible" for the derailment. so.... I guess they're the only rail company we have, and we can't exactly do without them... but this thing has been a complete disaster. CN will of course be paying tons of money to all the people affected by this, as well as for cleaning it up, and they should... but the end result of that will probably only hurt their customers. If there was willful deception regarding the contents of the Imperial tanker, then somebody ought to see jail time, I would say. -k

Globe'n'Mail article I'm not criticizing this, of course. All the parties do it, except the NDP, for whom finding donors who could shell out $5000 for dinner would amount to a McDonough family reunion. I do think it's nice that the PM gets out to Alberta once in a while, which probably only happened a handful of times during the whole 11 years Da Little Guy was in charge. I don't mean to give away the secret location, but if Tim Murphy is reading, I'd appreciate it if he could e-mail me with a list of Landslide Annie's food allergies. Are traditional Liberal donors disgruntled with the sponsorship mess enough to keep their money in their pockets? Are traditional Liberal donors worried about being tarred by the same brush? Or have the changed donation rules and scrutiny of donations actually reduced their traditional sources of money? aw, I dunno. I think it's great that PMPM is at least willing to pay lip service to the issue, but honestly, what's the point. When he first became PM, Martin said he'd consider his tenure a failure if he couldn't make inroads on the issue of "western alienation". And there was talk of "Paulberta" as Martin-mania swept the prairies. And what's the result been so far? A continuation, if not amplification, of the single-minded focus on Quebec and Quebec sovereigntists in Ottawa. A continuation of combativeness toward the region and its representatives. Even opportunities to extend a token olive branch-- senate appointments, for instance-- have been ignored. With Chretien, you could honestly believe that the guy was just too ignorant to recognize the problem. With Martin, he's said he recognizes the issue, and says he wants to address it... but won't. -kimmy

Liberal MP Roger Galloway (or, as editorialists have taken to writing, "Liberal" MP Roger Galloway) said something similar: Edmonton Sun Galloway says that his constituents are mad about this, and Galloway is from Sarnia, not Alberta or rural BC. -k

They signed nothing? You mean, like, they never put in writing that they're committed to Quebec sovereignty? Frankly, I don't care. She's not the maker of the documentary, she appears in it... and she's toasting sovereignty. I can accept lots of explanations... I can accept that she was just being polite to her company, or I can accept that she was young and naive, I can even accept that she used to feel that way but changed her mind; I can accept any explanation just as long as she sincerely tells us that she is committed to Canadian unity. The minute there became reason to question whether she was committed to Canadian unity, it was necessary for her to either address those doubts or step down. I'll eat my keyboard if Ted Morton or one of the other signees is ever nominated for the post of governor general. Even if they became avid enthusiasts of federalism starting tomorrow. I'm not saying it should be so, I'm just saying it probably is so. -k

Spoken like a city-dweller.My great-grandma always kept a rifle in her porch, and used it often, right up until she died a couple of years ago. She often had coyotes in her yard, and bears occasionally visited as well. One of my cousins, a dog-breeder, has had problems with badgers. 3 of her prize-winning German Shepherds cornered a badger; 1 of the dogs was killed outright and the other two were maimed so badly they had to be put down. Another time she spent 4 hours sitting on the roof of her truck while a badger growled at her; finally her neighbor came to visit, saw the problem, drove back home, returned with a rifle, and killed the badger. -k

Are they out shooting people? Nope. The only danger from them is that you might laugh too hard at their ridiculously baggy pants dragging around their butts. Who asked for your oppinion argus? Just here to make trouble eh? Was this post necessary? Argus' post was relevant to the issue and makes a valid point. There is a world of difference between real "gangstas" and the fake "gangstas" who model their lives after rap music videos. -k

So if you know the answer already, and you're not interested in any discussion of the issue, then what is the point of your message? -k

Harper is a lowlife for accepting Michaelle Jean's statement that she supports Canadian unity? Chee. Tough crowd. -k

This is a discussion forum, not a one-word-answer forum. If want one-word answers and have no interest in hearing any accompanying discussion of the topic, perhaps you would do better to find the answer to your question in a book. -k

I have not charged that it is proof she has separatist sympathies, I simply stated that it is something that she should address. But, in answer to your question, yes-- I can certainly understand going along with something you disagree with in order to avoid ruffling feathers. I'd hope my husband wouldn't put such an incident in his movie, however. And, when one is caught in such a circumstance, one is usually called on to explain themselves. When questions of her sympathy to sovereignty were raised, Canadians had a right to expect her to respond. Now that she has declared her committed support to Canadian unity, I expect most Canadians will be satisfied. I think it was necessary for her to address the issue. They'd disqualify a GG-designate in the sense that Ted Morton or one of the other "firewall letter" writers would never, ever even be considered for the post. I think that's beyond obvious. I think that most Canadians would likewise consider it patently obvious that a Quebec Sovereigntist would also not be considered for the position of Governor General: which is why the question of whether she supports separatism was relevant. Her associations and her actions on film raised the question, and Canadians had a reasonable expectation to hear her respond to the question. -k

You never know. I sometimes wonder if politicians or their advisors check in on forums like this one to get an idea of what "normal" people are saying. (I also sometimes wonder if Warren Kinsella checks in to steal my Paul Martin barbs...) No. I wonder what that "other" Kimmy is up to these days. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if it had been she, and not that deadbeat Joe Clark, who came back to "save" the Progressive Conservatives in 1998. -k

I disagree. I don't think the rest of Canada has ever had a particularly good impression of Quebec sovereigntists and I don't think this affair has done much to change people's perception either way. If people in the rest of Canada had any interest in Michaelle Jean, perhaps the "witch hunt" could have spurred a backlash. But I doubt that most Canadians outside of Quebec had even heard of Michaelle Jean before she was chosen to be the next GG. I believe that most Canadians were doubtful from the start that she was chosen for anything other than shallow, cynical criteria. And as a result most Canadians are equally blase about the supposed "witch-hunt". And I think it's fairly clear that despite his claims to the contrary, Paul Martin didn't look very closely at her background. He was caught flat-footed and clueless. As usual. And I don't think this is a "witch-hunt". I think it's relevant. She seems to be in this documentary toasting Quebec sovereignty. How could Canadians not be concerned? The questions posed to Ms Jean were questions that Canadians have every right to have answers to. -k

If her intention was to provoke public discussion, I'd say she's succeeded. If her intention was to built a memorial to her son and all the others, I have to think there must have been a better place than a ditch. I'm sure she'll get a meeting... from what I've seen, Pres. Bush likes to have a soldier's grieving mother or widow on hand at speaking events. They make great props. -k

I knew there was a labor problem, but it has no effect on me personally. As I've said before, CBC TV does a pathetic job of presenting news in Alberta. Their entertainment programming is beyond wretched (although they used to have fine programming for children and young teens, and might still.) I would of course rather pierce my eardrums with a power-drill than listen to CBC Radio-2, and I've never listened to CBC Radio-1 because AM radio is for peasants. -k

If we put such a rule in place, what will I do when somebody starts up a Kimmy Party of Canada? -k

Out of curiousity, were you asking for evidence because you doubted what he said, or just that you didn't think he'd be able to back it up? This article from the Toronto Star explains the history of why Toronto police no longer keep racial statistics regarding crime there. I believe our own E-town police, as well as most news outlets, also have a policy of not specifying race unless it would be helpful in describing at-large suspects. I suspect that's probably a standard policy from coast to coast. The belief is that allowing the police to compile ethnic statistics would contribute to racial profiling, therefore it is frowned upon. If you want to perform analysis, as the Toronto Star did a few years ago, you can still go through arrest-records by hand to compile statistics, but the Star was also very choosy about which statistics they published. Just to add to what Argus presented for you, I'll offer you this: CBC News: A Deadly Silence (from Google's cache) http://tinyurl.com/a8mzg Between 1996 and 2002, ...one third of the city's homicides during that time. And this article from MacLean's magazine says that BC's Indo-Canadian gangs are arguably the most murderous in Canada, and says: The article also clearly indicates that the problem is well-known and widely acknowledged among BC's Indo-Canadian community... ...so it's not like this is just coming from white racists, either. Toronto's black community and Vancouver's East Indian community are aware of the problems in their midst. It is us white folk, and our mainstream media, that are uncomfortable talking about it. -k

Yes! And after almost 15 years, you'd think people would finally get around to recognizing what a wise policy it was. Would Paul Martin have been able to balance the budget without the GST? Fat chance. Would Canadian businesses be able to compete in the international marketplace if the GST had not replaced the MFT? No. Has the GST caused any of the harmful effects that its critics claimed it would? Not a one. Let's face it: the Liberals would abolish the GST tomorrow if they could. But they won't, because they know that ultimately the GST was the right policy. Why don't you Liberal types give Mr Mulroney and his party some credit for replacing the punitive MFT with a transparent and equitable system. -k

He got himself banned once already. He'll get himself banned again. There's no reason to get worked up or go running to the moderator. -k

(whaaa? This thread has certainly taken a turn for the strange.) I believe the "Taber shooter" and his victim were both high-school seniors. And as it was just days after the Columbine massacre, it was considered likely it was a copycat crime-- not only was the shooter aware of the kind of horror and grief his actions would cause, he was almost certainly *inspired* by it. While I don't think the death penalty was necessary, it certainly seems to me that the justice system did not treat this particular crime with the seriousness that I'd have thought was warranted. -k

And done. Since I've been told its the lamest photo of me ever taken. Nice work, Sinbad -k

(deleted)

Racist? Bigoted? Or just realistic? No doubt there are complex sociological reasons behind it, but for whatever reason, the trend between ethnicity and violent crime is pretty strong. Asian gangs and all the violent crime that results, in major urban centers. Natives and native gangs here on the prairies. But of course it's not polite to make reference to any of this. Fault Argus for being impolite, perhaps, but not for being wrong. -k

News flash: Politician manipulates photo-op to enhance image! Golly! There's something you hardly ever see. -k

We had a more entertaining thread on this subject last month: http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3588 Do gays in Canada have more rights than everybody else? Of course not. Don't be ridiculous. What a nonsensical notion. The issue-- the issue worth discussing-- is whether political correctness has gone too far. I am concerned that political correctness is preventing us from not just discussing many important issues, but in some cases even acknowledging that there's a problem. -k

I know, that is why he should try opening his eyes....I think he lives on Whyte with the Artsy Fartsy's I speak of!!! He has no concept of the people of Alberta! Plus voting the way he does, it's a wonder he doesn't get run over by one of my crew trucks!! LOL There is far more to Alberta than fake cowboys. -k (edited for ... let's just say clarity. -k)