PocketRocket

First of all, it was not the guard who giggled, but the prisoner. Second, the "ticklishness" was not the abuse issue. The issue was what followed....... http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13274656/ I realize this thread is meant to be satirical, but even in satire it helps if you have your facts straight.

You know, any time I see a new member whose first post here is the opening of a new thread, my first thought is "troll". When the post meanders all over the place, that reinforces my initial thought. When it contains comments like...... .......I become even more certain of my first impression.

*YAWN* Another thread degenerated because people get into p!ssing contests about who's left and who's right rather than simply discuss the topic at hand. I am beginning to think we need a separate forum here dedicated to partisan name-calling.

A little Bush foot-in-mouth episode. Bush made a few teasing remarks to a reporter regarding his dark glasses, only to find out later that the guy is vision impaired. Nothing world-shattering here, but seriously, if you see someone wearing dark glasses on a cloudy day, or indoors, why even bother making a remark about it??? Obviously they would be wearing them for SOME reason. The "teasing out of affection" excuse does not go down with me. It seemed more of a smartass remark than an affectionate ribbing. Oh well, at least GWB had the good grace to make an apology, but I still see this as an totally unnecessary gaffe. The reporter was quite gracious in deeming the apology "unnecessary". It seems to be a happy ending, but it is still another funny little Bush story. Link to video....... http://news.yahoo.com/s/wonkette/20060615/...topeterwallsten http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6061500059.html

CRAZYMF: Good luck and all that. I hope it all comes out well. Regarding a shift to the right, I'm not sure if this is the case. As someone who prides himself as being able to see both sides of an argument (most of the time, anyway), I think I sit pretty well in the middle. On some issues I'm, accused of being Liberal, other times, Conservative. (Lib more often though, I think) I do NOT make it a habit to echo the posts of others. If someone is making a strong argument with which I agree, and they have already raised a point which has come to my mind, I see no reason to repeat it. That simply clutters up the board. Since I came here a couple years ago, I've always felt this board has leaned somewhat to the right. But, as noted above, a few of the most prolific thread starters in the past were a couple of the more strident Liberals. That also is true today. GerryHatrick, for example, starts a LOT of threads. (This is NOT meant as a slight, GH) On the other hand MongomeryBurns also starts a lot of threads. These are simply two examples of people whose viewpoints are polar opposites, and either of them will start a thread at the drop of a hat. No problem with that. Keeps things lively around here.

Hmmm. So the contention here seems to be the bold-print quotes are meant to sway our opinion in favour of the defendents. And yet, in this earlier CBC article, the bold-print bits are definitely directing statements AGAINST those same people http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/toronto-...plot/index.html And this article sings the praises of the new Anti-Terrorist Act http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnsecurity/ And here, a photo gallery related to the raid and arrests http://www.cbc.ca/news/photogalleries/flas...llery=bombraids And here, the headline is "Homegrown Extremism" http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/toronto-...-extremism.html Hmmm. In THIS article, which details the men arrested and charged, only their names are in bold print. Maybe that shows some sort of bias, too. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/toronto-...t/suspects.html

Hey MONTY: It's been a while. While I am not going to address the rest of the post I snipped this from, I have to say this about McCarthy. Of COURSE the man found some communists. If you accuse EVERYONE of being a communist, then of course you will be right about SOME of them. But have a closer look at McCarthy. He was seeing communism EVERYWHERE. I mean let's face it, the guy almost single-handedly destroyed the comic-book industry. Why??? Because comic books were a "communist plot" to undermine the youth of America!!!!! He actively campaigned against comic books, going so far as to engage the services of psychologists (at least one) to testify that the violence in comics led to not only communism, but also to murderous derangement. This tripe was actually taken seriously, to the point where a few guys escaped death row because they testified that "comic books made me kill him/her". While the rest of your post was credibly written, I'm sorry, but I cannot take any reference to McCarthy seriously.

BB: That's an interesting take, and one I had honestly never thought of before. Sort of a variation on the old saw about idle hands being the devil's tools. But I am not sure if this would apply to those Muslim youth in Canada who were arrested. Presumably, being raised here, they would have more access to "fun", even if their religious tenets limit them as to which activities they can partake in. Hard to say.

I have somewhat mixed feelings on this issue. If we are descended from apes, in issue which has still not been conclusively settled, then do we owe it to our genetic forebears to give them a bit more protection than we do other animals??? Secondly, considering that many species of ape show advanced intelligence levels (for "dumb" animals), should we be nurturing them to some degree??? Check this out..... http://www.koko.org/ .....old news to many, but basically a lowland gorilla with a vocabulary of several hundred words. She speaks in sign language, creates "poetry", paints, loves, adores cats, etc. Is she simply on a lower rung of the ladder when it comes to development of intelligence???

This thread inspired me to do a little search on Coulter videos whilst enjoying my morning coffee. It was an enlightening, not to mention entertaining, experience, but serves to reinforce the point I made in my previous post. http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2665904 When it comes to hate speech, Ann does nothing but avoid the questions http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2663937 And of course, the now famous (at least in Canada) contribution that Canada made in "sending troops to Viet Nam. Interesting how she sidesteps when cornered. http://abum.com/show/874/936142630.wmv And the also famous "Canada is allowed to exist on the Same continent as the USA" http://mediamatters.org/items/200509120002 In this little clip regarding Katrina........ "Coulter claimed it is "manifestly true" that no one anticipated the levee breeches, then admitted she doesn't know the "details" " http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1536281/posts And this one says it all. It's a montage of clips (put together by someone who is a Coulter fan, and an anti Liberal, which is fine) and the very last thing she says is ".....and judging by my book sales, versus those who are 'less strident'.....", where she basically lets slip the fact that the entire purpose of her controversial statements is to SELL BOOKS.

I was unable to view the video in the initial link, but found it here..... http://thinkprogress.org/2006/06/06/coulter-911/ Regarding Coulter herself, I've said before and I'll say again. Her business is business, not politics. And the business she is in is selling herself and her books. She sells them by making outrageous statements and deliberately "stepping over the line". And she is VERY good at it. As a so called "political pundit", however, her statements must be taken with a grain of salt. As for her remark about "these broads" being part of the liberal "unassailable" machine, well, that too could well be said in a civilised fashion. Kimmy did so right here by raising the question....... ........which is, after all, the whole point. But that would not work for Coulter. Being reasonable does not sell books. Being outrageous does.

How in hell Can the father not have known that she was pregnant??? No way. If she came to full term, and gave birth??? Not a chance. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/110...ead_Babies.html REALLY frickin' drunk, I'd say. I don't buy it. Ummmm.....hiding every one of the bodies is not "sufficient evidence"??? I don't buy this either, but at least there is some small iota of logic behind it.

Just curious, then, how you feel about Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Good post, MONTY Hilarious interview. One thing I MUST agree with is his stance on hunting. I have long argued with many anti-hunting types that as long as they eat meat, they have no right to denounce hunting, as long the the hunt is for food. Anyone who does so is nothing more than a hypocrite.

Well, I will weigh in on THIS particular matter. I strongly dislike GWB. I think his campaign wins are the greatest victories for public relations since the Romans sold the Christians on the idea that meeting the lions would be a good thing. The United States of America? A great country, no doubt. I have no problem whatsoever with the country. I have no problem whatsoever with ANY country. However, a country is not good or bad. It's the government of any given country that can cause problems.

I have avoided the whole Caledonia topic here since it began in several threads. My reason for doing so is simple, I don't think I know enough to make an intelligent contribution to the topic. I do have a few opinions, but they had already been voiced by others, and I see no reason to weigh in with a simple "I agree with (your name here. LOL)". But in this thread, well, suffice to say I WILL weigh in........onward..... I would partially agree that more Native information should be included in the curriculum, but not necessarily as a stand-alone course, at least not in primary school. In my primary-school days, which ended in '74, there was some native content in our history course. But it was not in depth to any degree. The only "Native" things that stand out in my mind from those days are Champlain being the first European to shoot an "Indian" (He had been befriended by one tribe of Natives, and the one he shot was apparently from a rival tribe. The quotations marks around the word "indian" are there because that's the word we used at that time) thereby igniting some white-native hostility. The other major thing that comes to mind is the torture and killing of St Jean de Brebeuf (SP??), and the other missionaries who are honored in the Martyrs' Shrine in Midland(?). Having attended a Catholic school, we had a class trip to the shrine. Aside from those events, and some glossing over of the Natives dealings with the Hudson Bay Company, little else comes to mind from primary school. In high school there was a bit more; Louis Rheal, Natives vs Viking setllers, and a few other tidbits. But to the best of my recollection, there was not a whole lot of Native related information covered in history classes. Which brings me back to my opening statement; While I don't necessarily think we need a separate Native-Studies course, I think the mandatory history classes should indeed include a LOT more information on the history of Natives in the formation and evolution of Canada. This should include information on treaty agreements and so forth. It would definitely equip students to better understand these sorts of issues, as well as giving a more balanced view of our history, and the role Natives played. To address BETSY's post, your comment about high-schoolers not being able to spell... This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. And it's beyond high-schoolers. As long as 15 years ago I've seen university students whose spelling is absolutely atrocious. Disgusting, when you think about it.

Sorry, GEOFFREY, perhaps I didn't make myself clear. It's not the so called "ease" that I am dismissing. Climbing Everest would be anything BUT easy. But it is an extremely high-risk endeavour, and one which I consider foolish. If you want something to test your endurance, try a marathon, or an iron-man competition, or a triathlon, or any number of other physically demanding endeavours. Everest is unforgiving. Fatally so. In that regard my sympathy is limited for someone who simply climbs Everest for the sport or prestige of having done so. If you run a marathon, there oare doctors on hand in case of physical breakdown. No such luxury on Everest. It's like an amateur trying out the flying trapeze.....without a safety net.

They don't seem to be operating on all cylinders gerry. Unfortunately, thousands have died for this bogus war. How bloody sad. They need to wake up and smell the white phosphorus. Even though I disagree with Monty the vast majority of the time, he is usually able to back up his sarcasm with cold hard facts. This thread, is a good example of that.

Well, to report something like "In Iraq today, no innocents were killed. In addition, no one was charged with murder", doesn't make much of a story now, does it??? As for only bad news being reported, haven't we heard numerous stories about the arrival of democracy in Iraq, the success of their first democratic election, and the Iraqi Mayor who says "Thank you" to GWBush??? Haven't we heard Pentagon releases about how well the military effort in Iraq is progressing??? The MSM report stories that they think will sell newspapers and/or bring up their ratings. The MSM is a business, like any other. Their business is to $ELL themselves to the public as being "The Best" source for news. They make more or less money depending on how many people trust them to be the best source. To this end, they will put out the stories that will attract the public's attention. This is one reason I like the CBC(with apologies to Monty and a few others), the BBC, and a few other foreign news sources. Their funding does NOT some from sensationalizing stories to try sell more papers or raise their ratings.

Hiya NEWBIE: As much as I'd like to see this as a legitimate thread, I think your title is misleading, even if factually correct. Nowhere in the article does it state that any of the deserters actually served in Iraq, so the "tired of Iraq" descriptive in the title is somewhat inaccurate. But this is nothing unusual. We've seen the same in the USA since the war began, and we've seen the same in most wars in recent times. I believe this is probably true in several other countries as well, we simply haven't heard about it.

IMHO, climbing Everest is akin to bungee jumping. It's a big personal thrill, but with a potentially disastrous cost. If someone bungee jumping gets killed because the rope snaps, I have little sympathy. If you're stupid enough to jump from a high place, putting all your trust in a steroid-laden rubber band, without any sort of safety net, you deserve what you get. Likewise someone dying climbing Everest, or any number of other silly "thrill" adventures. Someone climbed Everest because it had never been done. Now it has. Hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

The USA has no problem importing our lumbar, their problem was that they thought the lumbar industry was being supported by the Canadian government, hence all those tariffs. They just need to back off accept the fact that here in Canada, we have no lumbar support.

Kieth is a good performer, and a very funny guy. A few years back, I was doing sound at the last Three Fires Music Festival in Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island. Kieth was one of the featured performers. The band playing immediately before Kieth's appearance didn't show up, so myself, and the rest of the sound and lighting crew took the stage for an hour using the instruments from the previous band, which they were kind enough to allow us to use. All of us on the crew are/were professional musicians as well as techs. We did our thing, just doing cover tunes for the hour to keep the party rolling. When Kieth took the stage with his acoustic guitar, he asked us to stay on and jam with him, saying "You guys are great, stick around, it'll be more fun than just me and an acoustic". So we did. Then Kieth introduced the "band" as "Walkerton's Water". I was ErniE. Coli. Sam O. Nella was the drummer. Bob Tulism playing lead guitar. The way the "introductions" rolled off his tongue like he wasn't even thinking about it was probably the funniest thing. Had a blast jamming with him. Yeah I know, off topic, but seeing his name here brought back some great memories.

A sticky point here seems to be food and shelter. No problem. Give the addicts food, give them shelter. In a rehab center. If addictions are indeed "diseases", then cure the disease, or at least treat it. My fear is that every drunken welfare bum currently walking around every downtown in the nation bumming loose change and cigarettes, is now going to go on disability, thereby increasing their personal income, and therefore the amount of booze they can afford to buy.

We need that like an impacted wisdom tooth. I know, I'm getting off topic, but in reviewing this thread, I came upon my earlier post. I never knew I had prophetic abilities. Today I go to an emergency dental clinic (it's Sunday) to get an impacted widom tooth pulled. I can hardly wait. But can Cindy be far behind??? *SHUDDER*