PocketRocket

Oh, here's one I missed, from the title of the thread.... Hmmm. If this is truly the case, maybe BushCo's next move will be to go after all leftists on the theory that if their heads are exploding, they must all be WMD's.

Thank you ERR for saving me the trouble of responding. MontgomeryBurns: see ERR's response directly above. I think it hits pretty much all of your points. Not the wording I would have used, but the message is pretty much all there.

After muddling through eight pages of stuff, some of it factual, and some of it simple partisan bickering, one thing is certain; EVERYONE dropped the ball on this one. Local officials could have done more. The state could have done more. The federal government could have, and should have, done MUCH more. And the levee system should have been upgraded years ago. It was a time bomb waiting to go off. Not a case of "if", but rather "when". The level of preparedness was truly sad. The response equally so. Oh well, at least Canada is there giving aid and relief. Even though GWB expressed early on that he wasn't particularly interested in our help.

Well, gee, this former-nobody is now the president of a country. Given his circumstances, and new level of income, I'd be thanking my benefactors, too. Freedom of expression, political parties, a free media - everything that the far-left didn't want them to have. After all, they are just brown people. They didn't deserve anything like that. Please cite a site which demonstrates that ANYONE on the left, let alone the far-left, didn't want Iraqi's, or anyone else, to have freedom. 50 million liberated under Bush's watch. But he has a ways to go to match Reagan's liberation of 110 million eastern Europeans. But he has still has 3 years to go. Just for the record, I don't consider myself to be paricularly "left", and I have no problem with the fact that Saddam was ousted, and even less problem with Iraq finally finding democracy. My beef is with the pretense(s) used to justify a war which BushCo had decided they were going to wage before Bush even came into his first term in office. Like I said elsewhere, this war was based on hypocrisy and falsehoods. As for your comparison of Bush/Reagan, you seem to think it's a game of one-upmanship. Dangerous thinking when such a game involves peoples' lives. Ever hear the expression "No news is good news"??? Not many newspapers would be sold if every headline read "Things are alright". Newspapers are in the business of selling newspapers. TV and radio newscasts are in the business of garnering ratings. Remember this simple fact and it's easy to see why most news we see and hear is bad news. That's what sells. Sad, but true. America has set up presidents in other countries, which in the long run did not turn out to benefit either the countries involved, nor the world at large. Regarding this particular president and country, only time will tell. C'mon, boy. Spit it out. You can do it. Well, certainly not this particular Iraqi, who is suddenly rich and powerful thanks to the efforts of US troops and BushCo. At least some Iraqi's are not particularly thrilled, or else the fighting would have over and done with long ago. But the fighting goes on.

I gotta go with HAWK on this one. Our border guards should be armed to the teeth. Gloks, bulletproof vests, UZI's, the works. Not to mention towers with snipers, just to be on the safe side. And the training to go with it. Military-style training. And higher pay. Apparently our border security is the lowest-paid segment of any Canadian law-enforcement agency. Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention. Dogs. Big nasty, well-trained attack dogs. If it comes to a shoot-out at a border station, a dog can give a guard the edge. Kind of hard to concentrate on drawing a bead on a guy, when his 100-lb mastiff is bearing down on you and will be at your throat within 2 seconds.

Where did this thread start again??? Oh yeah...... Well, that's only because it's all America's fault. (Sorry, not much sleep last night, too much coffee this morning. It all adds up to make 'Rocket a silly boy. But hey, it's all in good fun)

Whah shurly, Missy. At thuh Valley Fair last year, somebuddy tried tuh steal mah slice o' apple pie. You kin betchur britches thet when ah put mah colt 45 in his face, he set down thet pie nice an' slow, an' backed off, real easy-lahk. An' at thet thar zoo yuh mentioned, whah jest last week two peepul were attacked by a macaw thet got loose from it's cage. One o' them got a nasty scratch upside his left ear. T'other feller was scared half to death. Thet nasty bird stole his corn-chips. Thet never woulda happened if they had been carryin'.

Actually CHAUNCY, the Canadian security guards are primarily responsible for stuff coming into Canada. Likewise, American border guards are responsible for checking out the stuff entering the USA. It's been this way for decades. Can't blame USA border security for firearms coming into Canada. As for the gang violence and killings, I think we should simply erect a giant paintball-park style enclosure, invite them all to play, and give them all real guns with live ammo. This would simultaneously rid our society of a lot of killers, while preventing innocent bystanders from being caught in the crossfire. I do believe that some people would be stupid enough to sign up and take their "best shot". Being that society has, by and large, eliminated the process of evolution through natural selection in mankind, this would be one way of "culling the herd" by taking some stupid people out of the gene pool.

Perhaps it's because we saw through the hypocrisy inherent in Bush's decision to go to war. It's really easy to see. Use UN resolutions to justify a war, but against the wishes of the UN security council, whose approval should have been acquired before the initial attack. It kind of like seeing a jaywalker, and deciding that because HE broke the law, you should beat him up. Besides, according to BUSH and Company, the UN is irrelevent (at least when it suits their needs), so what matter if Saddam was breaking UN resolutions??? But wait, later on BushCo asked the UN for help in rebuilding Iraq, but only if the USA got to direct the orchestra. The hypocrisy surrounding the whole Iraq debacle is really quite astounding to see. In the same way that we didn't give a toss about the Afghani people??? We have people over there, some of whom have been killed. By Americans. And yet we're still there helping out. Please post links to these organizations and their rulings. I would be interested in seeing them. I won't ask (yet) if any of them have names like "The Great American Lumber Company". Bottom line is the WTO is internationally recognized as an arbiter (even by the USA), as is the ruling body of NAFTA. Both ruled against the USA on this issue. Good for Harper. I knew he'd eventually turn out to be good for something. Sorry, that was unkind. But seriously, good for Harper. He spoke noble words, and appropriately so. Perhaps you can give them lessons in diplomacy and etiquette Perhaps it's because of the amount of money they make off us. Leech??? Yeah, right. Please don't say things like this. I laughed so hard that I snorted coffee out my nose. "Cool and calm". Heh heh heh.

Well we are in Afghanistan helping to get things on an even keel there. Perhaps it's because there was actual PROOF that Al-Qaeda was in Afghanistan, whereas the stories of them being in Iraq were, by the Bush administration's own admission, just stories. See answer above, add to it this; How many Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan??? I can recall hearing of four. All killed by American pilots. Not intentionally, to be sure, but good intentions do not a live soldier make. And you recall what the road to hell is paved with.

The quick and easy answer; We are, by example, by being a peaceful, successful democracy. "Democracy" is not something achieved by force at the point of a gun. Democracy is achieved from within, through the will of the people, people who are willing to sacrifice their own lives, their homes, their honor. Have you seen the size of Canada??? The size of Iraq??? We wouldn't fit As for America's interest in championiing democracy, well, forgive me if I remain sceptical, but the USA has propped up too many dictators too many times simply because it suited America's agenda at the time. This current mantra about bringing democracy to Iraq is simply too convenient. But it does play well in the media, and it certainly has convinced a lot of people. But then again, that's why it's there.

Absolutely. But you will notice that nowhere in that thread did I cast aspersions at GREG. We are all supposedly adults here. We shouldn't need a chaperone to tell us all to play nice. A person can say just about anything in a non-offensive way, if they so desire. Unfortunately, some people do not desire to be non-offensive. (Edited to add) And this thread is now 3 pages long, and you STILL haven't answered SPARHAWK's question.

$1.14/liter???? From where I sit, that looks pretty good right now.

MIRROR :Three times SPARHAWK asked you a simple question. You never did anser it. A simple yes or no would suffice. These periodic threads which pop up from time to time criticizing GREG's moderating lead to nowhere. FYI, I certainly do not consider myself to be conservative, and for the most part I see little fault with the job GREG is doing. He gives us free rein, and steps in when things get too badly out of hand. Additionally, as someone pointed out above, we have just come off a long weekend. You think someone who actually has a life is going to spend all his free holiday time presiding over a group who are supposedly adults, just to make sure no-one's feathers get ruffled??? I agree that there are some posters here who would rather whinge on from a partisan standpoint than from a logical one, and often some of these people drag a debate down to base levels of ugly slurs, but it's still better than many forums I've participated in. Like all of us, I'm sure GREG has his faults. But censoring or banning people based on his own political affiliation does not seem to be one of them. If you need a reminder of this, two radically different ex-members, "THELIBERAL" and "CANADIANCONSERVATIVE" were banned within a week of each other. Hardly a show of partisanship on GREG's part.

Heh heh. Better than "reminding" the administration, would be to run a series of tv and radio ads in the southern states which were hardest hit. Something along the lines of "And in a effort to help our American brethren rebuild, we have reduced the price of our lumber to (whatever it is we actually make on it before the tariffs are imposed)". Instead of trying to browbeat the States from this end, use some PR to engineer a hue-and-cry from the American public, who currently are largely unaware of, and uninterested in the tariffs.

Huh?!?!?!?

Softwood quagmire. Iraq quagmire. What the hell is QUAGMIRE, the new buzz word for the decade???

Translation: We don't like the deal that we already have in place (NAFTA), so let's make a new one just for softwood lumber..... Translation: .......because we're bigger, badder, and richer, so we can get away with breaking our own rules, even when caught red-handed. Very magnanimous of him to offer to negotiate "in good faith". Only problem is the "good faith" got chucked in the trash bin, by the USA, by ignoring NAFTA in the first place. Wilkins' use of the term "good faith" is a joke. It's time the USA showed some good faith and lived up to the deal that they initiated in the first place. But, being the biggest kid in the schoolyard, they pretty much get to call the shots, and aren't about to let us forget it.

A couple months ago I got an e-mail from a friend. It had text, and for every line a link, but the links didn't work for me. I kept it around in the hopes I could get them to work. No luck. The text is still kinda funny, and in light of some of the debates going down here, somewhat pertinent. I'm sure some of you will enjoy it, and many will have some kind of negative comment, but what the hell, it's all in good fun. Here it is....

I have a symbol that I like just fine. It's the Maple Leaf. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That thing's a piece of junk. It has historical and geographical significance to only a relatively small elite in a relatively small area of the country. It's a lousy symbol for the country as a whole. -k <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well, perhaps if you had been around at the time you could have designed something better. But you had the unbridled temerity to be born too late to do so. The nerve of some women Seriously, a symbol is what you make it. Look at the Bald Eagle, national symbol of our southern friends. It never takes on anything it's own size. It will often pounce on prey which is already mortally wounded. It will often scavenge off dead carcasses. But it looks good in a picture The Canadian flag, as it currently stands, is just fine by me.

I have a symbol that I like just fine. It's the Maple Leaf. In a larger sense, I take pride in the thought that Canada is more sensible than most countries, is peaceful, tolerant and largely generous and good hearted. It is a place where anyone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and work can get ahead. IOW, we have what our southern neighbours describe as "The American Dream", without all the American political baggage. Not a perfect country, but then again, who can name one that is??? As for symbols, I know who I am and what I am. I do not need a "symbol" to identify myself.

Only if the right person is convicted of the offense.

While it may not be the death penalty, it seems your desire to see the lad dead may come to fruition. In the article you provided, he allegedly left a note saying.... It's a foregone conclusion that they'll catch up with him at some point. If he resists, and does so with some sort of weapon, then he may well end up dead. While I have mixed feelings on the death penalty, I will shed no tears for this youngster.

You're kidding, right?? I mean 9/11 was one thing. And we did send people to help during the rescue attempts and cleanup at the WTC. We did send troops and support to Afghanistan. And we had casualties there, some of them at the hands of our American friends. Despite that accident, I agree that the USA is our friend and ally. BUT, if your friend, duly warned of the consequences, and against all good judgement, chooses to stick his hand into a hornets' nest, are you going to stand there getting stung along with him??? If he chooses off a cliff, are you going to jump as well?? I for one am proud that we chose to say "No, we will not participate in this particular war", because I, along with millions of others, believe the war was based on lies and deceit, not to mention a healthy dose of hypocrisy. As time passes, more and more evidence seems to come forth supporting that opinion. Sorry, but I cannot support a war based on lies. (But I do admit that it's good to see Saddam gone.)

I live in Northern Ontario. Born and raised. Just to clarify, the Liberals have not made any money flow into MY wallet. Further, I do not like the Liberals. Don't like Paul Martin. Unfortunately, I don't see a really credible challenge to him at the moment. Layton is, well, Layton. He's with the NDP. NDP by their nature are non-challengers, doomed to be an opposition party forever. I will not vote NDP simply because I don't want my tax money spent pandering to Buzz Hargrove et al. The Progressive Conservative party got my vote in a couple elections in the past, including the year the party collapsed. I think Kim Campbell should have been given a fair shot, but unfortunately she took the bullet for Mulroney in that election. Unfortunately, the new Conservative party is just that; "new". They're still finding their wings. Still have a lot of inexperienced people as MP's. Tend to verbally shoot themselves in the foot a lot. In my eyes, Harper has little credibility. I have yet to see that party produce a leader I like. But I did vote Reform twice. Bring back Preston Manning. He had credibility. If you can swing that, I'll be voting for whatever party he leads. Next election, I'll probably choose "none of the above" by voting Green, or whatever else is available besides the traditional 3. (BTW, excuse my ignorance, but what is "TROC"???)