PocketRocket

I sometimes think we should totally scrap the party system and go strictly independant. In this way, an idea would be considered on the basis of its own merits, rather than on the basis of the party who introduced it. I'm sure coalitions would still be formed, but without the "party whip" type system we have now, I think there would be a lot less time wasted in parliament, and a lot more good ideas coming out of the house.

I wouldn't worry in that regard. In fact, in another forum site, I had quite a debate with a neo-nazi. A young fellow whose opinion I thought I may be able to sway with a bit of common sense. Alas, although he was not without intelligence, he was more stubborn than he was smart. I'm still undecided, but it will be neither Lib nor Con for me. NDP is also unlikely. That doesn't leave a lot of alternatives. I guess I'll have to do some research, or simply wait and see who and what are on the card at the polling station. Hey, maybe I'll run myself as an independant. At least then I'll have one person whom I can trust to vote for

Well, I don't normally agree with feeding the trolls, but how about ridiculing them??? Cardinal rule of advertising is this, before printing or posting your piece, check your spelling YUGI-OH

I got a good laugh from BigDude's contribution. RedNeck's, while not quite as funny, did not ring any less true. I will be voting against the Liberals in the next election, whenever it happens to be. But I will not be voting for the Tories. The time has come for both these parties to be put in their respective places. The past century has taught them that between the two of them, they rule the roost. They have both become complacent as a result. Neither party much cares for its constituents. It's time for some new political blood, in the form of one of the the young new parties, to get a kick at the can. I mean, they can't really make any worse a mess than we're seeing currently, can they???

I agree that a Canadian, committing a crime on Canadian soil should be tried in Canada. But hey, since the USA has come down so hard on even the smalest grow-ops, maybe they're starting to feel left out because they're not able to make any big busts down there. So, to satiate their appetite, they're trying to break into the market up here

Couldn't read the link. It seems you have to register to the site. Anybody care to post relevant portions of the article???

Oh well, turnabout being fair play and all that.... Anybody know how many American flights fly over Canadian soil??? Kimmy??? Anyone??? If there are a lot (I don't know), then imposing the same kind of regulation might soften up their stance on this.

Surely you don't believe that any member of a government agency would be dishonest, do you???

Having spent what seems like a lifetime in the field of professional audio, both in the live environment, and in the recording studio, I can say with some certainty that tapes do not "edit" themselves. Converting analog recording to digital is a simple matter of "plug and play". The bad excuse that it was a glitch in the format conversion is ludicrous. This is borne out by the fact that the transcripts matched the edited version, not the original. And even if we give the benefit of the doubt and stipulate that it WAS a techno-glitch, I would think the Mr Grewal would, upon seeing the transcripts, realize that something was amiss. Nope. This stinks of fraud. This current batch of Tories had an excellent opportunity to sit back and watch the Liberals stew in their own juices over the Sponsorship issue. Making a few sympathetic and magnanimous noises over the "misfortunes" of the Libs during the Gomery enquiry would have played well in the public eye. They could have come off looking like superheroes, and really swayed public opinion in their favor. Instead, the bitch and squeal in an unprofessional manner, and then one of them pulls something like this. They haven't figured out how to play public opinion in their favor, and that, in a nutshell, is what politics is all about. And that, as much as I hate to say this in light of happenings in recent months, is why PMPM et al will probably win again. Which really sucks. But not as much as having Harper and Company voted in would.

Oh, and in 1970, when asked "How far are you prepared to go", Trudeau responded "Just watch me". Do I get a gold star on my notebook, teacher????

When you say the "United States", who do you mean exactly? For sake of clarity, when I say USA, I mean the American government. The American people are just people, like anywhere, ordinary people with ordinary hopes and dreams. I hope that clears up where I stand personally. "You make charges against him". That's it. Americans have as much respect for due process as Canadians do. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Umm, did you miss the word "incarcerate"??? "Bring charges against him", and "incarcerate him" are the words that were used. "Incarcerate" means "to jail". Thay wanted him behind bars, and basically told us to put him there. "Bring charges" does not bother me near as much, although I would still like to see them say "here's a pile of evidence that he's done wrong, I think you should charge him". But that was not the tenor of the discussion. And that's my beef. As for their respect for "due process", they don't seem to have much respect for OUR due process.

We, as a society, also have to determine when it's time to cut the apron strings. IMO, land claims, etc, are a short-term bandaid. Financial support for said reserves, likewise. Eventually, to succeed and prosper, natives will have to come out of the little shells that the reserves represent, and join mainstream society. Alternatively, several reserves have become prosperous by taking advantage of location to open up casinos and so forth. But this prosperity does not always trickle down to all band members. Natives who do wish to educate themselves have a definite leg up, they have free access to any college/university. I wish to hell I had that. Any native, at any time, can choose to enroll in the Canadian learning institution of his/her choice, get an education, and a career. Combine this with not having to pay sales tax and several other perks that come with having a status card, and it makes all the excuses look a bit lame. To me, the free education alone wipes away any excuses. A race or culture is, after all, made up of individuals. Any individual at any time can decide to turn his/her life around. But it takes guts and it takes work. Much easier to cry about all your problems and look for a handout.

I agree. Since I began to frequent political forums about 2 years ago, I have learned, I have taught, I have debated, I have conversed. I have enjoyed the humour of others, I have put forth some humour of my own. I have made friends, and made a few foes. Enemies would be too strong a word. I have become part of a little community in which I enjoy exchanging ideas. And, most importantly, I have come to learn the thoughts and feeling of a good cross-section of our society. So, all of the above.

Touche Well done, RB.

More than ever before in the history of our country, we are asked not to vote for the "best man for the job", but rather, for the lesser of two (or 3 or 4) evils. Man, it's getting harder and harder to tell them all apart. I wonder if there's a Green representative running in my area this year???

Good one.

EUREKA: Good point. FORTUNATA :I would find it difficult to argue with your point. I thought it would be good to post this in light of all the rhetoric going around about how we need to bolster the ties with the USA. Don't get me wrong, I don't view the USA as some "evil regime" or anything, but, like any other entity, their own self-interest is their top priority. I do believe that the overwhelming power of the USA has caused recent administrations to step over the line more than a few times to expedite these self interests. This is only the latest, and the most evident that they could care less about Canadian internal affairs as long as we keep step with their wishes.

Reminds me of a joke.... What's the difference between Mick Jagger and a scottish sheep-herder??? Jagger sings "Hey, you, get offa my cloud" The sheepherder says "Hey, McCloud, get offa my ewe"

On the CBC radio news last night, I heard about the US's "offer" to return Mahen Arar to Canada. But it had a string attached. His return was to be on the condition that he be tried, AND CONVICTED, in a Canadian court. "And convicted"????? First, since when does the USA decide who is tried in Canada's courts, and secondly, since when do we OR the Americans decide to "convict" someone until all the evidence is in??? Basically, they wanted Arar brought before a kangaroo court, but for appearances, they wanted that court to be held in Canada. Nice friends. Luckily for Canada's credibility, the response was... To Bush et al, ever hear of a thing called "Due Process"??? You can find the story here..... http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/20...rar-050501.html

In a court of law, you may be right. But politics is played out in the court of public opinion, and so this tape could be very damaging, if it's used correctly.

Pretty concisive opener in this thread. But as thorough as you were,AUGUST, there's another option which I am surprised you missed..... Protecting society by taking a dangerous offender off the street. That is, after all, what probation hearings are all about; determining whether a convict is any longer a danger to society. I think this is a prime concern when considering a convict for release. Although upon further thought I suppose it fits under your category of rehabilitation. Interesting thread...

I vote for the person who I think will best represent the interests of my community. If that person feels he/she has to cross the floor to best represent my area, then that decision belongs to him/her alone. Whether or not it was a wise choice politically will be decided in the next election in which said politician runs.

Well, back to the topic, if I may.... What about "None of the above" as a choice??? I think the Cons are doing what would come naturally to ANY political party. They are taking advantage of a major blunder by certain people within the Liberal party, and attempting to use it to their advantage. It's called, get this, "Politics". Imagine that!!!

Who really cares??? As far as I'm concerned, this is a non-issue. I believe this whole gay "trend" we've been seeing is just a backlash. Everyone was so uncomfortable with talking, or even thinking, about gays, for so many years. What we are seeing now is something like society re-addressing their feeling about gays; ie, they're not going to come to my house and try to seduce my family. Within a few years, the whole gay thing will fade away from the public eye to a large degree as it becomes no longer fashionable, and as the general public ceases to find gays entertaining for no other reason than they act gay. Just like every other "popular" trend in programming. The gays will still be here. We'll still be here. Everyone will survive just fine. I won't be watching the show, I do not care about the show, and I will not lose any sleep over knowing that some people find the show entertaining.