PM apologizes for 1914 Komogata Maru incident

[DogOnPorch]

O heavens. Damages. How on earth could that possibly be justified? Death? Disease? Oh I know. Damages only apply if somebody hits DogOnPorch's car!

You'd pay-off for piracy? Howz about out of YOUR paycheck?

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Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum.

Drink and the Devil had done for the rest. Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum.

---Robert Lewis Stevenson

[HisSelf]

I have not seen a text of Harper's apology to Sikh-Canadians but when Harper apologized in June 2008 for the Aboriginal Residential Schools system, he apologized not only on behalf of the Government of Canada but also on behalf of all Canadians. Source:

http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=2146

Prime Minister Harper is not including me in the decision making process but he is apologizing on my behalf. Given that he is apologizing on my behalf, why is he not apologizing for historical sexism, anti-homosexual legislation and Canada barring entry of European victims of the Holocaust? The Canadian government, with the full support of then Prime Minister Mackenzie King, did everything in its power to bar the door to European Jews attempting to escape Nazi persecution and murder.

Those attempting to escape the Holocaust in the early 1940's were fleeing for their lives. The Sikhs attempting to enter Canada in 1914 were looking for improved financial opportunities. Why are Sikhs ahead of Jews in the queue for apologies from Mr. Harper?

I agree with you that the government owes the Jews an apology for closing the door to those fleeing the Holocaust. And many other governments do as well, including the almighty US of A, and, by the way, what have THEY apologized for recently? Huh?

I do not agree with you at all about the central issue concerning the immigration of Sikhs to Canada. You can paint it in terms of their aspirations, but the real issue was what it means to be a citizen of the British Empire and the rampant discrimination that was applied to anybody who tried to claim their rights (such as the Brits so often liked to trumpet) as a citizen of said Empire. What is even more egregious is that Brits saw no shame in recruiting heavily in India in both World Wars. Many Indian, Nepali, etc. soldiers died in puttees during those wars and even today get only footnotes in history for their sacrifice. Gunga Din be damned.

Here is the Wikipedia article on the event....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komagata_Maru

Edited August 24, 2008 by HisSelf

[DogOnPorch]

I agree with you that the government owes the Jews an apology for closing the door to those fleeing the Holocaust. And many other governments do as well, including the almighty US of A.

My family was affected by this...no apology needed, thanks.

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Go hard or go home.

---Diablo Cody

[HisSelf]

My family was affected by this...no apology needed, thanks.

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Go hard or go home.

---Diablo Cody

Certainly helps us understand your politics regarding the Middle East. Thanks for the info.

[DogOnPorch]

Certainly helps us understand your politics regarding the Middle East. Thanks for the info.

Were you in doubt? My aunt, before she married my uncle was aboard the SS St Louis. She now lives happily in NYC. Yes, she's Jewish. No, I'm not.

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It's only a paper Moon, sailing over a cardboard sea.

---Harry Arlen

[Oleg Bach]

Were you in doubt? My aunt, before she married my uncle was aboard the SS St Louis. She now lives happily in NYC. Yes, she's Jewish. No, I'm not.

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It's only a paper Moon, sailing over a cardboard sea.

---Harry Arlen

Well me as a kid of Russian parents who was born in England wants and apology also - I did not like the fact that white trash anglos chased us home with sticks and tossed rocks though our windows and screamed in gangs outside our door back in the 50s - "dirty Germans" or "fility French" - these hicks could not even get the nationality right - Do you know what it was like being the blonde green eyed *nigger? You all forget that other early immigrants were persecuted by anglo retards that elite anglos refused to educate.....maybe I should sue for the brick that came though the window and landed on our easter turkey?

[normanchateau]

I agree with you that the government owes the Jews an apology for closing the door to those fleeing the Holocaust.

They certainly are more deserving than Sikh-Canadians for reasons which I stated previously. Why do you suppose Harper publicly apologized to Sikhs but not Jews? On what noble principle was he operating?

[DogOnPorch]

They certainly are more deserving than Sikh-Canadians for reasons which I stated previously. Why do you suppose Harper publicly apologized to Sikhs but not Jews? On what noble principle was he operating?

As hinted at, the Jews aren't complaining. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

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I failed to make the chess team because of my height.

---Woody Allen

[bush_cheney2004]

Do you know what it was like being the blonde green eyed *nigger?

Yea, it's almost as bad as being the blonde green eyed "honkey".

[normanchateau]

Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

I think that's just one of the noble principles on which he operates. If Harper did not believe that greasing the squeaking wheel might yield votes, there'd be no apology.

It was less than half a century ago that homosexuals received criminal sentences and jail time for engaging in homosexual behaviour. Sikh-Canadians were not being sent to jail for being Sikhs. If homosexuals became active on this issue and demanded an apology from Harper for this injustice, I doubt that he'd apologize. Harper doesn't expect to capture the gay vote so I don't anticipate that he'll grovel and pander to them.

[DogOnPorch]

I think that's just one of the noble principles on which he operates. If Harper did not believe that greasing the squeaking wheel might yield votes, there'd be no apology.

It was less than half a century ago that homosexuals received criminal sentences and jail time for engaging in homosexual behaviour. Sikh-Canadians were not being sent to jail for being Sikhs. If homosexuals became active on this issue and demanded an apology from Harper for this injustice, I doubt that he'd apologize. Harper doesn't expect to capture the gay vote so I don't anticipate that he'll grovel and pander to them.

That might be true. So a little from column 'A' and a little from column 'B', perhaps.

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Having hit a wall, the next logical step is not to bang our heads against it.

---Stephen Harper

[normanchateau]

That might be true. So a little from column 'A' and a little from column 'B', perhaps.

Now that we apparently agree on the operating principles, it shouldn't take us too much research to predict which group gets the next apology.

One nice thing about a majority government, if we ever have one again, is that prime ministers won't feel compelled to apologize on behalf of all Canadians for injustices committed a century ago.

[DogOnPorch]

Now that we apparently agree on the operating principles, it shouldn't take us too much research to predict which group gets the next apology.

One nice thing about a majority government, if we ever have one again, is that prime ministers won't feel compelled to apologize on behalf of all Canadians for injustices committed a century ago.

The Germans? The Allies did invade their land, afterall. Hey...you laugh now.

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We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?

---Lee Iacocca

[normanchateau]

The Germans? The Allies did invade their land, afterall. Hey...you laugh now.

But remember the squeaky wheel principle. The Germans aren't complaining. Sikh-Canadians are still complaining. While they got an apology, it wasn't in Ottawa and so there won't be financial compensation. I predict that they will get another apology, this time in Ottawa, after the 2008 election.

[DogOnPorch]

But remember the squeaky wheel principle. The Germans aren't complaining. Sikh-Canadians are still complaining. While they got an apology, it wasn't in Ottawa and so there won't be financial compensation. I predict that they will get another apology, this time in Ottawa, after the 2008 election.

I tend to agree with your prediction...the German bit was a joke...of course.

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New York now leads the world's great cities in the number of people around whom you shouldn't make a sudden move.

---David Letterman

[normanchateau]

I tend to agree with your prediction...

And here's another prediction based on the squeaky wheel principle. I predict that Harper will soon apologize to Ukrainian-Canadians. I base that on:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/...gy.html?ref=rss

"On Friday the federal government also offered $10 million to the Ukrainian-Canadian Foundation to support initiatives marking the First World War internment of Ukrainians and people from other eastern European ethnic communities in Canada."

Ukrainian-Canadians first tried to get a financial settlement from Prime Minister Mulroney but he was not willing to give them money:

http://ukrhistory.tripod.com/doc-056.html