More Racist Remarks By Conservatives

[bigdude]

Tolry MP apologizes for language

Keiko Miki, past-president of the National Association of Japanese Canadians, had said she was surprised and hurt by Fletcher's comments.

"We'd like an explanation about why he is so ignorant at this point in time," said Ms. Miki. "I think we need to meet with him and verify the comments. If he doesn't deny them, we need to explain our position in this."

How sad that Canada still elects people of this mindset. I'm so tired of these sick puppies being in our House of Commons. Fletcher should do the honourable thing and resign his seat.

[PocketRocket]

Conservative MP Steven Fletcher has apologized for referring to Japanese soldiers as "Japs" and "bastards" at a convention

Is it just me, or does the present batch of Conservatives have a distinct propensity for putting their foots in their mouths???

Harper's done it. Fletcher this time. Runcimen calling Belinda.ca (hats off to Kimmy) a "dipstick".

Others I can't recall at the moment.

Whatever happened to statesmanship and diplomacy???

[bigdude]

The Cons are a group of, for lack of a better term, "ANGRY WHITE MEN". They are feeling hard done by because their women won't listen to them any more, and want to make decisions about their own bodies, gays and visible minorities want equal rights, and all that sort of thing. Have the Cons ever had a francophone leader? I highly doubt it. This is the real scandal in Canada!

[Riverwind]

The Cons are a group of,  for lack of a better term, "ANGRY WHITE MEN". They are feeling hard done by because their women won't listen to them any more, and want to make decisions about their own bodies, gays and visible minorities want equal rights, and all that sort of thing. Have the Cons ever had a francophone leader? I highly doubt it. This is the real scandal in Canada!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mulrooney is a Francophone.

[bigdude]

Mulroney is from Quebec however he is an anglophone.

The Cons is full of a bunch of very sick people, and that, more than any other reason, is why they have no hope of getting elected, no matter how badly the Liberals screw up..

[kimmy]

I won't attempt to apologize for Mr Fletcher's remarks; obviously it was an immensely stupid thing to say.

I'll just don my asbestos armor and point out that everything I've read indicates that in the context of a discussion of World War 2, calling the Japanese "bastards" is an insult to bastards.

-k

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear kimmy,

calling the Japanese "bastards" is an insult to bastards.

lol. Indeed, the odds are that at least some of their parents were married. The problem is that at least there was a division between 'nazis' and germans, while the 'nips' had no such distinction.

[Riverwind]

I'll just don my asbestos armor and point out that everything I've read indicates that in the context of a discussion of World War 2, calling the Japanese "bastards" is an insult to bastards.

Does the fact that US soldiers torture prisoners in Iraq, Guantanamo and Afganistan mean that all Americans are 'bastards'? I don't think so. Similarily, it is racist to imply that abuses of Japanese soliders during the WW2 mean that all Japanese living during WW2 are bastards. The fact is the vast majority of Japanese were victims of a military dictatorship that controlled information and gave them a very distorted view of reality (much like the Chinese gov't is doing today).

Regards

[Dan]

The Cons are a group of,  for lack of a better term, "ANGRY WHITE MEN". They are feeling hard done by because their women won't listen to them any more, and want to make decisions about their own bodies, gays and visible minorities want equal rights, and all that sort of thing. Have the Cons ever had a francophone leader? I highly doubt it. This is the real scandal in Canada!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Angry White Men???

The Conservatives have the MOST multicultural caucus in Canada with a large number of women and an MP that is quadrapalegic. This is an indisputable Fact.

Angry White Men??

More Liberal Lies.

Try as you might we will not forget that the Liberals are Corrupt!!!

[Riverwind]

Angry White Men???

The Conservatives have the MOST multicultural caucus in Canada with a large number of women and an MP that is quadrapalegic. This is an indisputable Fact.

Angry White Men??

More Liberal Lies.

Try as you might we will not forget that the Liberals are Corrupt!!!

What goes around comes around: The Llberals are not corrupt: a small number of Liberals are guilty of criminal acts, however, this does not mean that every Liberal is crook.

You really have no right complain about conservative opponents calling the the conservatives a bunch of angry white men if you are willing to make comments like that.

Regards

[Adelle]

The Cons are a group of, for lack of a better term, "ANGRY WHITE MEN".

Yup, including the female, gay, racial minority, religious minority and disabled members. Just a bunch of neo-facist racists, right"

Conservative MP Steven Fletcher has apologized for referring to Japanese soldiers as "Japs" and "bastards" at a convention

Unlike the Japanese government, which has never apologized and barely acknowledges the genocide that was part of its military and state policy during and prior to WWII. The treatment of the Chinese and of POW's was inexcusable. Toto and his henchmen, who were executed for war crimes, are still considered state heroes. NOTHING the Americans and British have done in Iraq comes anywhere near. It is like comparing a thunderstorm to the 'perfect storm'. Does that excuse what has happened in Iraq? No. Does that excuse Fletcher for his emotional, rather than diplomatic, response? Perhaps not. Perhaps he should have stuck to the facts; the Japanese were a xenophobic society bent on imperial conquest and genocidal racial cleansing who perceived the conquered (including surrendered soldiers) as less than cattle. There, isn't that better? Amazing what you can find on Google.

[ceemes]

Tolry MP apologizes for language

Keiko Miki, past-president of the National Association of Japanese Canadians, had said she was surprised and hurt by Fletcher's comments.

"We'd like an explanation about why he is so ignorant at this point in time," said Ms. Miki. "I think we need to meet with him and verify the comments. If he doesn't deny them, we need to explain our position in this."

How sad that Canada still elects people of this mindset. I'm so tired of these sick puppies being in our House of Commons. Fletcher should do the honourable thing and resign his seat.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sincerely apologize? Yes. Resign? Sadly no.

And this is coming from a person with Japanese people in his immediate family and who had family fighting on both side of the Pacific War in WWII.

[Riverwind]

Unlike the Japanese government, which has never apologized and barely acknowledges the genocide that was part of its military and state policy during and prior to WWII.  The treatment of the Chinese and of POW's was inexcusable.  Toto and his henchmen, who were executed for war crimes, are still considered state heroes.  NOTHING the Americans and British have done in Iraq comes anywhere near.  It is like comparing a thunderstorm to the 'perfect storm'.  Does that excuse what has happened in Iraq? No.  Does that excuse Fletcher for his emotional, rather than diplomatic, response?

This is unmitigated balderdash. The Japanese people most definitely DO NOT consider Toto and the other war criminals to be heros. They hate them for what they did to Japan. Far right fringe groups that you may hear about are no different than the Nazi groups you hear about in Germany - wackos that have no support from the vast majority of the people.

The Japanese government HAS apologized over 18 times for the the acts of the military government during WW2. The problem is Japan's neighbors, particularily China, see WW2 as a way to undermine Japan politically. Unfortunately, our media has decided to treat the Chinese propoganda as fact.

Perhaps he should have stuck to the facts; the Japanese were a xenophobic society bent on imperial conquest and genocidal racial cleansing who perceived the conquered (including surrendered soldiers) as less than cattle.  There, isn't that better?  Amazing what you can find on Google.

This is not a fact it is an opinion: would you agree with the statement that "Germans were a xenophobic socity bent on imperial conquest and genocidal racial cleansing"? Mostly likely not. You would probably say the Nazis were responsible for highjacking the social institutions of Germany and starting a war that most Germans felt powerless to stop. The exact same thing happened in Japan. Too many people seem to feel it is ok to make broad all inclusive statments about Japanese but would not make the same statements about Germans. That is why these kinds of statements are racist and must be condemned.

Regards

[Newfie Canadian]

One of the reporters on CTV Newsnet said Fletcher was representing the federal government at this convention.

If that was the case, he was representing all Canadians and should have acted in a more appropriate matter. Even if it wasn't the case.

Whether he is right or wrong, whether his family influenced his comments, whether or not Japanese soldiers in WWII were evil, I'm pretty sure that wasn't the place, the time or the audience to say what he said.

End of speech.

[Adelle]

DO NOT consider Toto and the other war criminals to be heros.

No doubt that would explain the yearly ceremony at their shrine.

The Japanese government HAS apologized over 18 times

Sorry, I confused 'apologized' with 'compensated victims'.

This is not a fact it is an opinion: would you agree with the statement that "Germans were a xenophobic socity bent on imperial conquest and genocidal racial cleansing"?

Yes, as regarded Slavs, Jews, Negros, Arabs, Occidentals and Orientals (Jews shouldn't count as they are a religion, not a race, but try telling that to a bigot). Personally, I think we have to get beyond this. It happened some 40 years before I was born and both the Japanese and the Germans have grown beyond what they were. The Communist Russians weren't saints, either. Hopefully we are learning from our mistakes (as a species) and will not repeat them, something that people that live in the past are doomed to do. Events occur every day in Africa and the Middle East that make me wonder (events that DON'T involve the US).

[bigdude]

The point I was trying to make is that the Conservatives are always on the losing end of the stick.

In any other situation, with any other party, the Liberals with the Gommery relevations, under their current most disappointing leader Paul Martin, remember when people were talking about Martin winning 250 seats - HA! HA!, would have been completely trashed by now by the official opposition.

The reality is that the Cons have not, and never will, with their hostility towards equal rights and respect for all citizens, not just the privileged few.

They just don't get it, but that's OK with me, as they would get power if they did.

[bigdude]

I'm borrowing the following from another discussion board however it is priceless, apart from being an accurate perception the Conservatives have created for themselves with comments like Fletchers, amongst Canadians:

Cleansing bigots from the Conservative Party would be like barring recovering alcoholics from AA. All you'd be left with is some easily-confused teetotaler who really meant to join the American Automobile Association but stayed for the free coffee and doughnuts.

[Riverwind]

DO NOT consider Toto and the other war criminals to be heros.

No doubt that would explain the yearly ceremony at their shrine.

The shrine is a tribute to all Japanese who fought for their country - the fact that 14 war criminals are buried among the thousands is an awkward situation which the Japanese gov't is trying to find a way to fix that is less crude than digging their bodies up and dumping them in trash.

The Japanese government HAS apologized over 18 times

Sorry, I confused 'apologized' with 'compensated victims'.

The Japanese gov't has spent billions over the years building infrastructure and supporting other development projects in the countries they invaded. The money spent is a significant portion of the Japanese gov'ts budget. Most Japanese consider this money to be more than adequate compensation even if it does not come with media attention.

Personally, I think we have to get beyond this.  It happened some 40 years before I was born and both the Japanese and the Germans have grown beyond what they were.

I agree totally.

[Bryan]

Fletcher did nothing that he needed to apologize for. He was clearly speaking specifically of the Japanese army's actions during WWII, and made no other implication.

To infer that he had any racist intent is patently dishonest.

[cybercoma]

I'll just don my asbestos armor and point out that everything I've read indicates that in the context of a discussion of World War 2, calling the Japanese "bastards" is an insult to bastards.

Does the fact that US soldiers torture prisoners in Iraq, Guantanamo and Afganistan mean that all Americans are 'bastards'? I don't think so. Similarily, it is racist to imply that abuses of Japanese soliders during the WW2 mean that all Japanese living during WW2 are bastards. The fact is the vast majority of Japanese were victims of a military dictatorship that controlled information and gave them a very distorted view of reality (much like the Chinese gov't is doing today).

Regards

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is no excuse for what was done to the Japanese during the war; however, much like the fight against terrorism today, people were uncertain as to whether or not the Japanese living here during the time were "sleepers" or informants for their government.

It was all a bunch of hysteria and the treatment of Japanese Canadians was inexcusable, when simple surveilance would've sufficed. Hindsight is always 20/20 though and it's impossible to speak on the gravity of the situation unless you lived through it.

To call the Japanese military or government of the time bastards is a fair enough assertion considering their actions during the war. This is hardly racism and more a comment on the government's stance during those confrontational times. Just as it has become fashionable to call Americans "arrogant bastards" nowadays, it's not really each individual citizen that is being referred to, rather it is the government and her policies that we're talking about.

[bigdude]

Come off it - Fletcher used a racial slur and he should immediately resign as should the others who are bigoted against the gay community, SSM, etc.

We don't need this kind of scum in our House of Commons, thank you!

[geoffrey]

Come off it - Fletcher used a racial slur and he should immediately resign as should the others who are bigoted against the gay community, SSM, etc.

We don't need this kind of scum in our House of Commons, thank you!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And lets have the liberal resign immediately that said he'd go higher up the gene pool than the Chinese Inky Mark.

Both parties are equally guilty, its not a conservative only thing.

[Riverwind]

Come off it - Fletcher used a racial slur and he should immediately resign as should the others who are bigoted against the gay community, SSM, etc.

And lets have the liberal resign immediately that said he'd go higher up the gene pool than the Chinese Inky Mark.

Apologies should be sufficient for these kinds of mistakes no matter what their political stripe. People are way too quick to call for resignations.

[Canuck E Stan]

Or calling the Conservatives,members of the KKK. Or Parrish calling the Americans names or Martin calling Harper scarey.Sparhawk is right,apologies should be sufficient. Leave the resignations to stupid acts of waste,corruption and deceit of the public. We need the democtratic process revitalized and renewed to newer and higher standards than we currently have accepted for so long. Time for the Democratic deficit to be eliminated and democracy returned to the people.

[PocketRocket]

I have to agree with CANUCK and a few others here.

Rake Fletcher across the coals a few times, get the official, and sincere, apology, and let him move on.

You never know, maybe he'll actually learn something from this.

If not, then he'll remain the same as many other ignorant MP's on both sides of the house.

This trend towards unacceptable behaviour in public speech is not limited to one party. Sad, but true.