GOD BLESS CANADA!

[I miss Reagan]

Did something prick where it hurt? Poor lillte Conservatives. Oh those oh so tolerant Conservatives!

God is blessing Canada - at least as you Conservatives count your blessings. He is melting the permafrost giving you a little milder climate around the Tar Sands. He is helping your religous fanatical base demonize the word "liberal" just as He did in the USA. He has allowed you to continue unshaken in your belief that meanness and self interest is the natural order amongst men: at least He has not yet sent a bolt of lightning to change your opinions.

Perhaps you could ask your guru, George Bush, to ask God to get a little more active on the liberal/socialist front and strike down all those non-believers who are on the Left and ranged against te mighty army of the Good from Lethbridge or was it Coaldale.

"Meanness and self interest"? Shouldn't you be referring to the Liberal Party of Canada?

The difference between conservatives like me and liberals like you is we see someone with wealth and think "everyone ought to have that". While you think "no one should have that".

BTW, have you found anyone to take you seriously around here yet Eureka?

[geoffrey]

Did something prick where it hurt? Poor lillte Conservatives. Oh those oh so tolerant Conservatives!

God is blessing Canada - at least as you Conservatives count your blessings. He is melting the permafrost giving you a little milder climate around the Tar Sands. He is helping your religous fanatical base demonize the word "liberal" just as He did in the USA. He has allowed you to continue unshaken in your belief that meanness and self interest is the natural order amongst men: at least He has not yet sent a bolt of lightning to change your opinions.

Perhaps you could ask your guru, George Bush, to ask God to get a little more active on the liberal/socialist front and strike down all those non-believers who are on the Left and ranged against te mighty army of the Good from Lethbridge or was it Coaldale.

I love how I became a relgious fanatic in all of 2 minutes. Exciting. It's not 'meanness or self-interest' that any of us are advocating anyways. This isn't Adam Smith capitalism, this isn't another industrial revolution. Stop fear mongering.

[Hicksey]

Did something prick where it hurt? Poor lillte Conservatives. Oh those oh so tolerant Conservatives!

God is blessing Canada - at least as you Conservatives count your blessings. He is melting the permafrost giving you a little milder climate around the Tar Sands. He is helping your religous fanatical base demonize the word "liberal" just as He did in the USA. He has allowed you to continue unshaken in your belief that meanness and self interest is the natural order amongst men: at least He has not yet sent a bolt of lightning to change your opinions.

Perhaps you could ask your guru, George Bush, to ask God to get a little more active on the liberal/socialist front and strike down all those non-believers who are on the Left and ranged against te mighty army of the Good from Lethbridge or was it Coaldale.

Oh I get it. We're not supposed to be upset at being compared to Hitler. I'm suppsed to swallow all the hate being spewed at me and what I believe in and ask for more? Am I supposed to thank you for pointing out that I have no right to express my religious beliefs in public, and should I decide to that I am subject to belittlement and demonization?

Have you not seen the hate in this election cycle?

We're not the ones dreaming up conspiracy theories to scare people.

[scribblet]

Did something prick where it hurt? Poor lillte Conservatives. Oh those oh so tolerant Conservatives!

God is blessing Canada - at least as you Conservatives count your blessings. He is melting the permafrost giving you a little milder climate around the Tar Sands. He is helping your religous fanatical base demonize the word "liberal" just as He did in the USA. He has allowed you to continue unshaken in your belief that meanness and self interest is the natural order amongst men: at least He has not yet sent a bolt of lightning to change your opinions.

Perhaps you could ask your guru, George Bush, to ask God to get a little more active on the liberal/socialist front and strike down all those non-believers who are on the Left and ranged against te mighty army of the Good from Lethbridge or was it Coaldale.

I love how I became a relgious fanatic in all of 2 minutes. Exciting. It's not 'meanness or self-interest' that any of us are advocating anyways. This isn't Adam Smith capitalism, this isn't another industrial revolution. Stop fear mongering.

Ooooh, God Bless Canada, what a nasty war like statement - I'm trembling... LOL Amazing how such a mild statement can set someone off on a knee jerk anti american rant.

[sage]

From reviewing this thread and others apparently everyone in this country can be categorized into either US haters or Republicans.

For a group that I would have expected to be fairly intelligent, this is an alarming observation.

[geoffrey]

From reviewing this thread and others apparently everyone in this country can be categorized into either US haters or Republicans.

For a group that I would have expected to be fairly intelligent, this is an alarming observation.

I know I'm neither of the above, and I know alot (definately most) of people here aren't, on both sides of the debate. There is alot of people that go into the knee-jerk "it's American so it must be evil" stance that have kind of entered the debate in recent weeks.

[newbie]

Did something prick where it hurt? Poor lillte Conservatives. Oh those oh so tolerant Conservatives!

God is blessing Canada - at least as you Conservatives count your blessings. He is melting the permafrost giving you a little milder climate around the Tar Sands. He is helping your religous fanatical base demonize the word "liberal" just as He did in the USA. He has allowed you to continue unshaken in your belief that meanness and self interest is the natural order amongst men: at least He has not yet sent a bolt of lightning to change your opinions.

Perhaps you could ask your guru, George Bush, to ask God to get a little more active on the liberal/socialist front and strike down all those non-believers who are on the Left and ranged against te mighty army of the Good from Lethbridge or was it Coaldale.

BTW, have you found anyone to take you seriously around here yet Eureka?

There are plenty of us Reagan. But when most of our posts are continually ridiculed by the posters on this heavy right leaning board, some of us tend not to bother. Oh, and eureka, good post.

[newbie]

January 20, 2006

GOD BLESS CANADA!

John Chuckman

I hadn't realized until recently that Stephen Harper was using "God Bless Canada!" as a tagline for his speeches.

It's a shame he refuses to say three other little words: "I LOVE CANADA"

[Slim MacSquinty]

quote:

He is helping your religous fanatical base demonize the word "liberal" just as He did in the USA.

No one is doing a better job of demonizing the word liberal than the Liberals themselves.

He has allowed you to continue unshaken in your belief that meanness and self interest is the natural order amongst men: at least He has not yet sent a bolt of lightning to change your opinions.

Meanness and self interest? You mean like dishonestly spreading false accusations agianst your foes or stealing millions of tax dollars for your own party.

[Hicksey]

January 20, 2006

GOD BLESS CANADA!

John Chuckman

I hadn't realized until recently that Stephen Harper was using "God Bless Canada!" as a tagline for his speeches.

It's a shame he refuses to say three other little words: "I LOVE CANADA"

Use your brain here. If he didn't love Canada would he ask God to bless her?

[I miss Reagan]

There are plenty of us Reagan. But when most of our posts are continually ridiculed by the posters on this heavy right leaning board, some of us tend not to bother. Oh, and eureka, good post.

Yes, you're right I should be more open minded to Eureka's brand of tolerance:

Perhaps you could ask your guru, George Bush, to ask God to get a little more active on the liberal/socialist front and strike down all those non-believers who are on the Left and ranged against te mighty army of the Good from Lethbridge or was it Coaldale.

Shame on you for supporting such prejudicial and intolerant comments.

[newbie]

There are plenty of us Reagan. But when most of our posts are continually ridiculed by the posters on this heavy right leaning board, some of us tend not to bother. Oh, and eureka, good post.

Yes, you're right I should be more open minded to Eureka's brand of tolerance:

Perhaps you could ask your guru, George Bush, to ask God to get a little more active on the liberal/socialist front and strike down all those non-believers who are on the Left and ranged against te mighty army of the Good from Lethbridge or was it Coaldale.

Shame on you for supporting such prejudicial and intolerant comments.

You don't recognize sarcasm? My God, you folks invented it.

[scribblet]

From reviewing this thread and others apparently everyone in this country can be categorized into either US haters or Republicans.

For a group that I would have expected to be fairly intelligent, this is an alarming observation.

I know I'm neither of the above, and I know alot (definately most) of people here aren't, on both sides of the debate. There is alot of people that go into the knee-jerk "it's American so it must be evil" stance that have kind of entered the debate in recent weeks.

Neither am I, I'm conservative but if I were American I doubt I would vote republican. George Bush is not my hero nor is he my guru. Its pretty sad that all liberals can come up with is anti americanisms to smear conservative supporters.

[stignasty]

You're absolutely right John.

In fact I've heard Pat Robertson and every religious zealot in Georgia, Louisiana, and Alabama are thinking of moving to Lethbridge if Stephen Harper gets into power, slaying mercilessly every homosexual they cross on their pilgramage.

Lethbridge would love them too.

[Black Dog]

First thing I thought when I read the thread title is "why should I care if Stephen Harper's got mittens?"

Asking God to bless Canada is akin to asking Santa for a new toy firetruck for Christmas. Appeals to mythical creatures tend to fall on invisible deaf ears.

[stignasty]

Actually, it was Coaldale which is 13 km away. Honest mistake.

Okay, they can hang out at the Victory complex which is in-between.

[Argus]

Did something prick where it hurt? Poor lillte Conservatives. Oh those oh so tolerant Conservatives!

God is blessing Canada - at least as you Conservatives count your blessings. He is melting the permafrost giving you a little milder climate around the Tar Sands. He is helping your religous fanatical base demonize the word "liberal" just as He did in the USA. He has allowed you to continue unshaken in your belief that meanness and self interest is the natural order amongst men: at least He has not yet sent a bolt of lightning to change your opinions.

Perhaps you could ask your guru, George Bush, to ask God to get a little more active on the liberal/socialist front and strike down all those non-believers who are on the Left and ranged against te mighty army of the Good from Lethbridge or was it Coaldale.

Eureka, it is sad how you have degenerated over the last few weeks, as Harper's poll numbers have gone up, to little better than a whiny little snot.

[newbie]

Now now Argus, you know better than to break the "no insult" rule.

[Argus]

CHUCKMAN'

I hadn't realized until recently that Stephen Harper was using "God Bless Canada!" as a tagline for his speeches. Some may think this a harmless, or even beneficent, expression for a politician to use, but for those with knowledge of history, nothing could be a more frightening.

I do believe we all know to whom Harper is tipping his hat with these words. George Bush, author of two wars which have killed more than a hundred thousand innocent people and the champion of an ugly set of repressive laws in the United States, says "God Bless America!" every chance he gets.

You know what else? Harper wears pants! And he says "Hello" and "Good morning" and uses a host of other shockingly Bush-like expressions! "What time is it?" he'll ask, a sinister Bush type query if ever there was one. I heard he even says "What's on TV?" when he's alone with his family! My God (oops, can I say that?), the man has no shame!!

Bush usually says it in front of a set of gigantic, eagle-topped American flags, reminiscent of nothing so much as the days when Germany's leader spoke and sputtered in front of platoons of monstrous, threatening flags.

Gee, sounds rather like Paul Martin, who Charles Adler describes as stumping "under a canopy of flags".

Samuel Johnson, the English public thinker, coughed up a great chestnut back in 1775: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." He was writing, we are told, about false patriotism.

What would he say about the current campaign that is designed to win Canadian hearts and minds?

Would Johnson be impressed with the rolling out of the Maple Leaf at every campaign stop. There was a time when a Liberal leader was satisfied to be seen with one flag behind him at a given campaign whistle stop. But now those who choreograph these "events" have the leader draped in flags. One is never enough. There are times when four of them aren't enough. And it's not just the numbers that might evoke to the late Mr. Johnson, the sense of false patriotism. Size matters to Liberals. It seems the flags get larger every year. - Charles Adler

Were I to dip further into European history, I would name the countless wars and persecutions in which God Bless Something Or Other! was invoked over the bodies of burning, bleeding, or broken victims.

Religion was never the cause of war. It was the excuse provided to men who lusted for power, men without any sense of ethical values, honour or integrity. Men rather like - Paul Martin, who over the past few weeks has shown there is virtually nothing he won't do to maintain his hold on power. The sheer blinding hypocrisy and dishonesty which this man reeks of is almost nauseating.

Religion does not belong in public life, and Stephen Harper's efforts to drag it in says a great deal about him to those choosing to listen.

What does it matter where ones moral code comes from so long as one has a moral code? I don't care if Stephen Harper is opposed to stealing and lying because the Bible tells him to, or because his old grannie taught him in his early years. What I do care about is that Paul Martin evidently has no difficulty with either. If he has any sense of ethical values, any honesty or integrity, he has managed to distance himself from them, and over the last decade his Liberal party has done it's best to ensure they don't belong in public life either.

Religion in politics violates Canadians' traditional political civility.

Whatever became of that traditional political civility anyway? Oh yes, it's dead, gone, buried under an avalanche of sleazy innuendo and accusations brought about almost entirely by the Liberal Party of Canada. It died back during the Mulroney era at the hands of the "rat pack" whose job, according to the Liberal strategists, was to accuse Mulroney of lying and corruption again and again and again on whatever pretext until at least some of the mud eventually stuck. There is no way to even introduce the concept of political civility in a Paul Martin campaign. It is to laugh, when Martin is busily questioning Harper's patriotism, lying about his intentions, and doing his level best to crawl into the sewers and drag the entire campaign with him.

And please, make no mistake, a core portion of Harper's Alberta-based party are people with just such views.

I have always found it curious that among the so-called "progressives" who view the idea of tolerance as an almost sacred and noble calling, the hardest core is made up of people who are so shrill and hateful in their intolerance you wonder their brains don't explode. Martin and Hargrove and you, and of course Duffy, have all expressed their utter contempt for Alberta - because Harper comes from that province. Hargrove even went so far as to suggest Albertans weren't fit to be leaders of Canada because of their lack of "values". I think their own sense of nobility - they truly believe they are the most moral and noble people on Earth - gives them an almost religious (sorry) attachment to their articles of "faith". And anyone who questions those articles is, of course, an evil heretic. Albertans won't accept the righteousness of the Liberal cause! They are evil! Why...why... there needs to be a crusade organized against them! Force them to repent or die!!!! It's a dangerous, violent hatred of anyone who disagrees with their politics, and I thank you for expressing it so aptly - if stupidly - here.

Not a lot of Canadians understand that a large portion of Alberta Crown land was taken up by Americans looking for farmland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. There was a heavy in-migration of American attitudes from the province's beginning. This was reinforced by the development of oil and gas in the 1940s and 1950s, and has been reinforced further still with the recent development of the tarsands.

And those damned Ontarions! Do you know how many of them are made up of AMERICANS, who fled the US after the revolution?! Think of all that dirty yankee blood in their veins! Why, they shouldn't even be allowed to vote!

But of course, that wouldn't enter your head, any more than questioning the complete and utter equality of people who hopped off a plane from Bangladesh last Tuesday and just picked up their shiny new passport. But bigotry is okay when it's directed against Americans, right? They're such an inferior people! Why, we should be categorizing Canadians based on how much of that inferior blood is in their veins! If they're more than, say, 1/6th American, INTO THE CAMPS WITH THEM!

Remind yourself that Harper strongly advocated Canada join America's illegal invasion of Iraq.

As did Martin.

Most disturbingly, Harper advocated this bloody policy, not on the basis of sharing Bush's dark beliefs, but on the basis of catering to Bush's favor over trade. Harper said, again and again, Canada should join an illegitimate war because it was what its major trading partner was doing. Blood for gold. You just can't take a lower ethical path. I'll take a ten-year old scandal anytime.

First, you use hindsight when it was unavailable to people like Harper and Martin at the time. Second, you snivel about legality as if international relationships have ever been governed by law. Third you discount the corruption and dishonesty which is not ten years old, but going on right now, as is the cover up about it, and finally, you ignore the fact that Canada's very survival depends on full access to American markets and the good will of American citizens and their government. Sending a few soldiers off to help them knock off a brutal thug of a dictator seems to me to not be so bad an idea given that.

If Stephen Harper heads a minority government, you may be sure he will continue to show the kind of artificial restraint of language he has shown for much of the campaign. Does any critically-thinking Canadian believe this will continue if he succeeds in gaining a majority? He is already criticizing Canada's courts, a favorite activity of Texas's poisonous Tom Delay. There is much to criticise about our courts, and their courts, for that matter. And just what do you fruitloops on the extreme left think he's going to do? If he got a big majority, and was joined by a number of Liberal MPs, he could probably get a law through parliament changing gay marriage to civil unions - which 90% and up of the population thinks is a pretty good compromise. He would not be able to ban abortion since less than half his party wants that anyway. What else you got? Putting conservatives on the bench? Why is that any less legitimate than putting liberals on the bench? Slashing social programs? The provinces administer most social programs, so what you're really fearmongering about is him reducing transfer payments. Unlikely given Paul Martin slashed them to the bone years ago. Then too there's that little matter of wanting to get elected again. Oops. Small chance of that if he destroys health care.

The United States is almost certainly the worst example possible in the advanced world of a civil and cohesive society. Why? A democracy with its freedoms unthreatened in over two hundred years? A place which is still the most free on Earth, without, say, the draconion anti-free-speech laws of Europe. There are no riots to speak of, unlike in France. There is virtually no political violence. Their politicians sling mud at each other, but at least they don't engage in fistfights in congress, as they do in a number of Asian democracies. The level of political discourse has plummeted over the last twenty years, true - as it has in Canada. But I don't see how the hatred between Democrats and Republicans is any more in evidence than the hatred between Liberals and Conservatives.

Canada's arguing between provinces seems civilized compared to the dangerous pressures in American society where a President can be impeached for a dribble on a dress There are tensions between American states? I don't recall hearing about it. And Clinton was impeached for lying under oath, not adultery.

or where a boy washed ashore can be kept from his loving father and home in the name of freedom.

In the name of political expediency too, which is what martin is all about. The boy, however, was sent back.

A place today where dissidents face arrest or spying and travel-bans or, at best, are told to get out if they don't like it.

Oh? Please name the dissidents who have been arrested? Our laws against terrorism are as tough as the Americans, and our spy agencies routinely conduct the kind of telephone eavesdropping the Americans so recently made a big fuss over. As for "love it or leave it" - you'll find a number of people with such a mentality right here, all of them Liberal supporters.

Only the drumbeat of jingoistic patriotism, reinforced with religious slogans, holds a people together

Kind of like the drumbeat of jingoistic patriotism, reinforced with fearmongering, holds the Liberals together, eh?

Think hard when you vote. Canada has been prospering without Harper's policies and it has avoided at least one pointless war. In politics, you have to pick your battles carefully because no one party can represent all the issues about which you care. Peace and civility and dedication to broad human rights are priceless and may well be put at risk with a Harper majority.

Canada has been prospering despite bad government, prospering solely due to our trade relationship with the United States and the benefits of high oil and resource prices. There are many problems with our economy these are hiding, problems with efficiency and production, with inter provincial trade barriers and the inefficient subsidies of industries. They're being masked to some degree because of good times south of the border, but they'll become all too obvious if the American economy hiccups. And Canada could be so much better than it is! Canadians seldom realize just how much better off economically most Americans are than Canadians are. Not to mention how much more, not less cohesive their society is. New Yorkers and Californians don't sneer at each other in contempt. Masses of Texans or Floridians don't routinely express their strong desire to seperate from the US. The states aren't always squabbling like children, accusing each other of having illegitimately taken too big a piece of the pie.

No, the Americans have their problems, but no worse than ours. And your bigoted fearmongering has no logic behind it, just hysteria and hate. On Monday night Canadians will be calling Harper Prime Minister, and perhaps, just perhaps, we'll see a slightly better, more capable government. For sure we'll see a more honest one.

And that really galls you, doesn't it? It's just eating you up. The bitterness is just so raw I can sense the underlying rage.

And you talk about political civility. Feh.

[Argus]

Now now Argus, you know better than to break the "no insult" rule.

If that had been at all enforced over the past six weeks 2/3rds of the new posters, and at least half the regulars would have been banned by now.

[newbie]

Feel better Argus?

[Melanie_]

Asking God to bless Canada is akin to asking Santa for a new toy firetruck for Christmas. Appeals to mythical creatures tend to fall on invisible deaf ears.

Perfect, BD!

[BubberMiley]

Religion was never the cause of war.

Can I quote you on that in the Islamothread?

But of course, that wouldn't enter your pin-head, any more than questioning the complete and utter equality of people who hopped off a plane from Bangladesh last Tuesday and just picked up their shiny new passport.

They're not completely and utterly equal. They can be deported; the rest of us can't.

First, you use hindsight when it was unavailable to people like Harper and Martin at the time.

That's pretty naive. Then how come I knew it was all bullsh*t from the start? And there's no actual evidence, other than a few of Sheila Copps' bitter ramblings, that Martin ever was in favour of invading Iraq without U.N. approval.

Second, you snivel about legality as if international relationships have ever been governed by law.

You could have said that before WWII, not after. That's why George H.W. Bush was mortified at the prospect of invading Iraq without U.N. approval. He came from the New World Order generation.

[Guest eureka]

They don't recognise sarcasm, Newbie, and their ridicule is not even intellogently done. It is counter productive for that reason in that they are incapable of using one of the most effective political tools. For either of those, they would have to open their minds to the criticisms of the Conservatives and genuinely try to weigh the issues.

They will never understand until the fallout hits them.

Oh, and I like Argus's insults. Sometimes he can be quite poetic in them and it is more interesting than reading the vitriol.

[justcrowing]