Americans Only Please: Should Mulroney resign as the Prime Minister of Canada?

[Method]

Originally posted by Asher
What's sad is Apolyton is full of people with above-average intelligence and wisdom. If you asked the average person in the streets of, say, LA, I'm sure the results would be much worse.

which coincidently, is the subject of a show hosted by rick mercer

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Mexico's recent decision to leave the Rio Treaty certainly isn't consistent with US foreign policy. The media isn't covering it, however, so the public isn't going to have any reason to know who Vincente Fox is.

It's "Vicente" - only one "n." Q.E.D.

Leaving the Rio treaty isn't "significant" though - to the extent Mexico has an army, it's right out the late 1950's in capability - if that.

The US routinely ignores Article 1 and Article 2 of the treaty anyway:

ARTICLE 1

The High Contracting Parties formally condemn war and undertake in their international relations not to resort to the threat or the use of force in any manner inconsistent with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations or of this Treaty.

ARTICLE 2

As a consequence of the principle set forth in the preceding Article, the High Contracting Parties undertake to submit every controversy which may arise between them to methods of peaceful settlement and to endeavor to settle any such controversy among themselves by means of the procedures in force in the Inter-American System before referring it to the General Assembly or the Security Council of the United Nations.

So I wouldn't call this one significant. It's not like OAS members have been called upon by the US to actually do anything, and it's not like the treaty has actually been invoked with any effect before that.

[Drake Tungsten]

So I wouldn't call this one significant. It's not like OAS members have been called upon by the US to actually do anything, and it's not like the treaty has actually been invoked with any effect before that.

Wasn't it invoked right after 9/11? I'm pretty sure the Brazilians pushed to have it invoked to show Latin American solidarity with the US. I guess that action didn't have any real effect, but it was a powerful symbolic move. I think Mexico's decision to leave the Rio treaty is simliar; not really significant in any practical terms, but a strong symbolic gesture.

BTW, there was a good article about this in Foreign Affairs earlier this year. It dealt with Mexican and Brazilian foreign policy and their relations with the US.

t's "Vicente" - only one "n." Q.E.D.

Just showing my ignorance again. Why do I even open my big, uneducated mouth?

[Ming]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
It was meant to expose the fact that most American know nothing about Canadian politics, yet are still willing to flap their big mouths about it.

Gee... all the non Americans do that all the time about the United States

[Drake Tungsten]

I think this thread was a response to the "Why are non-Americans all doofuses" thread. Someone needed to show that Americans are all doofuses as well, so that we will realize that the whole world is filled with idiots. Once people realize that the world world is linked in its abject ignorance, we will all be able to live in peace...

[MichaeltheGreat]

It was inkoved about a week after 9-11, but the significance was purely symbolic. Most of the Caribbean states are not signatories, so it didn't apply in Grenada.

The Argentines could have invoked it in the Falklands war, but they didn't want to force everyone in the hemisphere to find an excuse to whistle dixie.

Likewise it was ignored in the US invasion of Panama, with the contras in Nicaragua, with the Zapatistas in Chiapas state here, with the FARC in Colombia, etc. etc.

I don't remember for sure, but I think it was also ignored by both sides back in the "soccer war."

Pretty much of a joke all around.

Vicente hasn't done enough of note for Yanquis to remember how many n's are in his name. He's just trying to dance between being Dubya's bootlicker when it really counts, and placating leftist "intellectuals" and right-wing nationalists down here. Not privatizing and breaking up CFE was a good call, they're pretty well run. Keeping Pemex around is embarassing, though - that's just pandering to the idiots on both sides of the political spectrum.

[Drake Tungsten]

Wouldn't he get crucified if he privatized Pemex? I agree that it should go, but I don't think Fox wants to risk his political career on it...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
No Asher was bored of masturbating to red jon pictures.

Ever since you've moved to Georgia you've been much more of an ass. So much for southern hospitality.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Oh yeah - that would be a huge flap, because both the labor unions and the rulers of the duchy of Pemex have a lot of political clout. Not too long ago, Fox had to publicly announce that he wasn't going to touch the two big national monopolies (CFE and Pemex) and people cheered - the pinche peasants don't know any better.

Pemex is the absolute epitomy of every ****ed up third-world nationalized monopoly. Abysmal products, abysmal efficiency, abysmal environmental record, abysmal prices. If you get caught "smuggling" gasoline from the US in jerry cans, though, the penalties are severe - otherwise, everyone near the border with a crossing permit would stock up on their own.

CFE, on the other hand, is fairly well run - I'd compare it with at least the upper third of US investor owned utilities in terms of overall reliability and management.

[notyoueither]

The thread went up at the wrong time of day.

Should've put it up at about 2pm EST on a Thursday Asher.

[uh Clem]

When was Poutine PM of Canada? Has he spoken with GW Bush lately?

[chequita guevara]

My first thought when I saw the thread was, Malroney isn't PM, what's Asher on about?

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by uh Clem
When was Poutine PM of Canada? Has he spoken with GW Bush lately?

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Chris 62
I understand he's a lame duck, so it hardly matters.

Not quite. He's going to be gone in 18 months...but until then, he's still got the support of most of caucus.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola
I may be a good idea to elect Mulronney agian, so that he will have the oportunity to resign.

Mulroney is close to the most hated man in Canada, and has been since ~1991. The Tories still haven't recovered from what he did...