CanPol: Thread of the Year Edition

[Tingkai]

IS that bar, call the office I think its called, still around? Saw Barenaked Ladies there before they became big. What a great band.

What about .. Victoria Station? A pub on the east side.

Yeah, I hear you about the job thing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy living in Hong Kong, but there are many days I really miss being in Canada.

[Tingkai]

And Wezil, if you had a choice, where would you live?

[Tingkai]

And NYE, tell us about something good in your life. What was the high point of this year for you?

[Wezil]

I'm an Ontario boy so I would stay here. My preference would be Kitchener-Waterloo but I could go anywhere to live except Toronto or Ottawa.

High point? Successful year at work I guess (as sad as that is).

[Tingkai]

What do you like about K-W?

As for the job, I don't think that's sad if you had a banner year.

[Wezil]

K-W? Mennonites, Oktoberfest, smaller city but large enough, friends, former school - It just feels like home.

I don't live for work so if work is my high point it is not personally fulfilling.

[Max Webster]

You poly guys are funny. If your endless debates serve no other purpose in this world than to enertain than thats okay too. Sometimes you even teach me something.

As for the military. I think its basically a welfare system all in itself. Americans love their military welfare system, it comes in useful for all kinds of things and not just in areas of combat.
Personally I would rather spend the money on the military than propping up the civilain welfare system. I think we should take as many welfare folks as we can and put them in the military. Dry out the meth and crack heads and teach them skills, not neccesairly combat skills but skills in computers, trades, etc. Teach them the benefits of physical fitness.

Sorry I'm a bit cynical when it comes to the welfare folks, I work in a building that contains the welfare system offices. I see all kinds of folks that I think could be doing more for themselves. Instead having babies for the sake of increasing their cheques. Spending money on cable, smokes, booze and drugs. Living beyond their means etc.

I have just seen too much. I have met too many of these folk. I have heard too many stories. Pisses me off when I work 8 hours a day and they spend the day ****ing the dog. Now mind you some of these people have physical and mental disabilites and I have sympathy for them.

btw... Have a Merry Christmas.

[Max Webster]

Originally posted by Wezil
Mennonites,

I admire these people.

[Tingkai]

cynical bastard

[notyoueither]

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1135637428938

Liberal exec resigns amid blog controversy
Dec. 26, 2005. 08:25 PM
TARA BRAUTIGAM
CANADIAN PRESS


A high-ranking official within the Liberal Party of Canada resigned today after he made disparaging comments on his blog about NDP Leader Jack Layton and his wife, NDP candidate Olivia Chow.

Mike Klander, executive vice-president of the federal Liberal party's Ontario wing, stepped down after photographs of Chow, the NDP candidate for the Toronto riding of Trinity-Spadina, and a chow chow dog were posted on his blog dated Dec. 9 under the heading ``Separated at Birth."

The blog also contained an offensive reference to Layton.

"I'm going away for a couple of days so I thought I would find something smart and witty to put up on my blog before I left," the blog said, dated Nov. 23.

"Unfortunatley (sic) I couldn't think of anything so I just want to say that I think Jack Layton is an ******* . . . for no reason other than it makes me feel good to say it . . . and because he is."

The site also had a Top 10 list of things that would "piss me off" during the federal election campaign.

They included:

— "Being dragged out to a Liberal rally, lied to so I'm there 30 minutes early, and then forced to stand in a hot room that's way too small to give the appearance that everyone wants to be there."

— "Harper being flanked by the sexy Rona Ambrose at every opportunity."

— "Harper being flanked by the ethnic Rahim Jaffer at every opportunity."

The blog has since been taken offline.

Klander's blog was personal and did not reflect the view of the federal Liberals, said Stephen Heckbert, a spokesman for the Liberal campaign in Ontario.

"I think he recognized that there's some things that are outside the bounds of good taste," Heckbert said. "And I think then it came to a decision that it would be better for the party and for him if he were to step down."

Klander was a volunteer and did not play an official role for the Liberals during this campaign, Heckbert said, adding he's apologized to Chow.

"Obviously, this is something the Liberal Party of Canada doesn't condone. It's our view that partisan rhetoric has its limits."

But Ian Capstick, a spokesman for the NDP campaign, said the postings reflect Liberal mud-slinging.

"We were shocked, disappointed and offended," Capstick said from Ottawa. "This has become indicative of the way Liberals are seeing this election. They couldn't find basis for attack on Ms. Chow's community record, her activism, so they chose instead to focus on one thing."

Klander's resignation was a positive step, but he needs to make further amends, Capstick added.

"He needs to take a good long hard look at some of the postings he made on that website and realize the impact that they had on a variety of different communities."

Though Klander's comments were regretful, it's not uncommon for political blogs of all stripes to cross certain boundaries, Heckbert said.

"Partisan blogs get a little heated, particularly around election time," he said. "You'd see some language that might curl your hair."

The cache of the page.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:c9UjAVHOcscJ:www.klander.blogspot.com/+MikeKlander.com+Chow&hl=en

[Flubber]

Catching up here

My highlight was my son-- pretty much every day-- I know it sounds like sentimental crap but anyone with children understand

[Flubber]

On the northern thing, I don't know if what the Conservatives propose is a good use of funds but I believe Canada should have a a northern ice-breaking capability. IF we want that terriitory to be ours we should start acting like someone that takes the region seriously.

9 billion seems a cheap price to pay, particularly if some of that money is going for wages and training for additional servicemen.

Now I don't see these ships serving as troop trannsports, that wouldn't make a lot of sense but I can see the ability to be ABLE to float an armed vessel through our waters as being a minimum for a sovereign nation. If these ice breakers are sometimes useful in the Gulf, or offshore Newfoundland, why would that be bad either?


AS for basing troops in Iqualuit, maybe its not the preferred posting but a military should be out around the country, not all sitting within an hour of Toronto-- The fact that this decision will alos be an economic boon for Iqualuit isn't a terrible thing either.

So again . . . there may be better ways but

INcreased military spending
New ice-breaking capability
Some NEW equipment for a change
Northern economic development and spin off

Price tag -- perhaps there are better ways to do these types of things

[notyoueither]

I read that the ships would be capable of carrying 500 troops, not that they would sail around with them as a matter of course.

If sovereignty becomes an issue, 500 sets of boots of the PPCLI or the Royal Canadians could provide some.

Something else to keep in mind is that the DND would no doubt have some input on the project, and we won't see anything for many years to come. This is a lot about the long term future and our ability to back up our claims as the situation, and climate, change.

[Tingkai]

Harper is really nuts.

His latest idiocy on the military:
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says major cities across the country should be given a regular army presence by creating territorial defence units to help deal with emergencies in urban areas.

At a campaign stop Tuesday on Vancouver Island, Mr. Harper said such units would be composed of 100 regular troops and 400 or more reservists if the Tories win the Jan. 23 federal election.

“A large number of our cities have no military presence,” he said after announcing plans to beef up the military's capabilities in the West.

Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, the Toronto area and other major metropolitan areas would be in line for territorial defence units whose troops would be available to help with emergencies and deal with conflict overseas, Mr. Harper said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051227.wharparm1227/BNStory/specialDecision2006/

Let's see, he seems to have forgotten that Winnipeg is the HQ for Air Command.

Toronto has reg forces bases plus bases within a few hours drive, such as Trenton and Petawawa.

Calgary has the PPCLI a few hours north of it.

All the other cities have reserve forces and reg forces easily available for emergencies through airlift.

Creating bases for a few hundred troops is not cost efficient and serves absolutely no purpose.

Once again, the Conservatives are demonstrating that they have no fiscal or military sense.

[notyoueither]

I see that Harper wanting more military, and jobs across the land, merits a grumble, but a senior liberal comparing a candidate for Parliament to a dog warrants nary a sucking of teeth.