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A note to protesters - Be nice

Jan 24, 2004
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The Vegetative State
Sadly, my plans for a trip to Ottawa this week to speak my mind to George have been forestalled by a heavy workload. So I suppose I'll be stuck expressing my views rather impotently - irony of ironies! - on TERB.

I'd like to take this opportunity to ask protesters to be nice to George, not because he deserves it but because we owe it to ourselves.

The left, having for years endured the stupid insults of the populist far-right, rather than taking the higher ground, are increasing choosing to fight stupid with stupid, duplicity with duplicity. Michael Moore, Moveon.org, Al Franken and the ill-conceived Air America project must all bear some - but not all - of the blame for this.

Spewing slogans in response to slogans is not debate. Calling Bush a "war-monger" says nothing. Comparing him to Hitler is offensive. Saying he is a war criminal is a non-sequitur. Making fun of him for being Christian is bigoted.

Thoughtfully questioning his decision to go to war, balancing all perspectives - which means reasonably acknowledging that reasonable people can believe, however wrongly in our opinion, that the war was just - rejecting the granola-crunching philosophy that states "war is bad" without reservation - all of these strategies will work to display our wisdom, and wisdom is what gains the ear of history, not slogans. Questioning Bush's real belief in and willingness to defend the Constitution of the United States is just. Proclaiming that pure evil has found a home within his soul is not.

Let us demonstrate how Canadians at their best conduct political debate. Who knows - we might even teach our neighbours to the south a thing or two.
 

papasmerf

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Oct 22, 2002
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Feel free to be yourselfs and express your views as you have here.

Stand firm on your right to free speech. After all it is not different in person then it is under an assumed name from an unknown location.
 

Don

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Aug 23, 2001
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DM: I completely agree. I always felt that insults are always counterproductive. It is no secret that while most of the protesters at the RNC Convention in NYC were peaceful and civil, the right-wing media (FOX NEws, etc) focused on the small percentage causing trouble and insulting RNC supporters to portray Kerry supporters as a bunch of hooligans.

However I hold little hope that it will be a peaceful, civil protest. Dubya is just too polarizing for people to keep their emotions in check.
 

strange1

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Mar 14, 2004
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I read a quote in one of todays papers that said something along the lines that violence is an option protesters will consider. I have no problem with that as long as they don't complain when the police consider the same option.
 

onthebottom

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Jan 10, 2002
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DM,

Good point, at the end of the day the protests will say more about you than about W.

OTB
 
Jan 24, 2004
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The Vegetative State
onthebottom said:
DM,

Good point, at the end of the day the protests will say more about you than about W.

OTB
Intelligent protesters - and there will be quite a few of these - will have a great deal to say about W. Not that there's a chance he'll listen...
 

onthebottom

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Jan 10, 2002
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Drunken Master said:
Intelligent protesters - and there will be quite a few of these - will have a great deal to say about W. Not that there's a chance he'll listen...
The question is, will they (on the off chance that they do act intelligently) have anything new to say?

OTB
 
Jan 24, 2004
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The Vegetative State
onthebottom said:
The question is, will they (on the off chance that they do act intelligently) have anything new to say?

OTB
Would it matter? He hasn't even listened to the old stuff, even when it came from members of his own admin...
 

Ranger68

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Mar 17, 2003
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Yeah - that the US should stop acting like a bunch of drunk frat boys. Bush is giving all Americans a black eye, and he should hear it everywhere he goes.

Wayda dismiss political protest OTB. Sorta falls in-line with what we all think of your kind.
LOL
 

onthebottom

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Drunken Master said:
Would it matter? He hasn't even listened to the old stuff, even when it came from members of his own admin...
I bet he'll listen to the trade stuff, you never know but I doubt he will come completely empty handed. I've never understood the softwood issue, can anyone explain it?

OTB
 

onthebottom

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Jan 10, 2002
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lenharper said:
Why say anything new if your enemy is still doing the same old shit?
Enemy, did you really mean to use that word?

OTB
 
Jan 24, 2004
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The Vegetative State
1) Canadian wood is of better quality and cheaper to harvest than American wood.

2) This upsets powerful timber lobbies in the Northeastern States. Clinton could not afford to upset potential swing states like Oregon and Washington.

3) Crippling, illegal tariffs were imposed on Canadian softwood lumber.

4) Ever since the tariffs were imposed, marijuana production and exporting in BC have skyrocketed, as more and more British Columbians find their way from dead-end lumber jobs into their province's largest growth industry.
 

Ranger68

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onthebottom said:
Enemy, did you really mean to use that word?

OTB
Actually, *I* believe that Bush IS the enemy of the free world. The free world that believes that unilateralism is a dangerous path, especially when undertaken by a global superpower trying to hang onto the vestiges of its power.

Why not? Enemy. Sounds about right.
 

onthebottom

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Drunken Master said:
1) Canadian wood is of better quality and cheaper to harvest than American wood.

2) This upsets powerful timber lobbies in the Northeastern States. Clinton could not afford to upset potential swing states like Oregon and Washington.

3) Crippling, illegal tariffs were imposed on Canadian softwood lumber.

4) Ever since the tariffs were imposed, marijuana production and exporting in BC have skyrocketed, as more and more British Columbians find their way from dead-end lumber jobs into their province's largest growth industry.
I'll have to trust you on 1, those States are in the Northwest but I got it, was there no justification for 3, 4 is the best reason yet to keep those tariffs in place.

This is stupid, why wouldn't we want you to cut your trees down instead of us having to cut our trees down?

Long live the spotted owl.

OTB
 

onthebottom

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Ranger68 said:
Actually, *I* believe that Bush IS the enemy of the free world. The free world that believes that unilateralism is a dangerous path, especially when undertaken by a global superpower trying to hang onto the vestiges of its power.

Why not? Enemy. Sounds about right.
Talk to me about the UK, Australia, Italy, Japan......

Oh, never mind - you've defined yourself nicely for us.

OTB
 

Ranger68

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Mar 17, 2003
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What about them?
Of course, you *really* don't need me to respond - the answers to all of these questions are terribly obvious, but ask away. ;)
George Bush - enemy of the free world.
 

langeweile

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Sep 21, 2004
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Oh please not the trade protectionism again.
Both Canada and the USA are catering to interest groups. Each goverment puts barriers in place to protect them.

USA
softwood lumber and beef

Canada
Chicken and dairy products

Those are the ones I know of...I am sure there is more.
 
Ashley Madison
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