Another bozo statement from CPOC candidate

[slowpoke]

Some of these candidates' statements have been fairly insignificant and only the most sanctimonious would find them terminally offensive. But this guy crossed the line with his blanket slur of immigrants. I don't care what Calgary's crime statistics seem to be telling him or what prompted him to say this. Bottom line - he's an idiot who couldn't keep the election campaign in his sights. He just blurted out his true feelings about immigrants without any regard for his party or political sensitivites. Off with his head!!!

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...s_080925/20080925?s_name=election2008&no_ads=

Tory candidate blames immigrants for crime
Updated Thu. Sep. 25 2008 4:36 PM ET

The Canadian Press

CALGARY -- Another Conservative is in hot water over controversial comments -- this time about immigrants.

..."Look at who's committing these crimes ... They're not the kid that grew up next door," Richardson told the Calgary newsmagazine Fast Forward Weekly.

"Particularly in big cities, we've got people that have grown up in a different culture," he said.

"And they don't have the same background in terms of the stable communities we had 20, 30 years ago in our cities and don't have the same respect for authority or people's person or property."...

 

[Aardvark154]

I don't care what Calgary's crime statistics seem to be telling him [or in fact show] or what prompted him to say this.

I'm not from Calgary, but this sounds like political correctness run amok - it doesn't matter what the crime figures actually show. How dare he point out the ugly truth.

Not all immigrants are angels!

 

[slowpoke]

I'm not from Calgary, but this sounds like political correctness run amok - it doesn't matter what the crime figures actually show. How dare he point out the ugly truth.

Not all immigrants are angels!

Like I said, I don't care what statistics were swimming around in his head, he was breathtakingly stupid to make statements like this in an election campaign. My post was about his stupidity and had nothing to do with immigrant crime.

 

[train]

But then you guys whine when Harper muzzles them. Which way do you want it ?

Trouble is with this race no one cares what your back bench candidates say, if they say anything at all.

Hate to say it but in Calgary this statement will get him more votes not less. Particularly if he has the balls to tell the truth.

 

[slowpoke]

But then you guys whine when Harper muzzles them. Which way do you want it ?

Trouble is with this race no one cares what your back bench candidates say, if they say anything at all.

Hate to say it but in Calgary this statement will get him more votes not less. Particularly if he has the balls to tell the truth.

When I criticize one of Harper's candidates for this kind of ignorance and stupidity, I am definitely not whining or complaining. I'm actually grateful that they've lived up to my already low expectations. If they keep letting these racial slurs slip out, they'll probably still get elected in Calgary but it will hurt them just about everywhere else. Why would I complain about that??? I think it's great when these little kernels emerge from behind Harper's black curtain. Keep 'em coming.

As far as back bench candidates being ignored, I think you're giving the average voter too much credit and you're underestimating the power of advertising. Most voters don't know WTF bench these clowns are sitting on and they don't care. If they're sensitive about their ethnicity (ie immigrants who hate being bad mouthed by politicians etc) or if they're still undecided about which party to support, they will react negatively to any display of racial intolerance. This is especially true if your racial slurs become the subject of full page opposition ads that stick a racist question mark on your lapel.

 

[train]

Hey slowpoke in your usual unbiased fashion you forgot to mention the racial undertoned comments of the Liberal candidate

Past comments also haunted Lesley Hughes, the Liberal candidate in the Winnipeg riding of Kildonan-St. Paul, who issued a statement late Thursday defending herself against allegations of anti-Semitism.

Internet bloggers have been hashing over an old column in which Hughes, a freelance journalist, suggested that Israeli intelligence warned the United States in advance of the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Centre and "Israeli businesses" vacated the premises before the attack.

So your think a slur against Israel and US Jews is less offensive than the comments about immigrants. It should be noted that in addition to the Liberal's comments being mildly offensive they are indicative of some who is seriously screwy. I mean right off the wall.

 

[slowpoke]

Hey slowpoke in your usual unbiased fashion you forgot to mention the racial undertoned comments of the Liberal candidate




So your think a slur against Israel and US Jews is less offensive than the comments about immigrants. It should be noted that in addition to the Liberal's comments being mildly offensive they are indicative of some who is seriously screwy. I mean right off the wall.

Who said I was so completely unbiased that I'd pounce on a Liberal misstep? I'm not. That's your job.

 

[train]

Who said I was so completely unbiased that I'd pounce on a Liberal misstep? I'm not. That's your job.

You keep serving them up and I'll keep trying to hit them.

That one was particularly funny because the Liberal comment was far worse than the Conservative one. The Liberal is obviously cinelli in desguise.

 

[slowpoke]

You keep serving them up and I'll keep trying to hit them.

That one was particularly funny because the Liberal comment was far worse than the Conservative one. The Liberal is obviously cinelli in desguise.

I'm not so sure about the "far worse" part but I'll grant you that she's sure as hell screwy / off the wall.

She (Hughes) was running with that conspiracy theory that the US knew 9/11was going to happen etc. The anti-semitic part is a bit of a stretch since she's not accusing Jews of anything sinister. Supposedly the Jews knew about the 9/11 plot because of their superior intelligence in the ME. So they warned the US gov't about it. Nothing wrong with warning your friends. The Jews who work at the world trade centre must have been warned too because they made themselves scarce until it was over. Nothing wrong with that either. I'd stay away too. This conspiracy theory is more of a shot at the US administration and intelligence community for not warning their people when the Jews had given them the heads up. It's all a load of crap anyway but I don't this scenario as anti-semitic.

Richardson's comments sound more bigotted because he's clearly convinced that immigrants in general are more likely to commit crimes that those waspy whites who lived next door when he was growing up. That one is a classic.

I think Dion should dump Hughes. Then he should hang Harper for not dumping Richardson. Then he should take out those full page ads. What's he got to lose?

 

[johnhenrygalt]

Then he should take out those full page ads. What's he got to lose?

Do they have the money for full page ads? I'd rather be holding a sub-prime mortgage backed security than a promise to pay by the Liberal Party of Canada.

 

[Aardvark154]

Like I said, I don't care what statistics were swimming around in his head, he was breathtakingly stupid to make statements like this in an election campaign. My post was about his stupidity and had nothing to do with immigrant crime.

And that is my point, that you don't care about the truth of the statements.

 

[train]

Richardson's comments sound more bigotted because he's clearly convinced that immigrants in general are more likely to commit crimes that those waspy whites who lived next door when he was growing up. That one is a classic.

I guess I disagree that they sound worse. That's wishful thinking on your part. Whether immigrants are more likely to commit crimes in his riding is presumeably a matter of fact or not. Your Lib candidate just makes stuff up.

Denying a problem exists is rarely the first step in solving it.

I think Dion should dump Hughes. Then he should hang Harper for not dumping Richardson. Then he should take out those full page ads. What's he got to lose?

At this point it's up to the public I think. Harper has never listented to Dion in the past why would he now. Plus the Libs would never do themselves what they preach to others. She is downright dangerous though. I wonder if she hears voices Hopefully she remains an object of amusement and does not get elected by some mistake.

You let us know if Dion does the right thing so I can retract my statements about the Libs being two-faced on this.

 

[slowpoke]

And that is my point, that you don't care about the truth of the statements.

I carefully avoided making any judgement about immigrant crime or crime statistics or whatever may have been the basis of Richardson's statement. That's why I said the following:

"I don't care what Calgary's crime statistics seem to be telling him or what prompted him to say this. Bottom line - he's an idiot who couldn't keep the election campaign in his sights. He just blurted out his true feelings about immigrants without any regard for his party or political sensitivites."

That isn't saying that I don't care about crime - or the victims of crime - or the statistical record of crime - or the statistical differences between immigrant criminality and non-immigrant criminality. I actually know very little about that. I don't know the ethnicity of the immigrants Richardson was referring to. His statement seemed to be about immigrants in general so he may feel that way about all immigrants or he may have been thinking about a particular group. We don't even know if there was a statistical basis for what he said or if he reached those racial conclusions all by himself.

For me to get excited about the differences in crime rates among the various ethnic and non-ethnic groups, I'd need a helluva lot more information than Richardson gave us. I was commenting only on the stupidity of insulting immigrants at the very same time that you're trying to get their vote. It's like trying to sell something to a fat / ugly person. You could mention that they were fat / ugly and it would be true. But it would also be unnecessary and stupid.

 

[slowpoke]

I guess I disagree that they sound worse. That's wishful thinking on your part. Whether immigrants are more likely to commit crimes in his riding is presumeably a matter of fact or not. Your Lib candidate just makes stuff up.

Denying a problem exists is rarely the first step in solving it.



At this point it's up to the public I think. Harper has never listented to Dion in the past why would he now. Plus the Libs would never do themselves what they preach to others. She is downright dangerous though. I wonder if she hears voices Hopefully she remains an object of amusement and does not get elected by some mistake.

You let us know if Dion does the right thing so I can retract my statements about the Libs being two-faced on this.

I never denied that Hughes was a problem. I agreed that she's nuts and I said Dion should dump her. I just can't see the anti-semitic part.

And Richardson should be dumped because he doesn't have the discipline or the intelligence to keep his mouth shut on sensitive issues. He sounded like a bigot with those statements. Even if his statements were true, he still sounded like a bigot. Even if those statements were true, he still demonized the vast majority of immigrants who've never committed crimes. If 25% of a given ethnic group had committed crimes, that leaves 75% who did not. What could possibly be gained by insulting that 75%?

 

[slowpoke]

....You let us know if Dion does the right thing so I can retract my statements about the Libs being two-faced on this.

Looks like the ball is in your court - and Harper's.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/09/26/dion-seniors.html


"Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion has asked Winnipeg-area candidate Lesley Hughes to step down over an old column in which she suggested Israeli companies were given a heads-up about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S."....

 

[train]

"Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion has asked Winnipeg-area candidate Lesley Hughes to step down over an old column in which she suggested Israeli companies were given a heads-up about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S."....

I retract my statement that Dion would be twofaced about this.

If anyone's keeping score that's at least one looney stepping aside for each party now.

BTW I still don't think Harper should ask Richardson to step down. What he said was correct and he said in a respectful manner. There are far more loopy guys that should step down first.

 

[slowpoke]

I retract my statement that Dion would be twofaced about this.

If anyone's keeping score that's at least one looney stepping aside for each party now.

BTW I still don't think Harper should ask Richardson to step down. What he said was correct and he said in a respectful manner. There are far more loopy guys that should step down first.

Looks like Harper is defending his bozo. Very borderline but, then again, I don't know the guy. He may be OK most of the time but that was a major brain cramp he had.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/09/26/harper-reax-richardson.html

Harper defends Calgary candidate, blames 'gotcha journalism'
Last Updated: Friday, September 26, 2008 | 11:43 AM MT Comments47 CBC News

Calls for a Calgary federal election candidate to resign over remarks connecting crime with immigrants are "an extreme example of a non-story being blown up," Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says.

In a campaign stop in his hometown of Calgary Friday, Harper defended Calgary Centre Conservative Lee Richardson. Rival candidates in Richardson's riding and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion have demanded the incumbent quit or be fired.

"He clarified a comment made before it was even published," said Harper. "I … do think that some of these stories are ridiculous examples of gotcha journalism that have nothing to do with anything that voters care about in this campaign."....

 

[fuji]

But then you guys whine when Harper muzzles them. Which way do you want it ?

I'm glad he said it, and that his view is out there. It does help confirm a few things I suspected. I don't want to vote for a party that would accept him in the backbench.