tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17909993.post114932882681667784..comments2023-10-09T05:28:35.705-07:00Comments on Creekside: Same-sex marriage reduxAlisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811694143714068436noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17909993.post-1149928060286973232006-06-10T01:27:00.000-07:002006-06-10T01:27:00.000-07:00Anonymous :Tell you what, anon, let's just allow H...Anonymous :<BR/><BR/>Tell you what, anon, let's just allow Harper himself to settle this difference of opinion between us in his own words. <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/leadersparties/harper_speech.html" REL="nofollow">Harper's speech to the American thinktank 'Council for National Policy'</A><BR/><BR/>"Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it."<BR/><BR/>"In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance."<BR/><BR/>"The National Citizens Coalition... We're on the sort of libertarian side of the conservative spectrum...the closest thing we have to a neo-conservative party in that sense."<BR/><BR/>"The establishment came down with a constitutional package which they put to a national referendum. The package included distinct society status for Quebec and some other changes, including some that would just horrify you, putting universal Medicare in our constitution, and feminist rights, and a whole bunch of other things."<BR/><BR/><B>Putting universal Medicare in our constitution, and feminist rights, and a whole bunch of other things?</B>Alisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09811694143714068436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17909993.post-1149638162715545032006-06-06T16:56:00.000-07:002006-06-06T16:56:00.000-07:00Problem is that Alison is sex id challenged. Would...Problem is that Alison is sex id challenged. Wouldn't know the same sex if facing it on the street. <BR/><BR/>Also- whatzthis about Zionist reformers, Scout? Duz that mean me, a jewboy from way back who actually read the UN history creating the state of Israel- which btw the Arabs and Brits snorted in derision at.... you know-the partition which provided for a Palestinian state?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17909993.post-1149596251676984622006-06-06T05:17:00.000-07:002006-06-06T05:17:00.000-07:00Alison,Then I think you seriously misread Stephen ...Alison,<BR/><BR/>Then I think you seriously misread Stephen Harper. Suppose you're right, and he's just waiting for a majority so he can do all sorts of scary things. Then what? In four years the Conservative Party gets the shit kicked out of it instantly, and the Liberals returnt to power and promptly reverse whatever it was Harper saw through? Does Harper strike you as the kind of guy who following this line of thinking?<BR/><BR/>The point is, Stephen Harper is more a pragmatist than a radical. The fact he's better at managing the nutters - a group of people which, to be fair, deserve to be <I>heard</I> like any other, but not necessarily the right to <I>have their way</I> - seems to escape most of his detractors. <BR/><BR/>I really think the paranoid-left argument that "the scary part will come after the majority" is unbelievably weak. Just watch. There's nothing to worry about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17909993.post-1149545087405895612006-06-05T15:04:00.000-07:002006-06-05T15:04:00.000-07:00Anon :"doesn't everybody win? SSM stays, the major...Anon :<BR/><BR/><I>"doesn't everybody win? SSM stays, the majority prevails, and the angry minority gets the bone thrown to them that the issue was decided fair and square."</I><BR/><BR/>I agree with you for the <B>short term</B>, but what happens after that?<BR/><BR/>1)The nutter base is placated, especially when Harper tells them he'll do better next time with a majority (and who else would the nutters vote for anyway?)<BR/>The imported christer echo chamber gears up for the next election.<BR/><BR/>2)Harper appears moderate to the rest of us - after all, nothing too bad has happened yet - and consequently we all nap off.<BR/><BR/>3)Harper gets a majority next time.<BR/>All bets are off.<BR/><BR/><I>"They've made the issue more about the legitimacy of the previous vote than the principle of the issue itself."</I><BR/><BR/>The 'free vote' legitimacy thing is a crock.<BR/>The NDP sees this a human rights charter issue and will not permit their members a free vote even if all the members would vote for SSM anyway. Good for them.<BR/><BR/>I should state here that over my lifetime I've seen an increase in 'rights' and an accompanying decrease in personal freedom. SSM was not my fight but it is nevertheless a "first they came for the..." issue, so it is my fight now.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the opportunity to be - I hope - a little clearer this time.Alisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09811694143714068436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17909993.post-1149530503867429062006-06-05T11:01:00.000-07:002006-06-05T11:01:00.000-07:00Not sure I follow your logic, Alison. I presume th...Not sure I follow your logic, Alison. I presume the reason most non-Tory supporters fear Harper is because he'll do something crazy - but if, as you argue, he actually <I>won't</I> do anything crazy, but instead will just placate the nutters in his base by giving their issue lip service, doesn't everybody win? SSM stays, the majority prevails, and the angry minority gets the bone thrown to them that the issue was decided fair and square.<BR/><BR/>Remember, the wingnuts of the CPC have painted themselves into a corner. They've made the issue more about the legitimacy of the previous vote than the principle of the issue itself. <BR/><BR/>The argument here seems to be that we should all fear Harper because he's outwitting the lunatic fringe by being pretty moderate. If anything that should reassure us, not scare us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17909993.post-1149437280181290632006-06-04T09:08:00.000-07:002006-06-04T09:08:00.000-07:00Agreed that all the branchplant turfin' is extreme...Agreed that all the branchplant turfin' is extremely worrisome, on a whole lotta levels. <BR/><BR/>To CW.....was that little dig about affecting the 'evolution' of society slipped in there on purpose?<BR/><BR/>.RossKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07677239332112652522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17909993.post-1149392539939475792006-06-03T20:42:00.000-07:002006-06-03T20:42:00.000-07:00yup , stephen al harpa is the terrorist....i put a...yup , stephen al harpa is the terrorist....i put a post up about it, but, i'm not meaning to take away from your usual good insight and predictions here (you know my stuff is largely gag anyways).<BR/><BR/>you're righton about timing and getting this one out of the way long before any next election. <BR/><BR/>can't wait for the zionist reformers to start shooting off their yaps and really bury themselves....will harp be able to get them under control?scouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05620666432383256799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17909993.post-1149379299727690282006-06-03T17:01:00.000-07:002006-06-03T17:01:00.000-07:00Wonderful comment, whiz.The sad thing is that not ...Wonderful comment, whiz.<BR/><BR/>The sad thing is that not so many years ago if you saw someone helping a homeless person, they probably <I>were</I> a christian and they probably wouldn't mention that they were unless you asked.<BR/>I miss those christians.<BR/>They're still around of course, but have been replaced in the media spotlight by "xians".Alisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09811694143714068436noreply@blogger.com