h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

i'm sure you're right about red deer

I think it's more complicated than what you've heard. People in Canada are quite happy to be friends and allies with the U. S. We get a little miffed when a (usually republican) president seems to slight us (as George W. Bush did after 9/11). But we also have a bit of a tradition of working multilaterally and we have a huge respect for the United Nations and various world institutions. The government of Canada was left in a difficult position. We didn't side with France and Germany against the U. S.; we sided with the United Nations as an institution and the United Nations was siding with the peaceful disarmament of Iraq. The Prime Minister (ours, not Britain's) made a number of proposals which were aimed at giving the inspectors a specific amount of time to continue; the President said "no". The Prime Minister was left with a foriegn policy decision to make and he made it in accordance with Canada's history of multilateralism and it was not an anti-american decision.
As far as reading or mis-reading the polls, the Prime Minister doesn't care about the polls, he's not running for re-election: he's retiring pretty soon.

Silent majority my butt! Geopolitical uncle toms is more like it.
One of the people quoted in the cbc story said that if a friend get in a fight you help them. I think that's true, when a friend is about to get in a fight I try to help by preventing the fight. If that doesn't work I try to break up the fisticuffs before someone gets hurt.
If my one of my friends were to start using a baseball bat to beat the living daylights out of a person who was extremely annoyinng, possibly even criminal, maybe even a heroin dealer or child abuser, but physically infirm and unable to defend themselves, and then moved on to start burning down that person's house and beat the person's spouse and children - call me gutless I don't think I'd help my 'friend' with that.

I agree. The Canadian Alliance are a bunch of right wing nazis (in my opinion.) A heard your analogy of the friend in a fight on a phone in show but it was twisted around by these guys: Somebody has a stick and keeps beating up on people; your friend gets a stick to go hit the first guy; we should support the friend.

I agree with you and I agree with our Prime Minister: if we think the fight is wrong, we shouldn't take part. It doesn't mean we're not friends.

I think I'm going to head to bed soon too. Good to meet you.

While it is also good to meet you, Paperboy, I did that a while ago. That specific good to meet you, was directed toward blaue augen. I really should read the posts more carefully.

good meeting you too anhaga. it's nice to hear some other opinions out there, as well as some interesting canada tidbits. sleep well.

The new alberta separatist party has gotten off on the left foot:

http://www.newdemocrats.ab.ca/newsreleases/mar2703.html

nuclear submarines

(for non-Canadians, Alberta is land-locked)

well, anhaga, obviously this new separatist party will be a major threat to national unity, assuming someone buys them a map and a calculator so they can figure out just how much even a used trident costs......Like those other separatists in the other troublesome province, these guys are apparently fairly wacky.

I'm not really worried about this bunch. They'll wander around for a few years and then start a federal party (probably call it Reform) and then wander around a while longer, all the time getting more white and redder in the neck.

By the way, Bruce Hutton, their leader, is the same guy who started the "Law-Abiding Unregistered Firearms Association" A932672.

Ugh! If we keep talking about fringe Canadian politics, I'll be forced to leave!

Let's talk Beaver Tails and skinny and chinooks, like the ads.

I ain't kiddin', eh? You guys is all political 'round heres.

Yup!

Btw, howdy there cl.

How ya doin'?

Good, busy. Lousy weather for a change. Our usual spring deluge has finally arrived.

We had a rain last night, & they're forecasting a possible thundeshower tonight.

I'm not sure if talking about the Alberta Separatists desire for Nuclear subs really qualifies as talking politics, I see it more as a trip through a sideshow, kind of a Ripley's believe it or what.

Did anyone else contribute to the breakfast discussion from the front page? I sort of felt obligated to explain back bacon and maple syrup......and japanese natto (shudder)

give me peameal or give me death!

I watched a little something on Newsworld tonight that made me very happy to be in this country:

The 11:00 p.m Newsbreak. First Nations woman anchor. Three stories: SARS covered by an Asian Canadian woman; Colin Powell squacking about something covered by the anchor; and then the thing in Iraq where they let the old white guy talk. When the multiculturalism is in the cast of the evening news, it's really happening, and it makes me happy.

(and it makes the Alberta Separatists look like a tiny bunch of tiny dinosaurs.)

and jazzedupcurry: if you think you hear thunder tonight, it's just my gas.


So, are you east or west of the burnt pet store?

(lurkers: we don't incinerate pets and then sell them. A pet store burned down.)

Few blocks north of the burnt out corner, anhaga!

If its thunder wakin' me up at 3am, that'd be...well, normal, annoying, but not unusual. If its your gas doin' that, I'd be seriously concerned! LMAO

This horse was made for riding....

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_765348.html?menu=news.quirkies

And when the rest of the world does get Canadian news, this is the sort of thing deemed worthy?