Justice...

The onlyreal friend the US has in this world is Britain. I used to include Canada in as the other, but with every change in the Canadian government comes another policy towards the US. That last sentence was for you Jayman.

 

I too forgot the name, but not the case. You can read about it at the Crime Library.

 

If you're wondering why the United States is quickly running out of friends on the world scene, it's primarily due to a statement like that. Your statement also fairly closely follows what comes out of Washington these days.

As much as I personally disliked Bill Clinton, many Canadians respected and liked the fellow for his attitude towards Canada. As much as I initially liked Dubya, many Canadians are now quite put off with his Cowboy Attitude towards Canada.

FYI the Paul Martin minority government had initially supported the Missile Defense Plan. After the softwood lumber thing, which decimated the Canadian lumber industry, then the ban on beef, which decimated the Canadian cattle industry, it would have been political suicide to support Missile Defense.

The non-confidence vote would have happened right then, and more than likely, given how fired up Canadians were over the Hot Button issues, a very radical new government would have been formed.

So when it comes to friends, what goes around comes around. You rip off a friend, stab him in the back a few times, make fun of him, and generally take advantage of him, you really shouldn't count on that friend being there when you really need him the most.

That day has now happened. Satisfied? Proud of yourself??

 

Over my dead body.

You're welcome to visit, but leave the imperialist attitude at home. This may surprise you, but not everyone wants to be an American.

 

Ah, the Canadians speak. Personaly I hope they never develope the tar sands. That's just an ecological nightmare waiting to happen. Sadly, it probably will.

 

Mike:

Don't forget your passport, and 2 other forms of valid ID.

At the rate Canadian/American relations are sinking, it may soon be harder for an American to visit Canada than to visit France.

jay

 

Too late, development in full swing. It's not like the Tar Sands are needed for internal consumption, we already have more oil than we know what to do with.

But on the global scale, a lot of oil-hungry nations with money and influence see the Tar Sands as a hedge against supply shortages.

 

I had to read through your posts again, and ask myself an important question:

“Why did you start this topic?â€

I rather doubt you will find any Canadians who think highly of Karla Homolka. Indeed, the Karla Homolka / Paul Bernardo case was one of the most disturbing murder cases in recent Canadian history. It was also a disgusting example of “revolving door†justice. Her deal to squeal was no excuse to let her go early, in my personal opinion.

Indeed, the Homolka/Bernardo case was the motivating factor behind the renewed Capital Punishment debate, and in the end why Canada still chose not to reinstate it. For despite the Miscarriage of Justice, Canada still has an overall homicide rate far lower than the United States.

You can’t explain all of that away with Gun Control. Countries like Switzerland have a higher per-cap rate of gun ownership than the United States, yet you don’t see the brutal street violence like in the United States. Culture and attitude are far more important to how a society behaves and treats fellow citizens.

But I still have to wonder why you started the topic. Maybe I should explain to you how most Canadians saw your topic: they are offended by you. It’s just that most are too polite to enter into a debate with you over it.

I suppose I should mention I’m only 50% Canadian, on my Mother’s side. My Dad is American, so I learned at an early age how to be brusque, in-your-face, and sometimes obnoxious. And I’m also very willing to expose all the foibles that happen in either country.

Perhaps one of your key comments that most offended the average Canadian: “ … actually read a few books on this case ... (sic).†Suddenly that makes you an expert on the Canadian Justice System?

Officer Mike tried to warn you off “You don't need to go to Canada to see this....lot's of our cases trump this...at least she did spend 12 yrs in prison. This story is tame in my book.†You should have taken the hint.

Part of the reason why the United States has quickly run out of friends on the global scene is the Monday Morning Quarterbacking that the United States applies to other countries. It has been my experience that when you criticize others, you should expect criticism in return.

So to you, it may have been a cute jab to the polite Canadians who usually accept such jabs with a shrug. The way we see it: another example of the Ugly American who knows it all, has a big mouth, and just doesn’t know when to keep it firmly closed.

If you had wanted to look at a FAR more serious Miscarriage of Justice, why didn’t you “read a few books†on the David Milgaard case?

http://www.injusticebusters.com/04/Milgaard_inquiry.htm

This was your classic case of botched investigation, corrupt/incompetent Crown Prosecutor, and the RCMP ensuring they always “get their man†even if, in this case, it was the WRONG man. If Canada had Capital Punishment, more than likely Mr. Milgaard would have been executed.

An innocent man executed by the State. I suppose you would know about that too?

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/01/31/illi....executions.02/

Although I still personally believe in Capital Punishment, I’m also VERY uncomfortable with it. There is simply NO margin for error, none. Many Capital Punishment proponents appear to accept a certain small percentage of false positives, or condemning innocent people to death.

Once a State condemns an innocent person to death, and more importantly is willing to ACCEPT that as the “price to be paid,†that State is no better than a Soviet-style gulag or a third world “justice†system.

Even more disturbing are recent developments that bring more secrecy into American life. Here is one example:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051202/ap_on_.../vaccine_agency

So much for championing Freedom. Folks in the rest of the world probably see this as the creation of another USAMRIID, and will naturally be highly suspicious of the true aims of such an agency: bioterrorist defense, or secret bioweapons research.

Oh, as a final point, let’s give the Manifest Destiny bulls*** a rest, hmmm? Most Americans don’t believe in it, and whenever you spout it, it just reinforces the Ugly American stereotype. It’s another reason why most Canadians no longer trust the Americans.

If you’re wondering why Canada is suddenly showing a streak of independent thinking, and a recent willingness to find other trade partners, attitudes like yours have a lot to do with it. What goes around, comes around.

 

It's Karl, thanks for trying to make it more personal. I already have my passport. From "regular" Canadians I have spoken to on this and other forums, I don't think relations are bad.

MS- What a great race scene....but dump the stupid Dallas avatar! :lol: JMHO

 

If you are at all concerned with 'foreign' relations, you should at least consider the possibility that the sentiment is genuine, and perhaps wonder why.

 

Well, when you Americans come for a visit up here, just remember to ditch or smoke your marijuana before going back, as I hear it's illegal down there! :lol:

 

I wish my state (formerly North Dakota; now Washington) would leave the U.S. and become part of Canada. Canada is far from perfect, but the U.S. is farther from perfect. I am ashamed of the arrogance of my country, not to mention the long string of wars for the purpose of stealing the world's resources, thinly disguised under a blanket of lies about "freedom" and "democracy."

 

why did you delete your reply and substituted it with a smiley face?

 

what would be nice for a change, the smiley face or the real response?