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  • #31
    Re: Re : Re: Rob Ford skewered like a shish kebab ...

    Originally posted by Nigel Hanrahan View Post
    It may be more likely that Canada will be absorbed or assimilated into the USA ...
    Not bloody likely.
    Gary Ruben
    CC - IA and SIM

    Comment


    • #32
      absorbed into the USian Borg?

      Originally posted by Gary Ruben View Post
      Not bloody likely.
      Just to be clear, I'm not advocating such an eventuality. Only that it seems more likely than Quebec forming a new country.

      - Diane Francis has written a lengthy book about this subject. See the following article.

      - the military of the two countries are already "interoperable", as with other NATO countries and the USA

      - with US police already working in Canada

      - so-called Free Trade deals have been established in Canada since 1988, weakening the sovereignty of the country a little more each time

      - Canada is awash in US culture, maybe more than any other country in the world. There are even Canadian content laws, enforced by the CRTC, to ensure that Canadian culture isn't completely drowned out altogether. (Sidebar: this relates in a funny way to Mayor Ford, who has been called "a new hoser" by one author. The original hosers, Bob and Doug MacKenzie, appeared on TV to meet the CRTC requirements of Canadian content for SCTV. It was originally just intended as a a joke, but the two hosers became much loved. A little like the hoser for Mayor in Toronto. lol.)

      - we may not like it very much, but any Canadian can probably talk about experiences in which they were mistaken for "Americans" (which is funny, because, technically, we ARE Americans as we live in North America, but that's a whole 'nother debate)

      - many outside analysts, e.g., The Institute for US and Canadian Studies, routinely make such a prediction for the future of Canada and sometimes even treat it as a virtual fait accompli
      Last edited by Nigel Hanrahan; Friday, 8th November, 2013, 03:25 PM. Reason: hoser sidebar
      Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.

      Comment


      • #33
        Re: absorbed into the USian Borg?

        Originally posted by Nigel Hanrahan View Post
        Just to be clear, I'm not advocating such an eventuality. Only that it seems more likely than Quebec forming a new country.

        - Diane Francis has written a lengthy book about this subject. See the following article.
        Wow, I knew the idea was thrown around a few times, but I didn't knew Diane Francis made an in-depth report of the eventual process.

        One thing for sure, there's a very very high probability that Quebec would NOT be part of this. The cultural difference between Quebec and the RoC is greater than the cultural difference between the RoC and the States. Not a judgement at all on my part, merely an observation.

        Oh and, back on topic, our previous mayor here in Montreal, Gerald Tremblay, wants to say he didn't knew that hard drugs exist and he wasn't aware if he took some or not.

        Comment


        • #34
          Re: absorbed into the USian Borg?

          Originally posted by Nigel Hanrahan View Post
          Just to be clear, I'm not advocating such an eventuality. Only that it seems more likely than Quebec forming a new country.

          - Diane Francis has written a lengthy book about this subject. See the following article.

          - the military of the two countries are already "interoperable", as with other NATO countries and the USA

          - with US police already working in Canada

          - so-called Free Trade deals have been established in Canada since 1988, weakening the sovereignty of the country a little more each time

          - Canada is awash in US culture, maybe more than any other country in the world. There are even Canadian content laws, enforced by the CRTC, to ensure that Canadian culture isn't completely drowned out altogether. (Sidebar: this relates in a funny way to Mayor Ford, who has been called "a new hoser" by one author. The original hosers, Bob and Doug MacKenzie, appeared on TV to meet the CRTC requirements of Canadian content for SCTV. It was originally just intended as a a joke, but the two hosers became much loved. A little like the hoser for Mayor in Toronto. lol.)

          - we may not like it very much, but any Canadian can probably talk about experiences in which they were mistaken for "Americans" (which is funny, because, technically, we ARE Americans as we live in North America, but that's a whole 'nother debate)

          - many outside analysts, e.g., The Institute for US and Canadian Studies, routinely make such a prediction for the future of Canada and sometimes even treat it as a virtual fait accompli
          Not going to happen.

          A joint nation would have Canada forming around 10% of the population. Assuming we'd get 10% of the votes in the electoral college the Republicans could go 50 years without getting the presidency.

          I can see where the Americans would like to get hold of our natural resources and our stable (compared to theirs) financial system. Also a larger tax base. I wonder if Quebec would enjoy being absorbed into the giant U.S. melting pot.

          Maybe the NDP or Libs would like to run on that platform in the next election. I doubt the Cons are that dumb.
          Gary Ruben
          CC - IA and SIM

          Comment


          • #35
            Re: absorbed into the USian Borg?

            Where the heck is this "cruel austerity" crap coming from? You've used the phrase at least twice. Gary is quite right in saying that you're arguing ideology. Charest had the temerity to require that University students, get less of a subsidy. How is that "cruel"? Give me a f*ing break.

            As for Ford, he's a buffoon, but how are his policies "cruel"? (BTW he's only one voice on a council of 44+1).

            This is your word. Please explain.

            Steve

            Comment


            • #36
              Re: absorbed into the USian Borg?

              Originally posted by Mathieu Cloutier View Post
              Oh and, back on topic, our previous mayor here in Montreal, Gerald Tremblay, wants to say he didn't knew that hard drugs exist and he wasn't aware if he took some or not.
              LOL! It's amazing how quickly we forget the fun and games in Montreal!

              A couple of years back the Ottawa media was all over Larry O'Brien and how he was defending himself from charges that he bribed someone to drop out of the mayoral election. He was eventually cleared.

              Larry must be leaning back and saying "I don't looks so bad now, di I?"

              Comment


              • #37
                Re: absorbed into the USian Borg?

                Originally posted by Steve Douglas View Post
                Where the heck is this "cruel austerity" crap coming from?
                OK. Here's a start.

                1. In April of 2002, Rob Ford suggested publicly that rather than build shelters, for some of the many thousands of homeless people in Toronto, he suggested holding a public lynching.

                No, I am not making this up.

                2. In one of his "drunken stupors", this time during a Leafs game, (April 2006) Rob Ford was removed from Maple Leaf Gardens after a belligent response to being asked to be quiet. "“You right-wing communist bastards,” and “Who the fuck do you think you are? Are you a fucking teacher? Do you want your little wife to go over to Iran and get raped and shot?”

                No, I am not making this up.

                3. 2010: Ford argues for a cap on immigration in the city of Toronto: “We can’t even deal with the 2.5 million people in this city. I think it’s more important we take care of the people now before we start bringing in more. There are going to be a million more people—according to the Official Plan, which I did not support—over the next 10 years coming into the city. We’re not in the fiscal shape, we’re not in the social shape, to be taking any more people into this city right now.” Previously, in March 2003, Ford had suggested Toronto be declared a “refugee-free zone.”

                4. "Ford has done exactly 2 worthwhile things and everything else he has done has made the city worse. “Customer service” has decreased, not increased, TTC service has been cut back, and user fees have increased. His subway plan costs more and serves fewer people than the plan that was in place, and will cost the city an extra close to $100 million dollars in cancellation fees and sunk costs. He cancelled one tax and wants to cancel another, which then means more service cuts. He lied about being able to build subways and increase service without raising taxes."
                Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.

                Comment


                • #38
                  Re: absorbed into the USian Borg?

                  Originally posted by Mathieu Cloutier View Post
                  Wow, I knew the idea was thrown around a few times, but I didn't knew Diane Francis made an in-depth report of the eventual process.

                  One thing for sure, there's a very very high probability that Quebec would NOT be part of this. The cultural difference between Quebec and the RoC is greater than the cultural difference between the RoC and the States. Not a judgement at all on my part, merely an observation.
                  Agreed. In the scenario I describe, Quebec forming a country of its own is a consequence of the failure of RoC to resist being absorbed into the Borg - er, I mean the USA.

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                  Last edited by Nigel Hanrahan; Friday, 8th November, 2013, 10:45 PM.
                  Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Re: Our obtuse mayor

                    Originally posted by Jack Maguire View Post
                    a new video surfaces that ...
                    and he huffed, and he puffed...

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Re: Our obtuse mayor

                      I was going to make a pun on Etobicoke, a Cockney 'e to buy coke, but it turns out to be real with the mayor himself: http://globalnews.ca/news/950387/for...-was-rob-ford/

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Re: Our obtuse mayor

                        Perhaps I'm wrong - I've been wrong before, and I'll be wrong again - but a) Ford's "austerity" is mostly a product of his imagination and his heavy-handed propaganda and an unusual willingness for people to believe it; and b) it was clear before he was elected mayor that he was a blubbering, blustering, fatuous Archie Bunker without the humour or satire to mitigate the ignorance or unwarranted arrogance. He has a brother that has advised him to keep his drinking to the basement! That alone is so breathtakingly ignorant, that it shows the real concern isn't about them - it's about us. We, the citizens of Toronto, elected them.

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Re: Our obtuse mayor

                          .......................
                          Last edited by Gary Ruben; Tuesday, 12th November, 2013, 12:38 PM.
                          Gary Ruben
                          CC - IA and SIM

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Re: Our obtuse mayor

                            Originally posted by Gary Ruben

                            Originally Posted by Kenneth Regan
                            I was going to make a pun on Etobicoke, a Cockney 'e to buy coke, but it turns out to be real with the mayor himself:


                            I get a laugh when you Americans weigh in. On what's come out so far I find what's Ford's done more savory than what Clinton did with Lewinsky. What was the defense again? He said Sick his Duck and she Sucked his Dick.

                            Let's not forget the guy (governor?) who tried to sell the Senate seat. His name will come to me but I think he's in jail. The time they wanted to get rid of Nixon but they had to get rid of his vice president first. They put in Ford, that's Gerald and not Rob, because he did such a good job on the Warren commission. Then there's Edwards. And let's not forget Sptizer. Wanna go back to Kennedy and Wallace. Naw. You're too young to remember. .



                            Don't forget there's also an American precident for a mayor having a drug conviction (and then running again and being re-elected):

                            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Barry
                            Last edited by Kevin Pacey; Tuesday, 12th November, 2013, 11:23 AM. Reason: Spelling
                            Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
                            Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Re: Re : Re: Re : Re: Rob Ford skewered like a shish kebab ...

                              Originally Posted by Nigel Hanrahan
                              Quebecers had a "quiet" revolution following "the great darkness" of the fascist Premier, Maurice Duplessis. I think they know how to deal with such dictatorial politics. Just look at the pounding that the students gave former Premier Jean Charest, following his attempt to impose a cruel austerity regime on them. Charest is now out of politics altogether. I'd say that's pretty decisive. We could learn a think or two from them in the rest of Canada (RoC).


                              Originally posted by Felix Dumont View Post
                              That's more or less true... The PQ was among the first to propose a raise in tuition fees. After seeing how many people were opposed to it, they did change their mind however. Not so long after though, right before the elections, they changed their mind again and announced that they were in favour of a smaller raise.
                              If Quebecers cared about education, they would have never elected this government. After all, the PQ made unprecedented cuts in education. At McGill, one of our biggest libraries was closed by them and many professors/researchers were fired by the budget cuts.

                              The truth is that most Quebecers have no idea of what they want.
                              I recall hearing more than one comment (at the time of the Quebec student protestations about Charest's tuition hikes) that compared to college tuitions in the RoC, Quebec students were showing just how ungratefully entitled they felt to cheap (if not free) post-secondary education. I recall the hikes Charest proposed for tuitions were described by these commentators as relatively quite modest.

                              Either the commentators were correct at the time, and/or the students in the RoC are relatively speaking a bunch of sheep for putting up with much higher tuitions than in Quebec, was my conclusion.
                              Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
                              Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Jean Charest, shish kebab ...

                                Originally posted by Kevin Pacey View Post
                                I recall hearing more than one comment (at the time of the Quebec student protestations about Charest's tuition hikes) that compared to college tuitions in the RoC, Quebec students were showing just how ungratefully entitled they felt to cheap (if not free) post-secondary education. I recall the hikes Charest proposed for tuitions were described by these commentators as relatively quite modest.

                                Either the commentators were correct at the time, and/or the students in the RoC are relatively speaking a bunch of sheep for putting up with much higher tuitions than in Quebec, was my conclusion.
                                It was not only the 75% increase in tuition, but also the jackboot attack on civil liberties of Bill 78 that the Quebec Liberals tried to impose by force that was at issue. With "casserole protests" general assembly-type organizing, and so on, the students in Quebec mobilized wider in society (e.g., locked out workers in Alma) for a "printemps érable" (Maple Spring) that would not be forgotten. The students won on BOTH counts.

                                You had to look at alternative media to find some of this. Resistance to austerity is fine if it's half a world away in Egypt, Tunisia, or Bahrain, but when it's close to home suddenly the coverage gets lousy, nonexistent, disjoint, and incoherent. This is especially true for coverage of Quebec in the RoC. Those who fight back are never given credit, they're "ungrateful" and undeserving, or the government was going to give in anyway, or there's an important hockey game on and who cares anway, yadda yadda ...

                                Following the events in Quebec and the defeat of Charest, there were all sorts of tours by students and others from Quebec purportedly explaining the useful lessons of their struggle and what others (in RoC) could learn. Just google it.
                                Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.

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