Hemlock B Bootsalotta

nope as long as he keeps the fire under control he's more then welcome to set all the flags he wants on fire. It's not a crime here. Don't know if it is in the states still. I remember there was talk when I was younger about it being made a crime and the entire 1st ammendment thing. Thing is we actually (oddly enough) don't have the same rights and freedoms to free speech that there are in the states. The right of the community is presented as a first and more important priority. What makes this odd is that in Canada we actually enjoy a more free and uninhibited press and public forum of discussion then there seems to be in the United States. Recent discussion about the control of the media by the government (and interesting interviews with people like the editor of Harpers) have been discussing how there are so few rights. One need only look at the example of the reporter who was drummed out of the press corps for giving an interview to iraqi media no actual information disclosed just that the US military hadn't expected the fierce opostion they were getting or Gheraldo's being punished for drawing in the sand. Not that Gheraldo's the greatest source of serious news but still.

This guy could do what ever he wanted and he'd probably not get anything worse then a raised eyebrow from the cops. Now, not saying that a bunch of Canadian Patriots may not have a thing or two to say to him but I don't think that takes the role of "official response." :-P

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Setting a fire on your own private property is legal, whatever you build it out of. Doing it on the lawn of parliment might not be.

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under the cover of protest as long as it's not a raging fire set trying to damage things it's counted as legal. Now if he tried to burn things out of hand then he'd be busted. Hell he even has a fire starter right in front of the Parliment buildings. :-)

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demirep77.livejournal.com

that's hysterical. i've been following this guy on and off for years. because i like to punish myself by reading stuff that'll piss me off.

and it just so happens that i was already planning on being in Ottawa that day. i sure hope's he's there. this could be f-u-n.

xo,

B

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50-ft-queenie.livejournal.com

Right.

Is he going to bring the guy who wanted to sue Jean Chretien for treason along with him?

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and so many of the "god fearing americans" wonder why people have bad attitudes towards america. Well I'm sure we'll be nice and polite to him.

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If you think this one asshole speaks for "Americans" you're a bigger asshole than he is.

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Oh get off your high horse and actually think about what you are reading. By saying "god fearing americans" I mean a certain segment of population not the entire nation.

When used in this context of referring to this individual and people who follow his tennants. When using quotations you are using a grammatical tool to denote a change in tone or inflection to indicate that what is within the quotes is not the direct meaning. For example, by saying "god fearing americans" in quotations I'm actually calling him an asshole idiot and other asshole idiots like him wihout actually having to say that thusly making my point without having to use name calling or foul language.

You know very well what I'm saying. The people who pine in the press about the attitudes of other nations towards the United States and can't seem to comprehend why people get upset. You know damn well I don't mean all Americans. I've made that statment many times in the past, the fact many of my friends are from the United States is proof positive of that. I have extensive problems with the current American government foreign policy ranging from illegal trade motions against my country to the wars and conflicts it's baking in others. I share this belief with many Americans and I firmly believe the government does not represent all American people nor does it or it's policies in this case even reflect the people who voted. Government and people, and sects within the populace never reflect the entire populace. That'd be as ignorant as me saying that all people in the middle east are terrorist bombers.

As a teacher I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of sarcasm. Some things don't translate through the medium of text that's why grammatical tools were created to indicate changes in inflection and tones. And that's why I used the quotation marks to denote the sarcastic tones I intended. You are more then welcome to disagree with me in that if you believe this "asshole" has his right to do that fine.

If this seems like an over the top response to your one line of insight and wisdom of the ages then you can feel free to write me or contact me in any other way. But my final remark to you is to think about what you say before you say it. Making ill advised off hand quips like this without seeming to understand the context or even the content of what you are replying to will not make you any friends and do nothing to show the intelligence I know you have.

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Yeah, but when somebody from another country acts like an asshole, nobody says, "Well, and Canadians/Belgians/Swedes/Rawandans wonder why the rest of the rest of the world have such a low opinion of Canada/Belgium/Sweden/Rawanda." A dick from the rest of the planet is just a dick, a dick from the USA is held up as an example of what's wrong with America.

Tongue-in-cheek or not, I think I'd get pretty tired of it. Especially if I was pissed off at those people myself.

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mrph.livejournal.com

Well, yeah, mostly. The French seem to be another exception to this rule, mind you.

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I thought of them as soon as I wrote it.

But hell, why let details stand in the way of a good rant. :-)

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and if I hear how's the snow up there in July one more time from some one who MEANS it I'm going to weep. :-P

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lisiblac.livejournal.com

And I've heard similar sentiments about the Chinese, oh, and "Arabs", because that's a country, you know. And the Germans are racist and the Dutch are all pot smoking crack whores. A stereotype's a stereotype. Americans just sometimes get pissed off when they realize they've got a stereotype too.

A debt to General Lafayette, perhaps.

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minwee.livejournal.com

Don't you mean "General Freedom"?

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I guess, I've heard many people say things like "all french are rude," "all germans are dispasionate," and "all canadians are beer drinking toque wearing hosers." And these statments are coming from my TV and the movies I watch which I can tell you are predominantly made south of me and north of Mexico.

Every country has it's stereotype. Unfortunatly the stereotypical American is a very loud one and so many who don't fit in to that get drowned out of the discussion. When we face them daily in the media at the hands of others, to have a stereotype turned around on them is to be expected.

Like I said I have no problems with people disagreeing with me, I'm all about open discussion but I just like it to actually reflect what I said. Which in essence is this, that man is a bad man. Those who follow that man are bad people. And it's a shame that soo many people see this guy and his ilk as the norm and it's a further shame that this person gets away with so much under the nose of people who wouldn't stand for it. It's a final shame and kinda sad that so many people aren't able to see this and the impact it makes.

Yes the way I worded it was kinda trite and for that I appologise. But all in all very scary situation. I just wonder how people would have reacted if I went down to Washington and burnt a flag in protest of the Iraqi war? Would I have been banned from the country? Probably. Arrested? Most likely. If I was a celebrity or musician would I have been black listed? Almost certainly (ie. Dixie Chicks I mean COUNTRY for christ's sakes!)

Any how enough rambling on that. It was something that was taken out of context and was replied to vehemently points lost in translation. :-)

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Unfortunatly the stereotypical American is a very loud one and so many who don't fit in to that get drowned out of the discussion. When we face them daily in the media at the hands of others, to have a stereotype turned around on them is to be expected.

Let me rephrase what you just wrote: Stereotypes are bad, but beacause I see them all the time... I'm going to buy into them. What do you mean "turned around on them"? Do you even know what you're talking about?

that man is a bad man. Those who follow that man are bad people. And it's a shame that soo many people see this guy and his ilk as the norm

No..you see this man and his followers as the norm. Most Americans think he's a moron. Do a little research before you go spouting off. Hell

sparklydevil wrote an article about his coming to Detroit and how the community protested him back... and how the only people who were with him were his FAMILY.

Yes the way I worded it was kinda trite and for that I appologise.

Trite? No.. it was downright rude. You ripped on my knowledge of grammar, my intelligence, the fact that I'm a teacher...etc.

I just wonder how people would have reacted if I went down to Washington and burnt a flag in protest of the Iraqi war?

Texas v. Johnson. It's a Supreme Court case... do a little reading and find out how they'd react.

Most likely nothing would happen to you... or if it did, it would be by warhawk idiots.

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Let me rephrase what you just wrote: Stereotypes are bad, but beacause I see them all the time... I'm going to buy into them. What do you mean "turned around on them"? Do you even know what you're talking about?

Yes I do know. What I said is expect the people who are these stereotypes to have them turned around on them. To be held up to see like a mirror. This was not directed at the people reading or even the general public but the religious zealots who condemn others for their beliefs or personal choices. The insane nationalists who try and charge foreign leaders with treason. The nescesity to quantify every single statement is frankly sad. Again it comes down to subtlety. Obviously, if involved in a discussion about this person being a moron I'm reffering to this person and his followers not the general public. Further if I'm putting something in quotes I'm obviously not reffering to all Americans I'm reffering to the lot who would call them selves "god fearing americans." For the most part that's a very small number.

No..you see this man and his followers as the norm. Most Americans think he's a moron. Do a little research before you go spouting off. Hell sparklydevil wrote an article about his coming to Detroit and how the community protested him back... and how the only people who were with him were his FAMILY.

Agreed, he is a loopy fiend and a lot of people see him as that but a lot of people don't. And I didn't say that this man was the norm. I said that many people see him as such and it was a shame that so many did. Repeat I didn't say MOST I quantified it by saying SO MANY difference being so is used within the dictionary deffinition "To a great extent; to such an evident degree." Meaning many people see him evidently as the norm. How many followers does this man have? I'm sure he has a fair number. And what I said is it is a shame that there are so many of them. Or are you saying that homophobia is not a problem in the US?

Texas v. Johnson. It's a Supreme Court case... do a little reading and find out how they'd react.

Most likely nothing would happen to you... or if it did, it would be by warhawk idiots.

Okay, so Seattle didn't happen? How about the banning of various musicians from radio play for expressing discontent and distrust of their leader? Like I said in my posts, most likely nothing would happen or if it did it'd be people who had little to do (if anything) with the government. That being said, if I went down there I may well end up in jail for public distrubance. If involved in a large scale protest there's a chance I may get beaten and thrown in jail. I may get banned from the country, if placed in jail for even a minor offence I'd be banned entry. For example, I could be arrested for causing a public disturbance. I could further be arrested for various public saftey laws. I never said I'd be arrested for burning the flag. There's a variety of responses that may happen. I didn't comment on law because as I stated I couldn't remember the outcome. If it was nesicary to the statment I'd have looked it up. I commented on the apperant reaction of current regime towards protest and dissent and further the reaction of extreemist elements within the general public.

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Thanks Siobahn...that's exactly what I meant.

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IF you want to take this into a grammar war Mathew.. "When used in this context of referring to this individual and people who follow his tennants." is not a complete sentence.
As for not using foul language, I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were catering to the pre-teen crowd here. Grow the fuck up. I'm so sick and tired of your America Bashing. There's a hell of a lot of people in this country who are disappointed with our government and its policies... but that's not what you rip on. You rip on "Americans." It's like you consider all Americans to be a single entity.

And how dare you tell me to think about what i'm saying before I say it. I stand by my little "quip" just as you stand by the majority of your anti-american commentary.

Take me off your friends list as I will you. I never read the crap you post anyway.

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That was the point, it wasn't "anti-american" or even American bashing, it was anti tools like that. The fact of the matter is people like that call them selves "god fearing americans" they claim to represent the "moral majority" when in fact they represent a narrow band of the populous who by no means reflect the actual feelings of the general public.

Also it's not an issue of "playing to the preteen crowd" it's an issue of subtleness. Swearing has the subtlety of a jack hammer. If you actually read the posts that you just said you didn't read you'd realise that I in fact express that concern towards those fringe groups and almost universaly make the point to reflect that they are in fact not the majority. In fact I more common then not ensure I post "American government" to resolve this exact issue.

And I dare to say what I say for the very reason that you said what you said, I felt you were saying something that I thought was inapropriate. You issue a strong inditment of some one expect a strong response. As for removing me from your friends list that's your privilage. No skin off my nose.

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missjanette.livejournal.com

oh dear.
you seem to have totally missed the point.
He was being a bit of a wiseass & rather than make a constructive statement, you chose to seem to assume he buys into all those stereotypes & called him an asshole for it. Looks to me like you were the one to take the first personal shot. If you can't take the heat that comes from implying someone's an asshole, don't do it. There are ways to have a debate without stooping to name calling or implied namecalling.

Regarding American bashing, maybe I view it in a different light bc I actually speak to Matthew on a regular basis & know it's not americans he has issues with per se, but rather the "american". the stereoype. The loud-ass stereotype that a lot of ppl from other countries *do* seem to think most of us are like. I actually have met a lot of ppl who *are* that stereotype. It scares the crap out of me.

Regarding friends list politics, I find it amusing that you never read his crap anyway, and yet you've not removed him until now that you've had this little disagreement. It's like you're taking your big black ball & going home.

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Political statements, I read.
The rest of it... I would skip.

Thanks so much for getting involved, but it was totally and completely unnecessary. As for taking my "big black ball...etc," no, it was something I'd thought about many times. Now just seemed like a good time.

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missjanette.livejournal.com

ah, but this is the internet.
It's the land of unnecessary involvement.
You should be used to this kind of thing by now.
Had you chosen to duke it out with him in a non-public setting, there would be no unnecessary involvement from anyone.

& honestly, I don't care about who's on who's friends list for how long & why they've been removed. I just find the timing amusing, seeing as how you "thought about it many times." And when you stomp your little foot in public & say you're removing someone from your list,it certainly seems like you're taking your big black ball & going home.

You know I'm all for saying what you mean & saying it mean, but I also know there are fights best had away from the spotlight lest ppl get a poor impression of things. Not that you asked, but the internet is also the land of the unsolicited opinion.

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kristnaskelfir.livejournal.com

Sadly, the pResident's views are closer to Phelps' than those of any potential opponents in the 2004 election. And I'm sure it'll be taken by Dubya and his theocratic GOP yet again.

Yes, there are a number of progressive thinkers in the U.S., however there are more Americans than a rational person might think who share much in common with Rev. Phelps. Some scary stats of Americans over the age of 18:

56% think in war, the media should support the government over questioning it

43% attended religious services in the previous 7 days

34% think Rock and Roll has had an overall negative impact on America

33% believe a wife should "submit herself graciously" to a husband

30% say the Bible is the "actual word of God" to be taken literally

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Your stats are completely invalid.
I don't know who they asked these questions of... I don't know WHO asked the questions.
Where are you getting these numbers?
No one ever asked my friends or myself these questions.

For Christ's sake. If you're going to give statistics, at least cite the source.

The problem with a sample population is that it does not necessarily represent most Americans... it represents most Americans IN THE SAMPLE.

I'd like to remind you that Bush lost the popular election...

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kristnaskelfir.livejournal.com

For Christ's sake. If you're going to give statistics, at least cite the source.

Oops! I had actually pushed the Send button accidentally, but then didn't bother to follow up. Anyways, the polling values are from PollingReport.com (http://www.pollingreport.com/), which is actually a pretty fun read. They seem to use proper statistical sampling methodology. *shrug*

I'd like to remind you that Bush lost the popular election...

True. And don't forget that Bush actually lost in FLORIDA as well. The GOP Supreme Court ruled to have the recounts stopped since the results would damage Bush's legitimacy. (Ie. the results would indicate an Al Gore win, which would make the public feel that, somehow, Bush shouldn't be the President.) The recounts that happened later only got big press when the criteria used resulted in a Bush win. The stories about the recounts which used more democratic criteria and resulted in a Gore win were buried, if printed at all, on the backpages of mainstream news.

Nonetheless, the GOP have another year and a half to continue to bombard an already pliant public with all the propaganda that FOX, CNN, Clear Channel, the major networks, Rush Limbaugh, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and the scores of right-wing talk-radio flunkies can spew. I don't think the Dems can compete with the GOP's wealth and their control of the media. Unless people start organizing and raising issues at a grassroots level, I don't see any hope.

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okoshun.livejournal.com

I wish someone would just take a sniper rifle and get this all over with.

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inulro.livejournal.com

On the gut feeling level, yes. But making martyrs of these people is really not constructive. Sadly.

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okoshun.livejournal.com

Yeah, I know.

A girl can have her fantasies, though, can't she?

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minwee.livejournal.com

I don't know how things are in godhatesfags-land, but around here "Freedom of Speech" includes the freedom to say "Hi, welcome to Canada. You're an asshole. Enjoy your stay, but please try not to set fire to the grass. Thank you."

Of course, the whole flag thing may just be a cover. What he really wants to do is check out those Thirsty Boy Thursdays at the LookOut bar that he keeps hearing about.

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well you know he is going to have to go "under cover" to show the evils of these hedonistic and satan loving gay bois. :-P

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