[Newsbot]

Title: Stephen Harper. Psychopath? Connect The Dots
Written By: Robin Mathews
Date: Monday, February 18 at 20:02
The present Saskatchewan Electoral Boundaries Scandal points to an insane Stephen Harper organized wrecking operation.
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[Individualist]

There are those who continue to be believe Robin Mathews isn't a gasbag, a socialist dinosaur and a histrionic crank. I am not one of those people.

Leave the diagnoses to the mental health professionals, Robin. Better yet, go see one of those professionals yourself.

[Freakinoldguy]

Individualist Individualist:

There are those who continue to be believe Robin Mathews isn't a gasbag, a socialist dinosaur and a histrionic crank. I am not one of those people.

Leave the diagnoses to the mental health professionals, Robin. Better yet, go see one of those professionals yourself.

+10

[LMW]

Individualist Individualist:

There are those who continue to be believe Robin Mathews isn't a gasbag, a socialist dinosaur and a histrionic crank. I am not one of those people.

Leave the diagnoses to the mental health professionals, Robin. Better yet, go see one of those professionals yourself.

Did you see the Globe and Mail piece a few months back reporting on a scientific study done on voters and their intelligence. Right wing voters have lower IQ's than the general population. You and Freakin Old Guy have validated that study. LOL

[Freakinoldguy]

Thanks for the compliment.

I guess there must be alot of us lower IQ voters in Canada because we keep electing the Conservatives which, is really to bad for us since we may never get to see that "superior intellect" of yours in action telling us how to think.

BTW you might just want to read this while you wait because it may clear up alot of your inherent misconceptions about your opponents.

http://io9.com/5959058/further-evidence ... telligence

[Dave Ruston]

Psychopath? I'd up the diagnosis to sociopath. Given that this government is still so keen on supporting imperialist wars of aggression on other countries and lying about it no less, all in the name of banker-corporate fascist profits and world government. Given that this government uses police violence against its own people while in Orwellian fashion acts as though it cares about us! Not to mention, allowing joblessness and poverty to increase in Canada while the corporate pirate ships steal our resources from us with no real benefit to Canadians! Violence, lies, false charm, theft, I could go on and on! But there's hope in knowing that, as more and more Canadians become aware of the banking scam, the more Canadians come to know that, when a government claims that 'we can't afford this, we can't afford that' and we must 'enter into austerity' that it is all a big lie!!!

[Individualist]

LMW LMW:

Individualist Individualist:

There are those who continue to be believe Robin Mathews isn't a gasbag, a socialist dinosaur and a histrionic crank. I am not one of those people.

Leave the diagnoses to the mental health professionals, Robin. Better yet, go see one of those professionals yourself.

Did you see the Globe and Mail piece a few months back reporting on a scientific study done on voters and their intelligence. Right wing voters have lower IQ's than the general population. You and Freakin Old Guy have validated that study. LOL

Wow, between you and Robin, you've covered off 90% of the Canadian left's typical response to dissenting opinions - asserting that the holders of those opinions are either mentally ill or stupid. Unlike the Soviets though, you don't have the option of actually putting people who disagree with you in insane asylums (or gulags).

For people so supposedly smart, you collectively have a pretty limited debating repertoire. Perhaps your reason is clouded by your anger. Those mourning the loss of the Laurentian Consensus seem to be stuck at the anger stage of grieving.

[Dr Caleb]

LMW LMW:

Individualist Individualist:

There are those who continue to be believe Robin Mathews isn't a gasbag, a socialist dinosaur and a histrionic crank. I am not one of those people.

Leave the diagnoses to the mental health professionals, Robin. Better yet, go see one of those professionals yourself.

Did you see the Globe and Mail piece a few months back reporting on a scientific study done on voters and their intelligence. Right wing voters have lower IQ's than the general population. You and Freakin Old Guy have validated that study. LOL

If all you have to add to a discussion are personal insults, perhaps you should refrain.

http://www.vivelecanada.ca/content/page ... of-conduct

$1:

- personal attacks

[JaredMilne]

Individualist Individualist:

There are those who continue to be believe Robin Mathews isn't a gasbag, a socialist dinosaur and a histrionic crank. I am not one of those people.

Leave the diagnoses to the mental health professionals, Robin. Better yet, go see one of those professionals yourself.

It's times like this that I want to facepalm.

Guys like Mel Hurtig and David Orchard have a lot of worthwhile things to say.

Really, they do.

But when they demonize people who disagree with them as compradors, psychopaths, quislings and sell-outs, how do they expect people to react? How many people have they turned off with their divisive rhetoric?

I don't want Canada to integrate any more with the U.S., and in fact I think we could benefit from a bit more political distance between us and our southern neighbour. I have my beefs with NAFTA and all the policy developments related to it. But none of that prevents me from having close friendships with many Americans, spending money in American chain stores like McDonalds that set up operations here in Canada, or enjoying American media.

Other people have different views, and that's fine.

Why is this so hard for so many people on so many parts of the spectrum to grasp?

[Individualist]

Jared, I do in fact have different views, but appreciate how you express yours.

I find Hurtig and Orchard frustrating to listen to, but not offensive in the way I find Mathews to be. I do see Hurtig as not so much anti-American as being opposed to integration and cooperation with the US (sort of a "you do your thing and we'll do ours", "good fences make good neighbours" concept). Orchard is more genuinely anti-American, but not to the outrageous extremes of Mathews.

This preceived need (to the point of obsession) to "differentiate ourselves from the US" has become a canned justification for all sorts of things over the years - official bilingualism, special status for Quebec, a "mosaic" model of multiculturalism, the monarchy, an unelected Senate, defunding the military, an emphasis on rehabilitation of criminals over punishment, a public broadcaster, public health care provision (as opposed to insurance), massive government intervention in the economy, state-owned enterprises, nationalization of resource industries, etc. Each of these items can be argued for or against on its own merits, but the point is that simply being different from the Americans for difference's sake is used as the primary (or even sole) argument by many promoting these ideas.

I'm really tired of people on the Canadian left saying on one hand that we need to reject all things American in order to maintain our distinctiveness as a country, and in the next breath saying that we must emulate all things Scandinavian, as if becoming an ersatz Sweden is the way to carve out a unique Canadian identity.

You can't create a national identity simply out of rejecting someone else's. Canadian nationalists need to start framing their desires for Canada in more positive ways, affirming what we are rather than defining ourselves by what we are not (or don't wish to be).

[DrCaleb]

Individualist Individualist:

I'm really tired of people on the Canadian left saying on one hand that we need to reject all things American in order to maintain our distinctiveness as a country, and in the next breath saying that we must emulate all things Scandinavian, as if becoming an ersatz Sweden is the way to carve out a unique Canadian identity.

You can't create a national identity simply out of rejecting someone else's. Canadian nationalists need to start framing their desires for Canada in more positive ways, affirming what we are rather than defining ourselves by what we are not (or don't wish to be).

[Dave Ruston]

If anything, Canadians embrace American culture and influence more so than any other country. This is very evident. However, it is not xenophobic or anti-American for Canadians to want to assert Canadian sovereignty.Especially when there has been real efforts coming out of Washington to suppress Canadian sovereignty and cultural expression. Conversely, what is wrong with Scandinavian influence? Seems to me Norway has been voted as the best country on the planet for quality of life and human development these last few years. We certainly can learn something from them, no? As for bilingualism, well, we do have sizable English and french speaking populations in Canada. Nobody accuses Switzerland of trying to not be German for also showing similar accommodation and tolerance.

[Dave Ruston]

If anything, Canadians embrace American culture and influence more so than any other country. This is very evident. However, it is not xenophobic or anti-American for Canadians to want to assert Canadian sovereignty.Especially when there has been real efforts coming out of Washington to suppress Canadian sovereignty and cultural expression. Conversely, what is wrong with Scandinavian influence? Seems to me Norway has been voted as the best country on the planet for quality of life and human development these last few years. We certainly can learn something from them, no? As for bilingualism, well, we do have sizable English and french speaking populations in Canada. Nobody accuses Switzerland of trying to not be German for also showing similar accommodation and tolerance.

[Dave Ruston]

Don't make me repeat myself!

[Individualist]

Dave Ruston Dave Ruston:

If anything, Canadians embrace American culture and influence more so than any other country. This is very evident.

Many Canadians do. Canadian nationalists generally do not. Canadians who embrace American culture and influence are labeled "compradors" and "quislings" by people like Mel Hurtig, or "psychopaths" by people like Robin Mathews.

Dave Ruston Dave Ruston:

However, it is not xenophobic or anti-American for Canadians to want to assert Canadian sovereignty.

It is if said Canadians consider labelling an idea or policy "American" sufficient to remove it from further consideration in a Canadian context. Any attempt to carve out a private sector role in healthcare, for instance, is met with reflexive cries of "Americanization", when many European countries have a blended public-private system. People who use "American" as a synonym for "bad" are in fact xenophobes, at least in regard to that one particular "other".

Dave Ruston Dave Ruston:

Especially when there has been real efforts coming out of Washington to suppress Canadian sovereignty and cultural expression.

For example? Please note that I'll be very disappointed if you bring up the Avro Arrow as your prime or sole example.

Dave Ruston Dave Ruston:

Conversely, what is wrong with Scandinavian influence? Seems to me Norway has been voted as the best country on the planet for quality of life and human development these last few years. We certainly can learn something from them, no?

I'm all for good ideas, no matter where they come from. I do dislike the cultural tendencies within Scandinavian countries to downplay or even disdain individual achievement and autonomy, as exemplified in the Jante Law. But my real point though is that it is odd for someone to say "We have to reject all things American to protect our own unique identity, which consists of slavishly emulating as many things as we can from the Nordic countries." There is more to being Canadian than simply not being American. At least I hope there is...