This isn't surprising to me. The Cons here in Canada have taken a page from US politics. Harper and his cronies are no better than Bush/Cheney. Farking criminals, the lot of them.

bdub77: It's not the US. We label our opposition groups as terrorists.

Opposition groups? Hell, just anyone that isn't in total lockstep with the narrative the government is pushing.

Opposed to war? Traitor
Think we should provide social services? Bleeding heart liberal pussy

They've gone full 1984:

"In an interview on CBC News Network, Oliver said radicals are "a group of people who don't take into account the facts but are driven by an ideological imperative.""

That's right out of Harper's playbook.

Or D) Every government and/or political party everywhere.

xanadian: FTFA: "Their goal is to stop any major project no matter what the cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and economic growth. No forestry. No mining. No oil. No gas. No more hydro-electric dams."

...

"This is just a way to undermine our credibility and sweep out all environmental protections in Canada," he said.

Hyperbole much?

I think they have been watching US politics. Hyperbole works.

Sounds about right. Harper's goddamn necromancy turned the corpses of the Alliance and PCs into some kind of shambling right-wing Republizombie. Oh well. Hopefully the NDP will get a chance to form a government and undo some of the damage done by the Tories and the Grits.

BurnShrike: This isn't surprising to me. The Cons here in Canada have taken a page from US politics. Harper and his cronies are no better than Bush/Cheney. Farking criminals, the lot of them.

So one side calls their opposition radicals and you call them criminals because you oppose them. God I love this website.

It is crazy what oil sands can do to your brain.

Hijack this, hijack that, hijack the hijacking hijackers. The overuse of "hot" words and general hyperbole will numb your audience to your flailing squawks and forces you to pick one of two responses: 1) tone it down and let them resensitize; or, 2) crank the derp to even higher levels.

We do not like shrillness in our politicians--at least, not usually. An ability to compromise and a good sense of humour are usually assets up here. I dread this changing: I see what a constant barrage of inflammatory yet ultimately empty rhetoric has done to the US and I do not want it happening in my country.

I suppose I'd better write my smugball and see what manner of form letter his secretary sends me a week or two hence.

One has to admit that mining Oil Sands can be a bit rough on the environment.

D. Republicans

Saiga410: BurnShrike: This isn't surprising to me. The Cons here in Canada have taken a page from US politics. Harper and his cronies are no better than Bush/Cheney. Farking criminals, the lot of them.

So one side calls their opposition radicals and you call them criminals because you oppose them. God I love this website.

Clarity: He calls them criminals because they are criminals. Google "bev oda affair".

Purple Sheeple Eater: Or D) Every government and/or political party everywhere.

Yeah no.

oooh, an NDerPer butt hurt thread. I love these.

NDerPers, your fantastic economy that you love to crow about is driven by selling dead dinosaur juice, compressed IKEA wood chips, and canola oil to the rest of the world. If you endlessly block it with environmental concern trolling, that money spigot will run dry.

I'm always amazed at how NDerPers delude Yankee Fark Libs that Canada is the wonderful liberal paradise that is so sadly being oppressed by a few evil conservatives. Canada is overwhelmingly and surprisingly conservative, just more pragmatic than US conservatives, which really surprised me after all of the time I spent in Scandinavia. Canadians go along with things like national healthcare because they can then tell obnoxious unions who strike and scream that "people will die if you don't do what we demand!" "No, they won't. We have medicare for all. Now STFU and GBTW". And when it comes to violent rioting when the democratically elected leaders of the world meet in Toronto, Canadians have a wonderful go DIAF attitude to hipsters who burn cop cars for college credit.

I just wish there was more I could do to help Canada finish the Keystone pipeline. You know the one where those pragmatic Canadians reasonably agreed to build around the Nebraska aquifer (new window).

When I heard this yesterday, my first thought was "That's why he never lets his ministers talk. They'll end up saying something really stupid."

Scary, though that these people have actual power in this country. 2015 can't get here soon enough.

D) The US

corronchilejano: Purple Sheeple Eater: Or D) Every government and/or political party everywhere.

Yeah no.

An honest challenge - give me an example of a single government, party or candidate that hasn't in some way cast its opposition as radical. It's a very obvious tactic to make yourself appear moderate - and by moderate, I mean philosophically relatable. Because very few want to think of themselves as radical.

Wait, you mean that politicians in democracies sometimes use heated, even hyperbolic language in discussing their opponents?

Well, I never heard of such a thing.

//Off to the newly-constructed forum to see what this newfangled "assembly of Athens" is all about.

Every one of them?

Helen_Arigby: I suppose I'd better write my smugball and see what manner of form letter his secretary sends me a week or two hence.

Email text as follows, in case anyone cares, on the grounds that, "Well, what have you actually DONE?" is a common response to complaints here:

Subject: About the shrillness of the rhetoric

Don't worry, Mr. Goldring: I don't mean just you or the Conservative party. However, you are my MP, so, regardless of party, you get the letter. This article here:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/01/09/pol-joe-oliver-radic a l-groups.html

...brought my attention to an unfortunate point. Just about everyone quoted used the word "hijack", even though the story had nothing to do with airplanes, and quite a few engaged in what I shall delicately call unbecoming hyperbole. Obviously, this is not solely on you, but if you could mention to your coworkers that most Canadians do not value American-style political shrillness or American-style demonization of and refusal to work with the opposition, I would greatly appreciate it. My children are reasonably well-behaved, but they still provide me with all of the shrieking name-calling I ever care to hear. Also, they're 7 and 5: I'm pretty sure a bunch of grown-ups can handle being more mature than them, especially grown-ups engaged in one of the most important jobs out there.

Thank you!

Helen Bowerman

[address to prove I'm in his riding redacted]

Spindle: bdub77: It's not the US. We label our opposition groups as terrorists.

Opposition groups? Hell, just anyone that isn't in total lockstep with the narrative the government is pushing.

Opposed to war? Traitor
Think we should provide social services? Bleeding heart liberal pussy

So some people called you mean names? Man those North Korean dissidents must really pity their poor oppressed american brethren.

/cut taxes? Nazi
//oppose affirmative action? Racist.
///say we should cut spending? Terrorist (according to our VP at least).

watson.t.hamster: Spindle: bdub77: It's not the US. We label our opposition groups as terrorists.

Opposition groups? Hell, just anyone that isn't in total lockstep with the narrative the government is pushing.

Opposed to war? Traitor
Think we should provide social services? Bleeding heart liberal pussy

So some people called you mean names? Man those North Korean dissidents must really pity their poor oppressed american brethren.

/cut taxes? Nazi
//oppose affirmative action? Racist.
///say we should cut spending? Terrorist (according to our VP at least).

Go be stupid somewhere else.

Saiga410: So one side calls their opposition radicals and you call them criminals because you oppose them. God I love this website.

Well putting aside that most politicians violate the laws they and their ilk write, and that you could make a very good case of the Bush administration or Harper administration being full of criminals, they do far more damage to our society than any "standard criminal".
People are outraged when a governor (thread down) pardons a couple of murderers, but send an army of people to kill others in war, make people scramble to pay into mortgage, rent, taxes, profits just for existing, the businesses and bureaucrats that take you coming and going, make an industry out of debt and extortion and gamble on the financial markets and noone thinks it's even remotely as bad. Even when people are being kicked out of their homes told that they "must pay their debts" when 2008 showed that wasn't remotely true. You don't owe your bosses or politicians shiat.
And I'm not saying I'm above it all, I'm in the same prison system we all live in.

Saiga410: BurnShrike: This isn't surprising to me. The Cons here in Canada have taken a page from US politics. Harper and his cronies are no better than Bush/Cheney. Farking criminals, the lot of them.

So one side calls their opposition radicals and you call them criminals because you oppose them. God I love this website.

Ahh, I see you haven't dealt with Canadians much, if you have I apologize. Some insight: they're all like women. They don't need reason when they can compare themselves to someone they percieve as being worse off than themselves. Also like women they are infinitely vain, tell them how great they are and watch them glow. They also can't handle comparisons/facts that make them look bad. For example: a politician in Canada said that the protests of a pipeline were only from "socialist billionaires in the States." This doesn't represent all of Canada, but it underlines the Canadian habit of blaming the US for all of its problems.(See below)

Don't forget to remind Canadians why it was kicked off the UN Security Council or that when they say "the US is turning into a third world country" point them to the Native Reservations in Canada they hate that. I hope this helps.

corporate mustache: dumb words

The US is never going to fark you.

Funny how they don't mention that a lot of the "radical" opposition to Northern Gateway comes from First Nations and other residents who just don't want the pipeline crossing their land.

In an interview on CBC News Network, Oliver said radicals are "a group of people who don't take into account the facts but are driven by an ideological imperative."

In this case I agree with Mr. Oliver, the basis of the opposition to this project isn't in the pipeline itself it's based on finding a way to shut down the oilsands by any means that they can.

Lots of environmental groups and individuals have signed up to testify at the hearings for the pipeline simply so they can delay the process without actually adding anything meaningful. Essentially fillibustering. Partly this is the governments fault for allowing any group, from anywhere, to take part in this hearing.

In essence you could be a homeless person on the streets of Halifax and be a witness at the hearing. It makes no sense because that person is so far removed from the projects that its insane.

The word radical may be a bit heavy handed, but tactics being used by environmentalists in this case are pretty sad.

A Dark Evil Omen: corporate mustache: dumb words

The US is never going to fark you.

Uh, I'm a citizen of both. As for dumb words, I see you have have fallen into the trap that most women and Canadians of both sexes fall into: if you can't repute the facts with the well known Canadian flair for effusive and resourceful command of the language that our brethren are known for: get emotional.

apoptotic: Funny how they don't mention that a lot of the "radical" opposition to Northern Gateway comes from First Nations and other residents who just don't want the pipeline crossing their land.

Fine let them testify, this affects them and they should have a voice in it. It's the other 4,000 or so groups that other than having heard of the pipeline and instinctively being against it that annoy me.

I'm in favour of the pipeline (though I admit I haven't done a whole lot of research on the topic) However, this is very irritating to me. I heard the minister's interview last night.

interviewer: "[Who are these radical grous?]"
minister: "I'm not going to name names"

If you can't tell us who these groups are, why do you expect us to be upset about them? If Greenpeace is the group, say so. Just claiming radicals without naming the groups makes me think its more likely legit environmental orginizations that you want discredited

corporate mustache: A Dark Evil Omen: corporate mustache: dumb words

The US is never going to fark you.

Uh, I'm a citizen of both. As for dumb words, I see you have have fallen into the trap that most women and Canadians of both sexes fall into: if you can't repute the facts with the well known Canadian flair for effusive and resourceful command of the language that our brethren are known for: get emotional.

Yeah, you're boring.

A Dark Evil Omen: Go be stupid somewhere else.

Were you going for irony?

/WAAAAH!!!!!! We're oppressed because people call us names on the internet but nothing ever happens to us!

The next thing I expect to see is the Conservative government labeling them as "economic terrorists."

Mentat: Remember when you all laughed at us for Bush? The arc of moral history is long but it bends towards derp.

See, there's one big difference - Bush was way over his head and played on by his underlings for profit. I disagree with Harper, but I have no doubt that he's a smart person; he's less embarrassing, and more scary. Basically, Harper is like what would have happened if Bush had choked to death on that pretzel and Cheyney was left 100% in charge.

watson.t.hamster: A Dark Evil Omen: Go be stupid somewhere else.

Were you going for irony?

/WAAAAH!!!!!! We're oppressed because people call us names on the internet but nothing ever happens to us!

Shhhh we boring her. We might have used large words. Maybe she should go read the National Post so it will use smaller words and treat her like the precious Nothern Star she is. Sorry Shania!

corporate mustache: A Dark Evil Omen: corporate mustache: dumb words

The US is never going to fark you.

Uh, I'm a citizen of both. As for dumb words, I see you have have fallen into the trap that most women and Canadians of both sexes fall into: if you can't repute the facts with the well known Canadian flair for effusive and resourceful command of the language that our brethren are known for: get emotional.

Pro tip: if you're going to claim a flair for effusive and resourceful command of the language, consider running your sentence through MS word or something, because even clippy will tell you your punctuation is farked in like three processor cycles. Also, knowing what "repute" means and how it is different from "refute" might lend some additional credence to your position.

SpaceButler: corporate mustache: repute the facts with the well known Canadian flair for effusive and resourceful command of the language

I know all those words, but the order and context in which you've put them makes me purple monkey dishwasher.

She should talk pretty.

Jim_Callahan: corporate mustache: A Dark Evil Omen: corporate mustache: dumb words

The US is never going to fark you.

Uh, I'm a citizen of both. As for dumb words, I see you have have fallen into the trap that most women and Canadians of both sexes fall into: if you can't repute the facts with the well known Canadian flair for effusive and resourceful command of the language that our brethren are known for: get emotional.

Pro tip: if you're going to claim a flair for effusive and resourceful command of the language, consider running your sentence through MS word or something, because even clippy will tell you your punctuation is farked in like three processor cycles. Also, knowing what "repute" means and how it is different from "refute" might lend some additional credence to your position.

Well, he meant refudiate.

bigbadideasinaction: Mentat: Remember when you all laughed at us for Bush? The arc of moral history is long but it bends towards derp.

See, there's one big difference - Bush was way over his head and played on by his underlings for profit. I disagree with Harper, but I have no doubt that he's a smart person; he's less embarrassing, and more scary. Basically, Harper is like what would have happened if Bush had choked to death on that pretzel and Cheyney was left 100% in charge.

I agree. I wish I could borrow Obama's time machine and go back to before Harper became leader of the Conservatives and encourage Gwyn Morgan to throw his hat in the ring. He considered it, and I was really disappointed when he decided to stay out. As former CEO of EnCana he may seem an odd choice (considering I vote NDP) but I've known him forever and having him in charge wouldn't make me nearly as twitchy as Harper does.

A Dark Evil Omen: Jim_Callahan: corporate mustache: A Dark Evil Omen: corporate mustache: dumb words

The US is never going to fark you.

Uh, I'm a citizen of both. As for dumb words, I see you have have fallen into the trap that most women and Canadians of both sexes fall into: if you can't repute the facts with the well known Canadian flair for effusive and resourceful command of the language that our brethren are known for: get emotional.

Pro tip: if you're going to claim a flair for effusive and resourceful command of the language, consider running your sentence through MS word or something, because even clippy will tell you your punctuation is farked in like three processor cycles. Also, knowing what "repute" means and how it is different from "refute" might lend some additional credence to your position.

Well, he meant refudiate.

I think the flair is yours, my fault entirely,