tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post4514126559613204961..comments2024-02-23T11:23:45.971-05:00Comments on Lost Motorcyclist: Trudeau vs. Harper About BombersLost Motorcyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-42049674832789575062013-04-20T06:57:55.168-04:002013-04-20T06:57:55.168-04:00Well, it remains to be seen whether (despite the c...Well, it remains to be seen whether (despite the conclusions being jumped to at the moment) those young men were, in fact, the perpetrators of the Marathon Bombing. <br /><br />But that question notwithstanding, the evidence is clear that deterrents (such as Harper's 'harsher sentences') have real limitations in preventing crime - especially with perpetrators who are mentally ill or have drug-related problems.<br /><br />Contemporary Western society is fraught with (actual and perceived) inequality and unfairness, and that is bound to find expression in political extremism (be it the 'Tea Party' or Marxism or whatever) and, in the most 'extreme' cases, expression as violence.<br /><br />Hanging the tag of 'terrorism' on the Marathon Bombing is rather arbitrary. It is not yet clear whether there was a genuine political motive for this - 'political motivation' generally being considered an essential character of 'terrorism.'<br /><br />But 'understanding' is the foundation of science - and of rational policy making. It has a higher success rate than relying on (inevitably flawed) ideology.<br />Madeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593933575568389288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-81318347930485266292013-04-19T17:34:20.788-04:002013-04-19T17:34:20.788-04:00I spent much of today watching the manhunt for the...I spent much of today watching the manhunt for the killers on TV, and could not help but notice that on every station, intelligent people were speculating on what the motives might be for the bombing. Nobody was childish enough to echo Prime Minister Stephen Harper's point of view: "We don't care about the motives, just harsher punishments." I didn't see any of those TV experts or journalists being criticised for making excuses for the bombers. It is in fact the intelligent response, to try and figure out why it happened. With this knowledge, we can help prevent future incidents, also it helps us catch the people who did it. We don't yet know the extent of the conspiracy, there may be more than two people. It would be very stupid to think only about harsh punishments, but I guess that's where Harper is coming from. A. Ignorant B. Tendency to lie C. A bully.<br /><br />Good for Justin Trudeau to stand up to him I hope the Liberals win the next election. Especially if the NDP are just as dumb as Harper on this issue.Lost Motorcyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-73266335523157466582013-04-18T15:12:33.944-04:002013-04-18T15:12:33.944-04:00Betcha you don't make it to Page 25 ;-)Betcha you don't make it to Page 25 ;-)Madeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593933575568389288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-2561209140911364402013-04-18T12:54:25.616-04:002013-04-18T12:54:25.616-04:00Well, thank you. I have had trouble getting to sle...Well, thank you. I have had trouble getting to sleep lately.Lost Motorcyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-68120408944900759412013-04-18T08:29:16.773-04:002013-04-18T08:29:16.773-04:00I'm prepared to cut Trudeau some slack. He'...I'm prepared to cut Trudeau some slack. He's young and, compared to Harper, relatively inexperienced and certainly more uninhibited. I find it refreshing to hear someone actually <i>say</i> something, rather than hearing the repetitive mealy-mouthed Harperisms of, '<i>Frankly, my friends, as I've said before, obviously, blah, blah, blah ...</i>'<br /><br />A bit ironic, though, that Harper should now be slagging Trudeau for his (basically accurate) comments about the malign influence of Alberta 'conservatives' on Canadian politics. That from the leader who himself slagged Atlantic Canada for its '<i>culture of defeat.</i>'<br /><br />Harper may levy accusations of Trudeau being '<i>in over his head</i>' ... but, from where I sit, I'm more favourably inclined towards a federal leader whose background includes environmental geography, rather than one whose master's thesis is an overlong and boring attack on Keynesianism (and, thus, indirectly, on what I would consider 'Canadian values'). <br /><br />And, as far as 'root causes.' My sense is that Trudeau makes a legitimate point. Just how successful <i>has</i> the 'War on Terror' been? And isn't that 'War' just another instance of politicians dealing with symptoms, rather than attempting to determine and address the 'root causes' of this violence (regardless of whether it turns out to be domestic or international).<br /><br />But because the Conservative strategy tends towards manipulation of the electorate through fear and retribution, naturally Harper would speak in terms of 'harsher punishments' ... disregarding, as usual, the evidence, in favour of ideology and political advantage. And, as usual, we can read between the lines and see further erosions of our democracy and freedoms.<br /><br />(BTW ... anyone suffering from a severe case of insomnia might consider downloading and reading these 150 pages of Harper in full academic flight ... dspace.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/1880/24345/1/1991_Harper.pdf )Madeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593933575568389288noreply@blogger.com