(11-28-2015, 03:34 PM)SERIOUSLY THOUGH Wrote: [ -> ]How do you, Americans and others, see Canadian politics ? How much coverage did our elections in October get where you live ?
I didn't see a ton. I saw some information on social media about it, but that was it. Of course, I live in the middle of northeastern Indiana, so why would I hear about Canadian politics?
(11-28-2015, 03:34 PM)SERIOUSLY THOUGH Wrote: [ -> ]How do you, Americans and others, see Canadian politics ? How much coverage did our elections in October get where you live ?
They mostly talked about the faction upset. But they never really delved into what each political party stood for or even who most of the other runners were. It was just that the 'ruling' party had lost the election for PM and how that could change things for the U.S. because it might change Canada's pressure to get the Keystone XL pipeline.
That was about it.
Truth be told, most of what I got coverage-wise came from you, the BBC and Reddit. I always see issues about indigenous peoples being attacked or abused in some fashion but not in a political fashion. Something something seals and pipelines.
(11-28-2015, 03:34 PM)SERIOUSLY THOUGH Wrote: [ -> ]How do you, Americans and others, see Canadian politics ? How much coverage did our elections in October get where you live ?
The only coverage I saw was courtesy of John Oliver via youtube.
Of course, I was in Guyana during October... so...
(11-30-2015, 11:38 AM)Mass Distraction Wrote: [ -> ]So apparently they finally ended the debate which is the "correct" way to use a toilet paper roll.
![[Image: CARIEZcVEAAcyYy.jpg]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CARIEZcVEAAcyYy.jpg)
That's the original patent right there. https://twitter.com/ow/status/5776658962...56/photo/1
If I've been doing it wrong for most of my life, does that mean I've been committing a crime?
The 14 people who died in the San Bernardino, CA shooting have been identified. They ranged from 26-60 years of age.
(12-09-2015, 10:28 AM)Psychospacecow Wrote: [ -> ]http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-tr...d=35645113
So, Trump wants to ban Muslims.
I can tell you that I met a lot of enraged Guyanese people who think all Americans are crazed racists for letting Donald Trump exist.
That statement didn't help any.
(12-09-2015, 10:28 AM)Psychospacecow Wrote: [ -> ]http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-tr...d=35645113
So, Trump wants to ban Muslims.
I'm not condoning the ban of Muslims at this point, but hear me out.
There have been previous times, none extremely recent, where the president has banned certain groups from entering the United States. The Alien and Sedition Acts, implemented by John Adams in 1798, allowed the president to ban immigration of certain groups, during war time or not. Eventually, these were obviously repealed. The Chinese Exclusion Laws did had a similar goal. They banned Chinese workers from entering the United States. Generally, the one considered the most controversial of all of these is the Immigration Act of 1917, which banned immigration by many different groups, including homosexuals, "idiots","feeble-minded persons", criminals, and epileptics, to name a few. It also banned illiterate immigrants over the age of sixteen, and banned many areas of Asia, which is why it is also known as the Asiatic Barred Zone Act.
Despite what may have been insinuated with my aforementioned statement, if we officially declare war against ISIS/ISIL (which Obama recently addressed), then I would find it acceptable.
The thing is, you're not going about it in a reasonable manner. This is a terrorist organization, not unlike the KKK, not unlike the IRA. We don't make widespread assumptions because of one small loud group in a much larger one.
The IRA had a history of getting its weapons from Libya. Do you target muslims because of Gahhafi's regime? No, you don't because that's stupid, and blindly presumptuous. The KKK used burning symbols of crosses to send fear into the masses. Do you try and ban all Christians? No, that's stupid and blindly presumptuous. Do you ban Judaism because Yigal Amir exists? No, that's stupid and blindly presumptuous.
The Alien and Sedition acts are a failure of this nation's history. They were used to force naturalization law in a nation of immigrants and gut dissenting parties.
The same goes for the Chinese Exclusion Acts.
The same goes for the Jacksonian era forced migrations of Indian people.
The same goes for Japanese internment during world war 2, when many of the people subjected to it were born in the United States.
The failings of this nation's past cannot justify their repeat. This is a nation that was founded on concepts such as slavery, which we cannibalized ourselves over. My Great Grandmother who died earlier this year was an adult woman before the concept of women voting was even in the legal system.
What is proposed here is unnecessary, xenophobic, blind to presumption, and a failing if ever it happens.
The Patriot Act, enacted in 2001, has been used to suppress and force dissenters to "disappear" only to be found a decade later in Guantanamo. That is still in effect and will continue until at least 2019.
Don't punish the innocents of Syria, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Malaysia, Russia and many more. This is a nation with the very concept of freedom of speech and religious freedom ingrained in its Bill of Rights. Don't forget that.
What I wanted to address was the remarks of the people who state that anything like that would be outrageous. Immigration bans have happened before, and people need to realize that they shouldn't speak out against things before truly understanding any history behind the topic. I never meant to provide past events to support the immigration ban, but rather to offset the people who believe that it is impossible for one to do.
You make many great remarks about the subject. Indeed, the past failures should not encourage our actions today, as those who refuse to learn history are doomed to repeat it. I do respect, for lack of a better word, your comparison to the Ku Klux Klan. They not only targeted certain groups, but also those within their general beliefs who did not support their goals.
With a nation based on the very concept of freedom, it can be difficult to make executive decisions in the best interest of the people that can seem to impede on the inalienable rights and freedoms that this nations gives. In the end, we cannot make the decision, but we do have the ability to influence the decision with our choice of president.
Howabout dat Trump on Merkel comment, yo?