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Values and Culture

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Anti- Americanism

Contributor: cfallon

Date: 2003-03-24 13:25:48

Fatmomma, I am a Canadian. I just happen to be a Canadian who remembers that the history of the world and our country did not start with the election of Trudeau as our PM.

Now, on to your questions:

1) Canada killed the UN because this was a case where the UN should have acted and it didn't. Canada endorsed this failure, which over time will help to de-legitimize the UN in the minds of democratic thinking people. I'll admit, Canada made efforts more significant than any other of its new allies (Germany, France, China, Russia).

2) On the Canada health act, I was making the point that governments interfere in the jurisdiction of other governments - even within a nation.

I love the Canada Health Act and look forward to the day when all North Americans (US, CANADA, MEXICO) enjoy universal health coverage.

However, this goal is now harder to achieve because we have acted in a way that will discredit all Canadian-specific policies on this continent, the good with the bad.

I don't believe Canada and the shifty public opinion it acts on have done anyone any good in this crisis.

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Anti- Americanism

Contributor: codc01

Date: 2003-03-24 14:21:53

"Canada killed the UN because this was a case where the UN should have acted and it didn't. "

Again, of course, i disagree with your statement because it is false. Inspections for disarmement should have continued... Inspections were working... The inspectors told us so. If Bush wanted a regime change he should have said so from the start, at least to be honest with everyone. And I really, really don't understand how you can write a statement like you did, its beyond me, its like we were not living on the same planet :)...

If you are refering to the Rwanda conflict (I'm sure you're not), i agree Canada partially killed the UN, because they should never have participated in that 'peace-keeping mission', since nobody cared... You know, that Romeo Dallaire said that there were some UN diplomats asking all kinds of statistics on how many deaths there were each day, Romeo asked why they were asking those kinds of questions... You know the answer ? 'The death of one soldier from an industrialized country, is about equal to 1000 deaths of Africans...' So they wanted to know if the increase in soldiers was worth it...), Do you know who blocked more involvement in the Rwanda mission, the US, among others...

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Anti- Americanism

Contributor: cfallon

Date: 2003-03-25 13:10:09

The whole problem with "facts" is that we are selective in which facts we use to support our case. This is done on all sides of all debates.

For example, look what you did with Rwanda. you mention that our failure to act was a result of the US (among others) blocking action. But, in other places, you single out Bush (as in, you are anti-Bush).

Being anti-Bush and chiding the US, under Clinton, for not taking action in Rwanda suggests that:

1 - you are not just anti-Bush, but anti-US (for valid reasons).

2 - you think Bush had influence over Clinton and Bush was responsible for this inaction.

See, isolating your comments to Bush and then bringing up the Rwandan catastrophe, distorts the picture of reality somewhat.

Are we on the same planet? I think so.
But then again, it would explain why everywhere I go, the earth is red!:)

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Anti- Americanism

Contributor: codc01

Date: 2003-03-26 04:33:17

I try to be non-biased with my facts as much as possible, thats why I don't believe much of anything i read or hear unless i cross-reference it in several places.

I am mostly against the foreign policies of the great powers, and the US being a superpower, its quite normal that i am opposed more vehemently against their foreign policiy as a whole. When i attack the US government's position in this discussion group, and i bring facts up its because someone is defending their current foregin policy...

I have BIG problems with other powers also, but they don't come in this discussion group, since most people are discussing the Iraq conflict.

If this discussion group start discussing the recent Ivory Coast conflict, I'll be strongly opposed to the position of France, my positions are mostly based on legal facts.

And a proof that I am not anti-US as you seem to state, is that I agree on their attack of Afghanistan, it was legal and quite justified, I was also for the 1991 Gulf War. When Clinton decided to go into Somalia, i also agreed, but it was a fiasco, so from then on, Clinton, like the current US government, only cared about their own interests even if it meant acting unilateraly...

As for Rwanda, its not the US's fault, its EVERYONE's fault, Canada, US, France, the UN and more particularly Belgium... I'm just stating that the US is not without blame here.

The great powers of today should either always be multilateral or completely be isolationist... Not be one or the other when it suits them!!... Thats the current problem with the US, they are both at the same time, which makes no sense! You simply cannot have foreign policy which changes so abruptly...

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