Bill O'Reilly and Jean Cretien

[Col. Crackpot]

I caught a couple of minutes of Bill O'Reilly on the radio at lunch and he was ranting on and on obout Jean Cretien. Apparantly Cretien has stated that if the Canadian armed forces or police capture Saddam or Osama they will not turn either of them over to United States under any circumstances. O'Reilly goes on to say that we could destroy the Canadian economy in a matter of weeks if we to boycott Canadian goods. He went on to complain about Cretien refusing to even offer moral support during the Iraq War, about him being vehemently Anti-Bush and just trying to discredit the Bush administration.

Now i just want to say for the record I do not like Cretien, and i think he is being a prick. Also i usually do support what O'Reilly has to say, However I don't see a good reason to cancel my honeymoon and boycott Molson. What do you think? have calls for boycotts gone to far? have they not gone far enough? Does not buying products from people or nations you don't agree with politically rise to the level of opressing ones free speech as many in hollywood and elsewhere claim?

[Phil Skayhan]

I saw this segment on the Factor last night. While I think Cretien position is poor, I think O'Reily's belief that the US will boycott Canadian goods is not well founded. A boycott would swing both ways and injure the US's ecomomy also.

My question is how would Cretein's stance (if true) stand up in the courts of Canada barring any new law by Parliment?

And what would happen if the Canadian NHL players decided to boycott in protest over any US sanctions. For crying out loud! it's the playoffs! No Brodeur, Balfour, Karia, Messier, Yzerman, ......well, I guess Messier + Yzerman don't matter anymore this year but you get what I'm saying.

[Tsyroc]

Is there a specific reason why Cretien doesn't want the US to have Saddam or Osama Bin Laden? IMO he might be doing the US a favor giving either one of them to the World Courts to deal with but I think he'd have a hard time justifying his reasons when it comes to Osama Bin Laden.

As for boycotting Canadian goods, yeah that'll happen. People in the US are too wrapped up in their own thing. If we could give up anything of consequence for the sake of making a point or statement we'd have massively cut our oil usage by now.

I suppose there might be a few less American tourists to Canada and maybe some goods would dip in sales but I doubt any serious harm would happen.

All these talks of boycotts are eventually going to bite the US in the ass IMO.

[HappyTarget]

Is there a specific reason why Cretien doesn't want the US to have Saddam or Osama Bin Laden? IMO he might be doing the US a favor giving either one of them to the World Courts to deal with but I think he'd have a hard time justifying his reasons when it comes to Osama Bin Laden.

I think it might be a problem he has with the death penalty. Canada under his inept stewardship has oftentimes delayed or outright refused to deport accused murderers for fear that they will get the death penalty.

He likley subscribes to the widely held Liberal belief that such sorry excuses for human beings can be rehabilitated, and such doesn't want them to be killed for the crimes they are guilty of.

My question is how would Cretein's stance (if true) stand up in the courts of Canada barring any new law by Parliment?

Oh God... don't get me started on Canadian Courts. These are the same iddiots that intially said it was OK for convicts to carry concealed weapons (shivs and the like) in prison for their personal protection. Fortunately that ruling was overturned by Alberta Supreme Court.

Another justice screw up involves a A/V store owner. He had been broken into numerous times over the past few months, so he camped out in his store. Robbers crashed into his front window in order to gain access to his goods. He shot at them, forcing them to flee and sending one of them to hospital with a gunshot wound (nonlife threatening). So what do the RCMP do? They drop all charges against the robbers in exchange for their testimony against the store owner.

So basically, they'll support his actions, because most were appointed by him or have simliar/worse leftist leanings than he does.

Does not buying products from people or nations you don't agree with politically rise to the level of opressing ones free speech as many in hollywood and elsewhere claim?

Bah, I think it's wrong to hurt the people of a country in their pocket books just because the countries leader is an ass. And judgeing from the latest polls, the majority of Canadians support the Coaltion war on Saddam (hence why Cretein is doing massive backpeddaling (for him at least) on the war issue). Boycotting them won't do much to alter Jean's stance, and will only alienate Canadians that by and large support you in your actions.

I'm one of them in fact. Veahmently pro-war.

[aerius]

It's unfortunate that our country's going to suffer because our PM is being a hypocritical prick. Sure, let's go send some warships and personel over to the gulf to help out with the war effort, and then the fucker says something to the effect of "we do not support Bush's war in on Iraq, we think it's wrong and blah blah blah..". Well then, what the fuck did you send those warships over there to do then? Am I suppose to believe that those ships and personel are over there just to look pretty? Gimme a break.

With a dork like him running the country and spewing forth verbal diarrhea I can't exactly blame the US for being just a bit pissed. Even though I'm quite pro-war, I'd have a lot more respect for Chretien if he said "we wish you the best but unfortunately there's nothing we can really do to support your war", and after saying that he keeps all our forces at home. But no, he has to go talk out of his ass....

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Though I wouldn't support a boycott of Canada over their refusing to turn over a lesser individual in the "terrorist food chain" because that person might face the death penalty if convicted here, if the terrorist caught in Canada was OBL, then - and no offense intended to the Canadians here - yes, I would support not just a boycott, but formal economic sanctions against Canada until you turned him over.

[jegs2]

I don't think I could boycott Canadian goods, but then frankly I don't generally look to see if anything is made there prior to buying it anyway...

[XPViking]

O'Reilly is an idiot. Plain and simple.

XPViking

[EmperorChrostas the Cruel]

Bill O'reilley speaks for many Americans.
We are tired of being lectured about our moral failings by the likes of europe.
Our capitalist system bugs them, and our refusal to give Ivory tower unemployables, with their, leftist rants influence the public policy disproportionatly to their economic output.
Much of Europe, and Canada too, consider us to be barbarians and savages, because we have the death peanalty.
We are lumped in with communist China, and other savage backwords no acount pissant regimes, for this alone. As if this one issue defines our totality.

America has a vast mistrust of the "inteligencia", and "elite" institutions and people. Rightly so , as Marxism is only taken seriously in American colleges, and tiny dictatorships.
The downside of this, is fundamentalists, and the declide of educational standards. The upside is, we don't give people with strings of letters behind their name automatic credability, especialy when what they say is baldfaced bullshit.
In Europe, what passes for our left, is their center.
Hell, they have unabshed communists there, and they and greens hold significant power.

The smug smarmy, condesending attitudes, mostly from has beens, and never weres, grates on our nerves.
If Canada doesn't want to hand over Saddam, to the USA, them they should get their troops out of the way, and send NGO help.
I don't mid when countrys won't hand over political dissidents, or falsely accused/politicaly motivated prosocutions.
What I do mind, is clearly guilty people, like that murderer that took 10+ years to get from France. Or that student rich punk rapist.

[Darth Wong]

Though I wouldn't support a boycott of Canada over their refusing to turn over a lesser individual in the "terrorist food chain" because that person might face the death penalty if convicted here, if the terrorist caught in Canada was OBL, then - and no offense intended to the Canadians here - yes, I would support not just a boycott, but formal economic sanctions against Canada until you turned him over.

Force before diplomacy. What a shock coming from you

[Darth Wong]

I caught a couple of minutes of Bill O'Reilly on the radio at lunch and he was ranting on and on obout Jean Cretien. Apparantly Cretien has stated that if the Canadian armed forces or police capture Saddam or Osama they will not turn either of them over to United States under any circumstances. O'Reilly goes on to say that we could destroy the Canadian economy in a matter of weeks if we to boycott Canadian goods.

And what would happen to your economy if we stopped sending you a million barrels of oil a year?

[Joe]

I can't even imagine Canada refusing to turn over OBL to us.

[Sea Skimmer]

And what would happen to your economy if we stopped sending you a million barrels of oil a year?

We buy elsewhere are somewhat greater cost. Can Canada find another buyer or sustain the cost of such an embargo? I highly doubt it.

[Darth Wong]

And what would happen to your economy if we stopped sending you a million barrels of oil a year?

We buy elsewhere are somewhat greater cost. Can Canada find another buyer or sustain the cost of such an embargo? I highly doubt it.

You're the ones talking about doing this to us, not the other way around. I'm just pointing out that it would cost a fortune. Not to mention proving the world's worst fears about America.

[Stormbringer]

Though I wouldn't support a boycott of Canada over their refusing to turn over a lesser individual in the "terrorist food chain" because that person might face the death penalty if convicted here, if the terrorist caught in Canada was OBL, then - and no offense intended to the Canadians here - yes, I would support not just a boycott, but formal economic sanctions against Canada until you turned him over.

Force before diplomacy. What a shock coming from you

Dude, you're president said it and that's exactly how we would and should react if the Canadians refuse to turn over Osama Bin Laden.

[Lonestar]

Dude, you're president said it and that's exactly how we would and should react if the Canadians refuse to turn over Osama Bin Laden.

Psst! Prime Minister!

[Stormbringer]

Dude, you're president said it and that's exactly how we would and should react if the Canadians refuse to turn over Osama Bin Laden.

Psst! Prime Minister!

President, Prime Minister they all mean the head asshole.

[Montcalm]

Dude, you're president said it and that's exactly how we would and should react if the Canadians refuse to turn over Osama Bin Laden.

Psst! Prime Minister!

President, Prime Minister they all mean the head asshole.

OK Storm if A creep like OBL was wanted by the Canadian government for crimes against Canada,and the US was detaining him would they give him to Canada`s justice system to be prosecuted?

[Stormbringer]

OK Storm if A creep like OBL was wanted by the Canadian government for crimes against Canada,and the US was detaining him would they give him to Canada`s justice system to be prosecuted?

Yes! With out any hesitation at all. You don't let the murder of thousands go unpunished over petty policy differences.

[Darth Wong]

OK Storm if A creep like OBL was wanted by the Canadian government for crimes against Canada,and the US was detaining him would they give him to Canada`s justice system to be prosecuted?

Yes! With out any hesitation at all. You don't let the murder of thousands go unpunished over petty policy differences.

"Unpunished?"

Who said anything about letting it go unpunished? Are you saying we were talking about giving him a pat on the back and sending him on his merry way? We were talking about keeping him and trying him in our own courts!

Must it be necessary to commit a monstrous distortion of someone's position in order to criticize it?

[HemlockGrey]

Well, seeing has how 9/11 was a crime committed on American soil, I think America would be justifiably outraged if Canada refused to extradite OBL to America.

[Darth Wong]

Well, seeing has how 9/11 was a crime committed on American soil, I think America would be justifiably outraged if Canada refused to extradite OBL to America.

Well, like it or not, Canada has the same policy the EU has; we are generally reluctant to extradite a criminal to a place which has the death sentence. Mind you, we've done it before, so we would probably do it in this case. I just find it offensive that even without anything of the sort happening, there is already PRE-EMPTIVE sabre-rattling from all of the usual right-wingnuts in the States and nobody has a problem with that.

[Joe]

Why Canada is the target of so much vitriol is beyond me, as well. COME ON, people. As long as France and Quebec exist, there is no reason to bash Canada Proper (which excludes Quebec).

[Stormbringer]

"Unpunished?"

Who said anything about letting it go unpunished? Are you saying we were talking about giving him a pat on the back and sending him on his merry way? We were talking about keeping him and trying him in our own courts!

Which is still fucking stupid and would cause instant economic and diplomatic retaliation from the US. Justifiably so, it'd be slap to the face of the American's that died and of the US in general. It'd permanently sour US relations if you guys grabbed Bin Laden and refused to turn him over.

It'd be like us trying Hitler and not allowing anyone else to be involved.

Must it be necessary to commit a monstrous distortion of someone's position in order to criticize it?

I was under the impression that you're Prime Minister wouldn't turn them over to any court the US was involved in. That's the impression I got from his statement.

[Stormbringer]

I'm not in favor of a pre-emptive boycott, but if that situation came to pass you'd better believe I would be boycotting Canadian products.