Merlot with a lamb entree dinner for two as compensation.

I still think that they should have shown "Exodous" as an on-board movie. Then they would have seen how a refugee movement shoud be organized.

Cool, could Mr. or Mrs. Taxpayer write Harper a letter asking why he raised income taxes while cutting the GST?

Mark's brother: "I hate Canada.'

Canada, Islam in conflict: Leger Poll (Ottawa, July 25)

A clear majority of Canadians hold a negative view of Muslim countries. Surprisingly, 67% in Quebec have a negative view.

It appears the feelings are mutual.

Oh, but those poor people had to endure dirty bathrooms on the ships. I wonder if any of them thought of getting off their asses and cleaning the bathrooms themselves? Apparently they had lots of time on their hands.
Or maybe some of the evacuees should have been booted off the ships to make room for extra cleaning staff. I'm sure it was a pleasure cruise for the staff to work long hours while risking their lives in a war zone.

And the little tosser didn't even want to come to Canada, he went of to Kuwait.

I am sincerely glad some here are able to laugh at this situation...Good on ya!....Personally,I am still too p*ssed at being slapped in the face with this 50,000 #.I am dismayed that not only are many Canadians still oblivious of this # but that,even worse,nothing will change no matter who's in power.
How can you be proud of a country whose citizens are too naive to avoid becoming mankind's doormat?I am certainly struggling to find a way to....

Wimpy, looks like we have something to be thankful for

Saskboy,

The GST cut was used as a political ploy to get the Conservatives elected. The income tax increase helped pay for it. Let's just hope that once they get their majority that Harper will return to Conservative fiscal policy. Leave the consumption taxes alone and reduce income tax so we actually have some moey to spend.

Hell yeah, Kate. Hell yeah.

Oh, and speaking of letters regarding people who hate the west...

http://uncommontruths.blogspot.com/2006/07/i-heart-you-sheik-nasrallah.html

The Conservatives said they were going to up the income tax. They didn't hide the fact. How about people start reading party platforms?? This really wasn't a surprise.

- and make a point of taking whatever off-shore flag you most likely wave while you are in Canada with you!

Amen!
So when Mansbridge asked the CBC reporter, "Where will all these CANADIANS stay when they get back to Canada," I turned and asked my G.F. "Won't they just go home?" Yeah right.
During the evacuation, CBC managed to find a guy who actually said, in a whining accusaTORY tone, "There was no A.C." He must have meant Air Canada or else lightning would have smote his igonorant, sorry ass, wouldn't it?

One would think that escaping with one's life would be cuase for a little thanks, but not these days. We can never give enough, do enough, say the right thing, to satisfy poeple like this.

Send the family a bill. I understand that is what the U.S. Government does?

Can I ask a dumb question? WHo is MArk?

Room 237: click on the letter

Canadian General: UN Observer Post Used By Hizballah

I wonder what Vietnamese boat people and Cuban raft refugees think about the complainers...

Remember everyone, no good deed goes unpunished.

Room 237, take a look around the blog when you link over. It is purportedly the personal opinions of several memebers of the Lebanese Forces. Very fascinating stuff.

What a joke. Whiner.

So he hates Canada....

who referred to Canada as a hotel?....seems the guest didnt like the soap in his room.

"Cool, could Mr. or Mrs. Taxpayer write Harper a letter asking why he raised income taxes while cutting the GST?"

The CPC didn't raise income taxes because there weren't lowered. The Liberals prommised, if elected, to lower them by 1/2 point. We elected(thank god) a conservative government. One with compassion and morals.

On the one hand Harper had his plane pick up 100 or so evacuees while on the other hand, at the tsunami site Martin pushed aside survivors of the diaster so his sorry ass could be in a photo op. What an asshole.

And, you knmow what? Since the election I have been following stories and blogs about the liberals and their leadership race. And I have come to the conclusion (not too difficult) that basically ALL liberals are assholes. Take Volpe for example. Now theres a nice guy if there ever was one. Taking money from kids.

Harper may not be perfect but he is 10000 times better that Martin could EVER hope to be.At least he is sincere and has compassion.At least he appears to be doing what is best for Canada and Canadians. Martin and Cretien didn't even pretent to do that.

I'll bet that Mark and his sorry ass brother are liberals. F**k them.

Horny Toad

"The Conservatives said they were going to up the income tax. They didn't hide the fact."

Just to be clear -- did they really say that they were going to raise the income tax? Or did they just say that they were going to cancel the reductions that the Liberals had PROPOSED and that had not yet made it into law?

I am pretty sure that the Liberal tax reduction did not make it into law before the government folded.

Now, if Revenue Canada reduced the rates BEFORE the bill became law, and if employers made deductions at the proposed reduced rate BEFORE it became law, then that was just effing stupid of the bureaucracy.

Technically, I don't think the Conservatives _raised_ taxes -- they just did not implement the Liberal reductions that had never made it into law.

Am I correct in that? Does anyone know what really happened?

In other news, my wife received her first $200 cheque for the Child Care Benefit thing (we have two kids under 6). You can see here -- http://www.bolditalic.com/quotulatiousness_archive/003042.html -- what we're doing with it!

Whoooooooo!

I must have been typing when Horny Toad posted -- I'm glad that I'm not the only one who remembers what really happened with the tax!

friend just bought a new condo in Vancouver, saved about $2500 she figures @ a 6% vs 7% GST rate.

She likes tax cuts . . . income, consumption, taxes on taxes, who cares.

All tax cuts are a good thing.

The lowest tax bracket was raised from 15% to 15.5% in the first Conservative budget. Take a look at any of your paycheques after July 1. The previous decrease in the rate could not be maintained as it was needed to help offset the loss of revenue from the GST cut.

I had a talk with Garth Turner about this and he agreed the rate went up, but should have been offset by the $500 employment expense deduction. Quite curious why I am paying $12 more a month in federal tax if this is the case.

http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2006/08/stephen_harper.php

O/T But should check out article over at Readers Digest on Harper. There is a comment section that is largely in favor of Prime Minister Harper.

The government was obligated to get him out of there and no more. Hes in no position to complain about anything. He should be thankful that the government got him out. I was reading about the Nepalese who re stuck there because their own country is in too much of a mess to get them out. This guy needs to remember that he could have been stranded there.

A good interview. A agree that Harper is doing an excellent job, but I do have to drag my soapbox out over his taxation/economic policy, as it is backwards to most fiscal conservatives.

Thanks, Rm 237, Vox Mentis, and Tom Penn. I wondered who the heck Mark was too. I've clicked on the site and read the totally toddler--narcissistic, blame-everyone-else--remarks of Mark's ingrtate brother, and I'll check out more on that site.

I seem to notice Canadians beginning to wake up to being almost the biggest suckers on earth. As a result of the Charter and many court decisions in the past quarter century, we're paying mega millions, and possibly billions, trying to satisfy the entitlements of all kinds of ne'er do wells, who only take and never give.

Enough is enough. I hope this latest "biting the hand that feeds you" frenzy makes Canadians mad as hell. It SEEMS that the politically correct chains, which were firmly in place under Liberal rule, have been loosened and, in some cases, even removed, now that the Conservatives are at the helm.

I hope for MUCH more of the same.

mark...next time wait for the GOOD SHIP LOLLIPOP..

er,marks brother...whatever

Just wondering if anyone can show me the piece of legislation that the Liberals put through Parliament that lowered the minimum tax rate...the one the CPC apparently raised subsequently?

I'll bet you can't, because the Liberal tax cut never happened. As John McCallum was surprised to find out in committee this year.

http://www.parl.gc.ca/infocomdoc/39/1/fina/meetings/evidence/finaev03-e.htm#Int-1527708

Among the passengers who caught a ride on the PM's plane from the middle east apparently was a guy who had six outstanding charges of fraud over $5000. This was known before he boarded the plane.

Apparently it was deemed compassionate to bring him back to Canada so his family would not be split up.

Just how much over $5000 did each of these frauds involve?

Who is the lucky city to have this citizen of convenience now and what is the long term price of compassion these days?

The rest of the site is nothing like the entry from Mark. Most of the articles I have read from the purported Lebanese Forces members are bitterly critical of Hizballah and the Lebanese political establishment that has ignored the problem. They seem to by and large favor a strong Federal Democracy in Lebanon functioning as the sole protector and defender of Lebanese sovereignty.

I agree Mark's brother sounds ungrateful and infantile, but beyond that the men on this bloghave a great deal of sense. It is one of the most interesting blogs on Lebanese politics I've stumbled across. Make sure to read the detailed entry on Hizballah fighting tactics.

Anyone else read the note on "Hezbollah fighting tactics" deeper in the OUWET Front blog. Note this line late in the piece as it tells you all you need to know about the people on the site:

"Since the guerilla fighters hide between civilians, and operate from within inhabited or industrial areas, they greatly benefit from the coverage and lure IAF planes into bombarding civilians and factories which allows the Hezb to use the media coverage to its benefit."

You have to wonder about anyone who brags about using civilians as human shields and crows about the good publicity you can get if your enemy has the bad fortune to kill your human shield while trying to get at you!

Blair, my impression is that these men despise Hizballah and what they have done to Lebanon. I believe that piece is an informational piece detailing Hizallah's sleezeball tactics -- not at all an endorsement of those tactics.

Kate, you are absolutely the BEST!!!!!

Oh and by the way, it seems that PMSH is now asking why that U.N. post was manned. God this guy is good!

Who is the lucky city to have this citizen of convenience now and what is the long term price of compassion these days?

Posted by: calgary clipper

Answer: Ottawa, and he was arrested and in court the next day. yeah, he got bail, so we can hope he returns to his home country. Canadian citizen by convenience.

The government was obligated to get him out of there and no more.
Posted by: Middleton

Obligated? Since when?

I travel often and it is quite clear that I am responsible for my own ass!

But then again, I'm a hardworking taxpayer, not a freeloading, special interest, assinine, drain on society. Oh, and my permanent residience is in Canada (and I'm proud of it!!).

Oh yeah, and a healthy, white, anglophone, educated male. Which means the only benefit I get is to pay for it all.

"Cool, could Mr. or Mrs. Taxpayer write Harper a letter asking why he raised income taxes while cutting the GST?"

Dear SaskBoy;
I can see that your screen name is rather self descriptive as you are mentally a child.
The Conservatives needed to give you, and all of your lazy left wing uneducated greedy friends something they could understand so he cut the GST because we on the right know you don't understand self relainace and fiscal prudence.
So when the time comes and PM Stephen Ahrper gets the majourity he will slash taxes and useless social programs that are dragging this economy down. There now do you understand it. Now it's time for bed Saskboy.

Trust only Mulder wrote: "I wonder what Vietnamese boat people and Cuban raft refugees think about the complainers..."

Well, in 1979 a group of 50 families of Chinese/Vietnamese "boat people" were offered asylum in Ireland. When the plane landed in Dublin, only a few of the families deplaned. The others had gone into hiding in Germany, demanding to be sent to the US or Canada. I guess that having survived the brutality of Malaysian pirates, life along the Liffey would be the ultimate indignity.

Dear JC,
You done wore out my brain with your big words.

ZZZZZZZZZ

That's a brilliant letter from "The Canadian Taxpayer", Kate.
Since the links don't say otherwise, I assume you conjured that up?
Either way, thanks to whomever: perfect execution.

I liked the picture Mark's brother was kind enough to post and the comment "there are mothers with their children on the ship" by Mark. I don't think I have seen anything by a parent that said anything negative about the "horrific trip" they had to endure. Not sure they even want the victim blanket wrapped around them by Mark, his brother, MSM, etc.

Not to despair Mark, you have some real friends in the MSM.

"On behalf of all Canadians...."

Well, just speaking generally, I'm really tired of this. S. Harper keeps doing it too and he certainly doesn't speak for me or for millions of other Canadians.

"On behalf of all Canadians....

Well, just speaking generally, I'm really tired of this. S. Harper keeps doing it too and he certainly doesn't speak for me or for millions of other Canadians."

Oh get over it, leftist...

Haven't you ever heard of poetic license??

Frankly, Kate's fictional letter speaks for me...I guess I'm just not as adept as you are to read the minds of your like-minded "millions of Canadians".

Moron.

calgary clipper wonders how much over $5000 each of the six frauds perpetrated by the guy who was brought back to Canada on PMSH's plane involve?

'As I recall, the fraud over $5000 in Svend Robinson's case amounted to something like $64000, which kind of makes "fraud over $5000" meaningless.

This guy needs to be investigated pronto.

"Before the current fighting, UNIFIL had most recently distinguished itself for a run-of-the-U.N.-mill financial swindle involving a contingent of Ukrainian peacekeeping troops. On that subject, whatever laws might have been violated, the U.N. has — as usual with U.N. scams — refused to release details. Now, UNIFIL peacekeepers have been reduced to casualties of the crossfire, while Secretary-General Kofi Annan urges that we take what the U.N. has done wrong already, and do more of it."

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTlhODQ3MWNkZjhhNDUyZTE2MTE1N2I4YzQ0YjVkMjM=

Our editorials in the paper are full of real Canadians disgusted with these hyphenated Canadians who got a free trip back to Canada and then use their press time to complain about their service. What's with these people who say my country has been demolished - so far - when I look around Canada seems to be intact. Why must we tolerate these marches they are having in support of Hezbollah. I sure hope my government is keeping tract of them. It's not PC to tell you what I want done with them.

You right wing extremists try very hard to hide your deep seated hated and racist feelings for anyone of Arabic descent. Shame on you! Shame on Steven Harpo for throwing gasoline on the fire that has resulted in what is it now, 9 Canadian deaths in Lebanon?

You have nothing to say about the farmers who are whinning in Saskatchewan that their $75 per acre taxpayer funded 'welfare' payment ISN'T enough, but you will begrudge people who are trying to get small children and frail elderly to safety from a war zone!

Pick a comfy seat in the back Leftist, you're going to be there a long time. And that isn't anywhere near good enough punishment, considering the 13 years of Liberal crap spewed on my behalf.

Hey leftdog if your so concerned about them why dont you head over to lebascam and help them out.

"You right wing extremists try very hard to hide your deep seated hated and racist feelings for anyone of Arabic descent"
If they try so hard to hide it, how come you picked up on it genius?
Harper's fault for the death of 9 Canadians is it?
Boy you lefties sure crack me up, not a full functioning brain between the lot.

Leftdog; perhaps you should go back and read Urals' 8:46pm post. He rightly pointed out that they seem to be thankful, it's the self-absorbed ingrates who we are complaining about. Take, take, take. And theres plenty more 'disenfranchised' whiners here at home too.

Multirec, after a comment like, "$75 per acre taxpayer funded 'welfare' payment," it's clear that leftdog isn't so much a "lefty" as just left behind in the thinking category. Socialists should be aware of the importance of agriculture, and not begrudge people working hard for their living, and getting a hand up when times are bad.

"You right wing extremists try very hard to hide your deep seated hated and racist feelings for anyone of Arabic descent"

This has nothing to do with race in my view, I couldn't care less if Hizbollah were Spanish, Chinese, Mexican, whatever..they are TERRORIST whose sole purpose in life is to "Kill all the Jews" so unless you are a racist who wants to see the Jews wiped out, don't accuse this "right wing extremist" of bigotry (after all, you appear to wear that label much better than I!).

"You right wing extremists try very hard to hide your deep seated hated and racist feelings for anyone of Arabic descent"

We're very multicultural; we hate stupidity in everyone.

That must have been an "email of colour" I linked to. Who knew?

To the critics of Harper's GST cut, have patience, it hasn't all played out yet.
Wait for the discussions in the Fall about rectifying the fiscal imbalance. Your provincial premiers (except Alberta's) will be under pressure from Harper to ADD that 1 % BACK to their Provincial Sales Tax. Your Province will get to raise their own money, do it in a highly visible way, and be accoutable for the quality of social services they deliver with that extra money. And if it's not enough, well Harper has another 1 % cut/transfer planned for the next election campaign.

As Trudeau might say, the Conservative Universe is unfolding as it should !

you know, all sarcasm aside, I .... I .... Im really at a loss wtf these instant refugees have to bitch about so much.

an 8 hour trip that dragged on to 20 hours.

not 20 days, or 20 months like yer average refugee, but 20 hours of tossing and turning and waiting.

jeez, bring something to read with you and sleep it off.

bitch bitch bitch.

sometimes its the little things that really irk me.

as far as gst is concerned, a tax of that scope *will* make a difference even at a mere 1%.

all 1 person's spending in 1 year subject to the tax will amount to, what, a couple hundred?

insignificant for one household, huge amount for 5 million households. it adds up at that scale.

me, well, I have reduced my gst to zip a lot of times.

its called the cash only underground economy.

Am I reading right that Marks brother was evacuated from Lebanon by Canada so he could go to Kuwait??? He hates Canada so much but he's willing to use us for transportation??? Perhaps he thinks Canada should provide him with a private jet. We give out passports way too easily.

I'm all for the NDP/Libs going into the next election on a platform of increasing the GST back to 7%.

This 'let's rescue those poor Canadians from the war zone in Lebanon' bandwagon just points to the urgent need for a new type of passport that would cater to the hasty retreat of those caught up in similar conflicts around the world. Something along the lines of a 'Get out of the War Zone free card'.

What's that you say??
the world already has such a system in place??
It's called the Canadian Passport???

Oh. OK.

Never mind.

People complaining about the 'conditions' on the Ferry to Larnaca, Cyprus.......these are individuals who voluntarily placed themselves in an area where unrest is endemic, they're getting evacuated at Canadian taxpayer's expense, and they're whining because:

- The Ferry was LATE.
- They had to, (OMG), "Sleep in chairs"
- There were few facilities
- Some got seasick
- No medical facilities.....

- And, presumably, the "In-Flight Movie" was a re-run, and there was no Valet Parking at the Pier.

I took a Ferry from Limassol, Cyprus, to Haifa, Israel, once. It was peacetime. The Ferry was delayed. People got sick. We had to sleep in uncomfortable seats. There were few amenities.

And....we had to pay our OWN Freakin' FARES!!

"Just wondering if anyone can show me the piece of legislation that the Liberals put through Parliament that lowered the minimum tax rate...the one the CPC apparently raised subsequently?

I'll bet you can't, because the Liberal tax cut never happened. As John McCallum was surprised to find out in committee this year. "

Do you not have a job TB? It is pretty easy to tell when income taxes go up or down.

Thhose who knowingly go into a area like that should pay for theor own removal raather then the tax payers

Lew, if the CPC hadn't actually allowed the "Liberal" tax cut to go through in this past Parliamentary session, you, and every other Canadian taxpayer would have been re-assessed on your taxes next year as everyone paid taxes at the wrong rate.

Moral of the story, the Liberal government was incompetant. McCallum had no idea the tax cut was never made official. Funny that he is also the one that slept through the budget vote call this year resulting in its unanimous passing!

Good comments, Nemo2.

I'd like to see a letter from "Canadian War Veteran"

I wonder how many Lebanese Canadian Citizens of Convenience will be wearing a poppy on November 11th? Will the number even make double digits?

My belief is that on Rememberance Day there will be many more of these convenient Canadians with new 2007 calendars hanging on their fridges to mark off the days until they can return to the only home they care to remember. Many real Canadian citizens have sacrificed their lives to keep our country free so phoney citizens can use a biased media to freely criticize the government and take advantage of the blank cheque access to resources offered to them. The importance of those sacrifices of real Canadians are totally lost on these people who are only too happy to cash in on the benefits.

In a few years, once they've re-assumed permanent residence status in their beloved Lebanon homeland and the last grains of Canadian dirt are worn away from their sandals, so will be any gratitude towards their temporary port in the storm.

I hope Canada takes a long hard look at what's happened to the value of our citizenship and how we can end our status as doormats to international ingrates. To do nothing cheapens the price paid by those Canadian men and women who have defended with their lives what it means to be Canadian.

Attention Canadian $$$$$taxpayers.

Your ears are not to hear how/when/where/who/what the Muslim Islamic terrorists were/are planning for youse.
...-

TORONTO (CP) - A sweeping ban on the reporting of evidence at bail hearings for 17 people accused of plotting terrorist attacks on Canadian soil will stay in place, an Ontario judge ruled Thursday.

In an 80-page decision, Superior Court Justice Bruce Durno said the ban should be kept in place in an effort to protect the right of the accused to a fair trial. ...-
el-googoo news

Terrorist scumbags should not be tried under the civilian justice systems. They should face military tribunals, and if found guilty, sentenced to stiff prison terms or, if warranted, the firing squad.

As things are now, they simply make a mockery of our systems of justice.

More has come out on this including the man's name that was killed & the warning he himself sent about hezballa using the UN compund for there own means.In some of his mailings he even tried to warn the CTV of there being used as cover.

No one listened. Now he is dead & Isreal gets the blame. What a world!!!

UN observer: Hizbullah using us as shields

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3282569,00.html