tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post1957872030792961767..comments2024-03-03T17:01:57.876-05:00Comments on Montreal Simon: Stephen Harper and the Deadly Politics of EbolaSimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-89641067984249615302014-10-21T07:02:49.627-04:002014-10-21T07:02:49.627-04:00More straw-man arguments, coupled with deliberate ...More straw-man arguments, coupled with deliberate misinterpretation of the argument. No, I'm not going argue against the deliberately insincere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-23049877309432438352014-10-20T23:41:02.094-04:002014-10-20T23:41:02.094-04:00so is A. saying ebola is god's way of getting ...so is A. saying ebola is god's way of getting even with us for pro-choice? if that's the case, its not what I learnt in sunday school. <br /><br />Simon in the same league as P.M. "lets go to war and kill them" harper? please, have you lost your mind. There are a lot of us in that pro-choice club and we don't agree with P.M. "lets go to war and kill them" harper. <br /><br />Providing women a choice means more women live. Whoever A. is, they obviously have not studied women's health in Canada prior to abortion being legal. Women died all the time from back room or self induced abortions. They just didn't call it that. It sort of like, if you have the money Catholics don't commit suicide, they have accidents.e.a.f.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-87251280989545938032014-10-20T10:27:37.342-04:002014-10-20T10:27:37.342-04:00Simon, you have so much more in common with Stephe...Simon, you have so much more in common with Stephen Harper and the Conservatives than you dare to think: you both have a remarkable penchant for creating straw-men. <br /><br />I don't have an irrational hatred of government at all! I do think there's a lot that is wrong with government the way we do it now, and that needs fixing. Are you deliberately conflating the two? I'm not sure, but it seems that way. Yes, some rightwingers *do* have a hatred of government, but I think even those, if asked would admit that government has *some* legitimate functions. Is there something particularily irrational about that?<br /><br />Thing is, I don't automatically expect, or hope for salvation courtesy of the government: to a reasonable and appropriate degree, I can look after myself, and I prefer that. Government has a literal army, yes, but the total manpower of that army isn't even 10% of the population of Montreal. In a crisis, especially a major crisis, the literal army and all the combined forces of government just don't have the manpower to help everybody. What's irrational therefore, instead of demanding more for what should remain a relatively small outbreak when we can, and should take reasonable precautions to be self-sufficient for a few weeks?<br /><br />Your penultimate thought is also puzzling - all of those workers are government yes, and legitimate functions of government, absolutely. I'm not contesting that in the slightest, nor would I. <br /><br />I guess the difference is, I think to myself that in a potential Ebola outbreak, I can best help everybody by <i>looking after myself,</i> assuming that family and I aren't infected. And, I can take reasonable steps to ensure that I can do just fine for a few months without needing the assistance of government and risking contamination to myself, my family or others.<br /><br />Of course, if I am infected, or the family is infected, <i>then</i> we will need assistance from the government. But, that is necessarily a <i>different</i> scenario. <br /><br />As for forgiveness... Well, I'm Catholic. Sorry, it's what I believe. As such, my conscience defines it as a mortal sin to be knowingly endorsing, or otherwise assisting the Canadian pro-choice movement. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-30922621607938170522014-10-20T08:57:09.636-04:002014-10-20T08:57:09.636-04:00hi anon...no I don't deify the government, I j...hi anon...no I don't deify the government, I just don't have the irrational hatred for it you guys have. Besides I don't understand how you can take issue with that statement. When in a disaster those who would be in the front lines would be police officers, firefighters, medical staff, and maybe even the military, and like it or not they ARE government. Think about it, you're on the wrong side. Confess your sins, and remember we are merciful, so it's not too late to join us... ;)Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-54594349534449954922014-10-20T06:52:02.484-04:002014-10-20T06:52:02.484-04:00Even though when disaster and disease strike only ...<i>Even though when disaster and disease strike only good government can save us.</i><br /><br />And you claim to be an atheist? <br /><br />Do you really believe this Simon, or is it just hyperbole? I confess, I speak more off-the-cuff than with careful consideration, and as such, I haven't fully contemplated the full implications of a very literal deification of government, but then, please excuse me, I honestly didn't realize just how far gone you really were.<br /><br />I should do a major re-think of Matthew 22:15-22 based on this... <br /><br />Honestly, I'm quite shocked. I guess I never believed that anyone would actually write, and possibly mean those words. Wow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-39870420730010344412014-10-19T22:17:26.707-04:002014-10-19T22:17:26.707-04:00hi e.a.f. you're right, most people in North A...hi e.a.f. you're right, most people in North America didn't really care about Ebola until a couple of Americans got sick. Just like they didn't really care about ISIS, or the 200,000 dead people in Syria, until a couple of our own got beheaded. Some lives are clearly worth more than others. But the fact remains Ebola is really only a threat to health workers, and in that regard much needs to be done. Our hospital workers need better equipment, and much more training on how to use it. Putting on one of those space suits is easy, the dangerous part is after they're contaminated how do you safely remove them? And yes, as I pointed out in my post, the right-wing war on government is making our lives more dangerous not safer...Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-47075101655689039782014-10-19T22:08:38.250-04:002014-10-19T22:08:38.250-04:00hi Steve...the contrast between what poor Obama is...hi Steve...the contrast between what poor Obama is trying to do, and what the hapless clown Harper is doing couldn't be greater. But yes the Cons are the Walking Dead even if they still don't know it...Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-58474538251243294072014-10-19T16:22:19.317-04:002014-10-19T16:22:19.317-04:00Ebola is a dangerous disease, if you catch it. Its...Ebola is a dangerous disease, if you catch it. Its been around for 40 yrs but the west didn't care. It was restricted to Africa. Now its here and given the cuts to health care in the west and at the U.N. its natures way of saying "pay back time".<br /><br />In B.C. the Nurses Union has had a lot to say about the inadequate preparation for ebola in B.C. there isn't adequate apparel for nurses. Why? Because the b.c. lieberals have spent the past 10 yrs hacking the hell out of the B.C. medical system. They want nurses to use a face mask, ya, not one of those high tech jobbies, but a little piece of fabric. <br /><br />I say we send Stevie over there to work for awhile. Then he and his herd can truly see the destruction they have wrought with their fiscal restraint policies. well restraint policies for working people, the corporate elites, not so much. e.a.f.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-32237220514673001382014-10-19T12:48:07.440-04:002014-10-19T12:48:07.440-04:00Obama is relying on the CDC for guidence, Harpo se...Obama is relying on the CDC for guidence, Harpo season one of the Walking Dead! Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14162783936999869984noreply@blogger.com