Tell the Liberal you want to see action on BSE!

[ALLFARMER]

http://www.liberal.ca/tm_candidates_e.aspx

This link will get you to the e-mail of the Liberal candidate in your area. The time has never been better to ask for something, the Liberals want your vote badly.

I asked them to close the border again to American beef (I figured asking to slow the flow of energy for one day was to much)
Beef producers need leadership now, the Liberals might be listening.
If they want my vote (ya right) I said I would need to see some kind of public BSE action.

Write santa he is running for election in Quebec you know.

[whiteface]

Thanks for the link allfarmer. I absolutly will be traking down all the candidates and likely several times at that and letting them know in no uncertain terms what it takes to get a vote from me.

[les]

how about they dont issue any well drilling licenses to any US owned oil companys till the border is opened?

[kato]

Oh my...cut off oil?

Now those are fighting words.

[les]

now I didnt say cut off oil I said dont let them drill for it there is a difference.

[kato]

Is there? Out of the ground, or still in it, it's still oil.

Anyone who does anything to come between Americans and oil is walking on dangerous ground.

[whiteface]

Yeah, we'll end up being their next Iraq, and so will Japan for that matter if they don't take the almighty Americans meat soon. That would be their attitude...do what we say or get bombed, and why not, we've got tons and tons of weapons of mass destruction up here...in the form of meat infected with BSE. If we don't let them steal it, or oil, or anything for that matter, they'll come up with a stupid poorly researched reason like weapons of mass destruction to wipe us out and then take over our country. We need to pair up big time with Japan (for many reasons) and cut off both their oil ( under the same stupid rules they've got our beef cut off ) and their electronics from Japan and then see if they can be in too places at once with their bombs, or is it three now, with Iraq included, hmmm, now that I think about it maybe four, five, six, haven't they pissed off just about the entire planet with their arrogance and bullshit way of dealing with people. Makes you wonder why they're so afraid of terrorism down there, they've been raising shit all their lives and now it's comeing back to haunt them...they know they've treated people wrong and I think their days of being the playground bully are numbered. Starting with us making some new rules about how to deal with BSE. We're gaining support, we CAN do this and we sure as hell don't need the kind of "friends" we have to the south.

[cowman]

Well I suspect we shouldn't be too hard on our neighbors? Your average American is no different than us. They do seem to have some awful incompetent leaders however!
They also have this super patriotism crap drilled into their heads at an early age and it tends to make them think they are superior or something.
But lets not go off half cocked! They do major, major trade with us and they put a ton of money in our pockets! Lets not forget there is a lot more at stake than a piddling little business like the cattle business!
In the big picture this "BSE problem" will sort itself out. But we need to stay basically positive towards America! Lets face it, they are the "show"! No other market in the world can begin to compare to the American market.
A lot of people consider me anti-American, but I am not! In fact I would probably rather be an American than a Canadian...if they would get real about some of their more insane ideas...capital punishment, the war on drugs, war mongering!

[whiteface]

Too bad you aren't as proud to be Canadian, maybe both you and rsomer should be moving south and I for one would miss both of your input into the evolution of our great country. I as well believe that everyone has something to contribute to planet ( some just maybe haven't figured out what it is yet ) including the Americans but you also have to figure out which side you're on, which team you're cheering for ( as the americans as a country are VERY good at, I certainly give them that ) and them get your act together and pull for that team. Nice to see another persons point of view ( something they certainly cannot! ) but then why not be as patriotic as the next guy and worry about what YOU are going to contribute to YOUR team because THEY will NOT look after YOU...that is up to YOU and as a team and a country with a BSE problem now its up to US! Pick cows or berries, cowman and then pick a country, you're a valuable asset, I hope its our team! :-)

[kato]

Whoo hoo... it's getting hot in here!

Mr average Joe American isn't much different we are. These are really nice people, basically. They've just been wrapped up in the flag since birth.

The indoctrination starts really early, and combined with a general lack of education about what goes on outside the borders, you end up with a population that really does think it's living in the only real country in the world.

My problem comes with the attitude of big corporations, most of whom are based in the States. Europe has it's fair share too, as well as Asia, but for some reason it's the general "in your face we're taking over" attitude of the American ones that get's people's backs up.

They have more financial reserves than a lot of countries, and no conscience at all. Bottom line.. no other goal. Doesn't matter who gets stomped in the process, as long as the shareholders are happy.

To complete the picture, they have the American government in their pockets. In the eyes of the rest of the world, that makes them one and the same.

The American government steps in to help these corporations in the name of national security, when it's actually in the name of corporate profits. Then the general American population, which had nothing to do with it gets the blame.

All they did was elect the government, but because of the way their political system is set up it would be the same no matter who they elected, so they can't be faulted. The system runs on funding by these corporations, and any politician who cannot be counted on to repay his benefactors is pretty much guaranteed not to ever see office.

How on earth do we ever deal with this setup? I wish we knew.

Like it or not, our fate is tied to our neighbours to the south. We have to take the nonsense they dish out, but are restricted in how we respond. If we piss them off, we're in trouble. If we give in totally to them, we're in trouble.

We've just got to be smarter, that's all.

[cakadu]

Kato - the top 5 food distributors in the world all reside outside of North America - in this game the Americans are not even on the radar screen. You're completely right - they just go about their business. That concerns me far more than a lot of things do when it comes to our food.

I had a thought today that maybe the media should quit treating this as BSE issue and start calling a spade a spade - this is a trade issue and nothing more. It has long since been any type of food safety issue.

It's very sad that none of the parties has much of a platform when it comes to agriculture and even sadder still that we haven't heard much of what any of those platforms might be. Have any of you heard about what they might be doing?

[cowman]

Well whiteface, I will tell you I have a lot more in common with the cowman/farmer in Montana or Idaho than I have with some stockbroker or lawyer in Toronto. What are the reasons I should feel patriotic towards Canada? What has Canada ever done for me or mine? Alberta...yes...but Canada?
Sorry...I'm a full blown seperatist!
The berries are my hobby...never expect to make any real money at it.
America has treated us very badly on this deal. They've treated us very badly on soft wood lumber and steel.
In fact, what the American government has done is they have protected their producers? Is that a bad thing? Wouldn't you like to see your federal government do the same?
Why is it that America(and Europe/Japan) are willing to stand up and support their farmers and other resource producers, but not Canada? Is it because we just can't afford it? Maybe if the government wasn't comprized of a den of thieves there might be some money to bring us up to a level playing field? The gun registry deal, adscan, the public works rip off, and who knows how many other ripoff scams....do you think that kind of money might pay for a few export subsides or a few cow plants? Maybe if we had some of that money we could play hardball with the other countries? Or maybe allow us to not be taxed so heavy on just about everything, including the 10 cent "road" tax? A road tax that has never built a road in the west in the last twenty years! $500 million a year out of Alberta alone...for what? So Quebec can have new and better freeways while our own municipal infrastructure crumbles?
But fear not, Mr. Martin, is going to generously let Calgary and Edmonton have 5 cents of that back...and never mind the rednecks out in rural Alberta! Or at least that is what he says for now? How come he never got very excited about the roads the last twelve years? Well he wasn't worried about getting tossed out then! Suddenly this great concern for the west???

[whiteface]

I could be called a separatist too, cowman, when Quebec first called to separate and Preston Manning said sure, but only if Alberta gets to go to, I was all for it. It never happened but last time I checked, Canada was still a separate country and I too, am jealous of the way other countries protect their citizens in every area other than health care better than Canada. Our government is so hell bent on just giving away our resources and quietly bowing to everybody. Nevertheless, I live here, I choose to live here and I think that now is as good a time as any to either stand up for ourselves and represent ourselves if our good for nothing government is not going to. Our next election will be all about health care again and no mention of any thing else. I keep at them though, I'm patriotic, I'm a separatist against people that don't feel like pulling together and sure Alberta has been real good to me but we've got a good leader that understands our needs. I'd hate like hell to lose Ralph from Alberta but how would this situation look if he was running the whole country. I know, rsomer, you're going to say no different at all, our hands are tied in a NAFTA agreement and all we can do is wait. Bullshit, what century is this anyway?

[kato]

It is election time.. best time ever to rattle some chains. That's what a democracy is all about.

If we don't like the fact that the government isn't sticking up for us, then we need to elect one that will.

Only problem is, I haven't heard the word agriculture mentioned even once by any candidate from any party!

We are big on the map, but in terms of population, Canada is even with the state of California. Is it any wonder the big American machine can intimidate our government?

I wonder what's worse, Chretien telling them to take a hike, or Harper looking like he wants to cozy up.

We're still paying for Chretien's daring to oppose them, but if we were to do everyting we were told like a good little colony, we'd be paying then too, just in a different way.

It ain't easy.

[cowman]

Well Whiteface, I don't think I will comment on Ralph, as my opinion of him isn't all that great or supportive!
We live in bizarre times here in Canada. We are slowly but surely moving closer to the Americans(after all they own just about everything up here), but they still have a tendency to treat us very badly. And it really bothers me that the current US administration, has maybe treated us really bad over some silly comments about Iraq! Maybe they need to step back and realize how we have treated them? After all our soldiers are fighting their fight in Afganistan...fact...no one flew into our skysc****rs? And we continue to treat them, in a trade context with kids gloves? And we side with them on just about everything internationally...other than their lawbreaking little adventure in Iraq?
It also really bothers me that the three Canadian parties don't seem to give one fig about our problems here in agriculture? We really are a non-issue? And that is sad, but maybe reality? After all I think like 2% of the population are farmers?
So while we bleed and go down for the count, the public is focussed on how to give millionaire doctors more money!That seems to be what is important? And that is sad? Because one day the people might wake up and realize they let something precious slip away? But it will be too late then?