Re: Attacks in Canada

[Rockhopper]

That's true Ka. The Leader is the public face of a pollie party. The ideaology is entrenched within the party and often the bureaucracies are entrenched as well.

My personal dislike of Harper is only from the media, so I could well be reading it wrong.

Tim.

[Rogue]

Tim, isn't it drawing a bit of a long bow to say NZ is a neutral country?

[Rockhopper]

We like to think we are Roggie but no country is truly neutral. Nor are we. Most Kiwi's here don't want us to become involved in another US balls-up!

ISIS has been conflated right out of proportion though. In fact they are only a very few. Most of the fighters in Syria and Iraq are ordinary Sunnis and are not extreme. Eventually they will let common sense prevail.

Tim.

[Stargate]

I agree Ka. It's no secret that I don't like Steve Harper, he's a Little Georgie Bush wannabe.

This incident will give him the excuse to clamp down more on the general population in the guise of 'Stopping "terrorism"'.

This has come as a warning to Kiwi's. The general consensus of opinion here is we should stay out of the fight in Syria and Iraq. We are a neutral country and value that neutrality.

We are of the opinion that the US created the mess so let the US sort it out.

Tim.

Tim, I cannot but read your last statement to be wishful thinking. I do not think there are any independent countries left on the planet. Most countries are now a part of the problem and are forced to be an Allie or an enemy. The US cannot solve its problems by itself, although it created most of them, the rest of the world has embraced the US in such a manner that they have become infected with a serious political disease that has become incurably. It has rendered the cultural immune system useless to a point that most countries suffer from dementure.

We the common people rely on the dictators for information that is so manipulated that most times all we can do is to create senarious that at best are inaccurate because it is laced with deceit and contempt. We are left to speculate and conjure solutions that are blurred and unrealistic. It is only a matter of time untill this ireversable force is pulled back into the vaccum of imbalance and begin to react on itself.
As Ice stated in a sense we are phobic, driven by the media owned by the minority of this world. I think not only Canada, but most of the world has followed blindly, making a bed of thorns and now they have lay in it. All I can say is very sad indeed.

[Mordae]

Your right Star, to a large degree, GDubya's comment after 9/11 is still a major part of foreign policy..."If your not with us, then your against us", and the old adage of "if America sneezes, the world catch's a cold" is still valid on the economic front.

Tim is correct in that the average Kiwi thinks getting involved with the ISIL situation is futile...problem is that the country was handed to people who spend half their time up Obama's butt looking for the lightswitch, although it was interesting hearing one of the opposition pollies recommending that the best way to stop ISIL was to sort out the main funder...Saudi Arabia

[Lenzabi]

But Saudi Arabia is also our "ally" as well as our drug(oil) dealer

[Mordae]

Supposedly, yes, but in actuality they are, IMO, playing their own game.

[Rockhopper]

Supposedly, yes, but in actuality they are, IMO, playing their own game.

Oh Yeah!!! They are. They are taking a punt each way. SA is Sunni and Whahabbi as well and ISIS has grown out of Whahabbism like a cancerous tumour! They are "Supporting" the US and financing ISIS!

Bloody shambles!

Tim.

[Lenzabi]

True, but as our Oil dealer as it is expressed by the oil business and government, they will not go after SA as they are basically our "dealer" in the strictest street sense of the term, America can't live w/o it's "fix" of Saudi sweet crude.

[Mordae]

TBH Len, America probably could. It'd mean an end to the military occupation of 150+ countries, the war on terrorism/drugs or whatever the flavour of the week is and having to take a serious look at developing a renewable energy program (which with the savings made from cutting back on the military budget, shouldn't be that difficult).

Once you put it like that, it sounds like it might be a good thing globally.

Can't see America going with that idea though

[Kaere]

I read somewhere that the US is now a net producer of oil, due to newer methods (fracking, etc). Soooo... they don't need to import it. Will look for the article...

[Rockhopper]

I've heard that too Ka. Part of it is the Tar Sands in Alberta and Nth Dakota. They are un-economic if the price of Oil drop much more. It's down to $67.00 a barrel now.

Tim.

[Kaere]

This isn't the article I was speaking about but does a good job of saying the same thing. I find it very interesting.

The XL pipeline from Canada to the US hasn't been approved as of yet (I don't think so anyway).

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101087815#.

[Mordae]

Fracking not so much Kaere, the economics show most wells are un-viable without subsidies, especially after the first year or so.

As far as I know the XL Keystone is still being reviewed (although I believe they may have a go ahead on the some other pipelines)...one of the main issues being (if the government is as paranoid about a terrorist attack as they let on), that you have a giant target stretching across the entire country.

[Lenzabi]

Fracking is protested against as it is suspected in toxification of drinking supplies.

XL pipeline has been stalled due to protests as well, as it would belong to the Koch Bros, who are infamous for letting pipelines rot and still using them till they explode. (and that is w/o terrorist attacks on the things).

but yes, we have gotten ahead of the Saudis in overall oil production. But how much is still light, sweet crude versus the heavier and un sweet(sulfur laden) stuff?

The more sour the crude, the more cracking is needed.

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