Oh but on paper, according to the UN, and if you're from anywhere else it looks like a fantastic country. The countryside is clean (hah!), there is hope and work around each corner (for therapists, social workers, and morticians), the economy is booming (incentives and make-work, stat! and don't worry about any funding cuts), and the political system is sound, popular, and fair. Voters are engaged, and everyone has a place at the table, and access to whatever information they need.
Phone lines are buzzing. There are even allegations that America has been making a rather large number of methodical calls to certain individuals, etc... But what's hearsay, anyway?
And recently the country was certified as the safest place on earth, filled with the happiest, most drug-free, productive and intelligent human beings in history. From the happy, well-integrated ethnic stereotypes; to the happy, well-integrated aboriginal stereotypes; to the happy, well-integrated generic stereotypes, it's a country on the rise. You might as well refer to it as the planet's 'chilly, under-appreciated paradise'.
It's also rife with potential for political skullduggery. You should see the sort of discourse an omnibus crime bill generates. Therefore I am reviving the User Comment Rodeo from hibernation, and the effects of the omnibus crime bill will be on display. Today it seems to suggest that posting the best possible user comment first would be advantageous, so here it is, the winner, the king:
Moderates are really the best, especially those with sharp analytical skill. The rating has been downvoted by, probably, the massive crowd of idiots that generally constitute the internet. Marijuana, or pot, enthusiasts also clicked the old thumbs-down button. The 15 votes in favor could have come from any side of the argument. It's truly the crown jewel of the show: gateway drug analysis, great line spacing, impeccable writing... and the youth-stoner shout out at the end is masterful. This seemed, to me, like the rationale of... a prescription drug fiend. Or an abstinence fiend, or any kind of fiend. But at least a fiend, and somewhat independent-minded, and not an ideologue.
This was probably the best user comment rodeo I'd ever seen. Everyone was around to partake, including the best sort of internet user commentator: the satirist.
The rating speaks for itself. Unpopular comments that aren't misspelled, lazy, or offensive are generally clever and therefore unwanted. In the end "BinkyBinky" could have meant every word, could've meant only half of them, or could've been a hired content generator. In any case, the preceding posts were the silver lining of a dark, angry cloud.
I didn't really know what was happening. People on both sides were giving me apocalyptic vibes. The ground seemed to be quaking from fear and anticipation. Then I remembered the internet surveillance bill, and wondered if it was time to call the local bookie.
The voting system did seem stacked against the so-called conservative right. But again, politics is mostly branding, and a good brand doesn't need to explain itself. Part of the bill, for instance, considering the matter of correctional centers, refers to American jail corporations. Those are not corporations I would like to see anywhere, not even in the American midwest. But why wouldn't Canada's own correctional services jump into this mistake? Guards, locally recruited; foreign executives. Conrad Black, and where are ye now? The tangl'd swamps of Florida? Alaska's waists?
Democracy in action, right down to the thinly veiled, blinkered prejudice.
More excellent analysis versus knee-jerk hysteria. I understand that this happened a few weeks ago, and by all rights most of Canada should be in jail, replaced by American actors and actresses. I don't know if that's the case. If it is, then it's too late, and nobody will ever return from the diamond mines, oil extraction operations, and logging camps. This story needs to remain alive. The rest of the world needs to understand how unstable the situation really is.
It's so brilliant one wonders if there's a think-tank or cyborg responsible. Most likely it's a combination of legalism, mendacity, misunderstanding, apathy, foolishness, and naivete. There is also an alarming amount of immoderate ideology, and bad possibilities seem to be everywhere one looks.
Pretty sure this one is one that is trolling. This is a troll. It has to be or else I'd have to consider the knee-jerk that caused the typos, the logical inconsistency, and the generally sloppy mentality that the post suggests. I hate having to think about the sort of people who are blissfully indoctrinated with the worldview of an oak tree.
This guy didn't cite his sources, is posting anecdotally, and is completely right anyway. Pure snobbishness, but it's time to get serious.
The above was a candidate for best post. I sympathize with that viewpoint and, to be honest, it explains living in the world pretty well. Unless you're a lucky or canny bastard, the world is an annoying and hard war against common sense.
"Johnny Fivestar" is easily the best poster, but the lack of impartiality, and proximity to another interesting post, were dooming. Still, in terms of quality and perspective, this was the primo top-number-one post. There were none mightier.
There seemed little left to say at a certain point. I was thoroughly tired and dispirited from my joyless trudge through the user comment section. The silver linings were wearing out. Things were getting dark again.
This was not the first sighting of the term 'losers club' used to describe other political parties than the conservative option. There were many more, but a user comment rodeo can only last so long until it drives the operator insane or despondent. Currently I am between the two extremes, but things are definitely looking glum. Instead of any conversation, there are many monologues – and many of those seeming overly righteous.
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