Land of the Free

[BlueSkyJaunte]

But then, Canada seems to have evolved beyond invading other countries in retribution for their bad behaviour.

Or perhaps you're just a relatively small population relying on the US to protect you (like the rest of the "civilized" world).

[Icemaster]

I'm still waiting for you to pose a solution or alternative...

[Icemaster]

And if you say "rehab" I'm going to lobby for nukeing you right now....

[rcecale]

Originally posted by Purrybonker
oops, this message just in...

The last time the US tried that Canada disliked it so much that they not only repelled the attack, but they marched all the way to Washington and torched the Whitehouse in retribution. (I think that gets glossed over in some history books, look it up - circa 1812)

But then, Canada seems to have evolved beyond invading other countries in retribution for their bad behaviour.

PB,

You should go on tour...you are friggin hilarious! Just when I thought you were being serious, you post something like this to make me laugh so hard I fell out of my chair! Awesome, man! I love it!!!!!

Uh.....you were joking, right? You don't really think anything remotely resembling that would (or COULD) even happen again, do you? Take a look at the border, buddy! Seems to me the US rocked the Canadians (read: "British") all the way back to the cold part of town and kept the prime real estate for ourselves.

You're really hilarious!

Randy

[damouth]

Originally posted by Purrybonker
oops, this message just in...

The last time the US tried that Canada disliked it so much that they not only repelled the attack, but they marched all the way to Washington and torched the Whitehouse in retribution. (I think that gets glossed over in some history books, look it up - circa 1812)

...and this proves your point how?

But then, Canada seems to have evolved beyond invading other countries in retribution for their bad behaviour.

Yep. Same reason while in Jr. High I didn't kick the livin' daylights out of that 200# 10 year old with a beard and pubic hair... Because I "evolved".

Sorry, couldn't resist a shot across the Canadian bow..

[CamB]

From the article:

[i]The latest statistics support that view. The new high of 2,019,234, announced by the Justice Department in April, underscores the extraordinary scale of American imprisonment compared to most of the world.[i]

Holy crap - my country's population is only 4 million In fact, you could invade New Zealand, ship us all over to the US mainland, and use NZ as a kind of "Absolom". Hehe. There are even two islands - use one now and one when the next 2 million are ready

I have not much view on this - the inmates have broken the law. However, the article is highlighting that the US has more incarcerated criminals per head of population than any other western country. This could be for a number of reasons:

- stricter laws means more convictable crimes
- laws policed more vigorously
- crimes prosecuted more vigorously
- prison sentences are longer
- prison sentences vs rehabilitation or diversion

OR what the statistic suggests on face value - that the US is lawless. Logically, the last point can't be true. It must be a combination of the other factors, plus I think the drug statistic in the article might be a factor (approx 1/4 of inmates on drug related?).

I personally don't think there is any link (or potential for criticism) between "land of the free" and number of people locked up.

[CamB]

Further proof of the difficulty with crime statistics - apparently, New Zealand is considerably more lawless than almost everywhere:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_tot_cri_cap

But we are 26th in prison inmates per capita.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_pri_cap

We have ~6000 people in jail.

And prosecutions - we have more than half the prosecutions but only 1/4 the inmates compared to the US.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_adu_pro_cap

For instance, I'm pretty sure that the NZ figure for prosections includes all traffic offences where you have to tell it to the judge and where diversion (first time offender thing) isn't available.

So what am I saying? Basically, you shouldn't be debating anything other than whether the issue is:

- a US policy to lock people up; and/or
- a US society which has a greater degree of more serious crime (worthy of jail time)

I suspect it is the former.

[Purrybonker]

You should go on tour...you are friggin hilarious! Just when I thought you were being serious, you post something like this to make me laugh so hard I fell out of my chair! Awesome, man! I love it!!!!!

Man, I sure hope you didn't take that seriously!

The history is true, the Whitehouse did get torched, but the inference that we would do it again was a joke, really... a Joke!

I am definitely not saying that if the US tried to invade Canada we would kick your butts. (that really is hilarious - my father was an RCAF colonel - he served and we lived on both Canadian and US airforce bases here and overseas)

Our military has been a whipping boy for the budget cost cutters for years to the point where all we can really muster is a bit of a fly-by.

But then Canada has set itself up as a peace-keeper and Canadian troops have done an outstanding job in that role since the days of Korea.

[Moneyguy1]

Purry:

As a former neighbor of yours (Upstate New York), and familiar with the Toronto/Hamilton area, I simply wonder at Canadians taking random potshots at their silghtly southern brethern. The only possible answer is somehow you personally are looking for attention, since most Canadians I have had the pleasure to know and associate with think more like their brethern, having more commonalities than differences and realize that statistics are just that: Numbers that can be massaged and fudged to suit the users purpose. Like a wag once said: "97.9% of those who use statistics in their arguments make them up as they go along." Before you, as an individual, start to discuss something you obviously have no personal experience with, please take a journey of discovery "South of the Border" and learn firsthand rather than rely on obviously biased articles written by individuals with agendas.

[Adam]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte:
Or perhaps you're just a relatively small population relying on the US to protect you (like the rest of the "civilized" world).

Ouch! Hey, Blue. We're in Iraq right now, too!

Public sentiment here is that the only reason we're there is to buddy up even closer to the USA. Seems we'll need you when our own angry little neighbours to the North decide to invade...

[emwporsche]

we have the highest percentage of people in prison in the entire world,
and we have the highest percentage of immigration in the world.......

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by Adam Chaplin
Ouch! Hey, Blue. We're in Iraq right now, too!

D'oh! Faithful friends and members of the coalition excepted, of course!

Sorry...

[john70t]

Check out the book "The Wars of America" by Robert Leckie. Reads like a comic book and has all the juicy details on how friggin stupid everone was acting in those days.

[Adam]

LOL, I was only ribbin' ya.

[dd74]

Purry, face it: you're just tired of wide bacon, aren't you?

[tabs]

America is a Racist country. The white anglo power structure in America uses the judical system to keep the black man in his place. Ninety percent of the prison population is of colour, nearly half of the prison population is in prison for drug offenses.

[Serge914]

It is quite obvious to me that your bigger criminal rate is related to the bigger gap betwwen the rich and the poor in your polulation.

[cstreit]

I dunno Serge, that reminds me of a story...

[WAYBACK MACHINE]

I was riding home from the airport in a cab and had struck up a conversation with the Nigerian fellow that was driving. We got to talking about why he came to this country and where his expectations of it were exceeded and where he was dissapointed. When we really got down to what attracted him to the US.. His response, and I'll NEVER forget it, was...

"I wanted to come to a country where so many of even the poorest people can afford to be fat."

[/WAYBACK MACHINE]

That one struck me.

[Larry Harris]

pbunker,
I'll bet you are joy when you visit your doctor, a proctologist, I'm sure. Please stay in Canada. We have enough idiots here already.

Larry Harris

[Jim Richards]

It is quite obvious to me that your bigger criminal rate is related to the bigger gap betwwen the rich and the poor in your polulation.

Combine that with the perception of many (but not all) that a lot of folks are getting rich by pushing the envelope of what's legal (e.g. Enron, corporate accounting "irregularties" and earnings restatements, mutual fund scandals, the old S&L scandal, etc.. Seems to me that type of thing would foster the mentality - get it anyway you can, while you can, hope you don't get caught.

Unlikely anyone can fix that anytime soon. The populace wouldn't understand anything other than the simple quick fix our pol's like to tout. People here are dumbed down by the education system, as well as the news and entertainment media. Throw in a few million illegals, don't encourage them to learn the English language, and let's sit back and watch the US become a military superpower run like a 3rd world nation.

And no...I'm not a liberal, nor am I a rightwinger...I'm complicated.