Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Canadian Political Free-for-All -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: marcos who wrote (324)	11/16/2000 11:50:26 PM
From: john	Respond to of 37263

Day is not the only one who "was brought up in a deeply religious family", there are many of us, i was myself, Me too, and I refuse to accept religious beliefs being pushed on me nor will I push my beliefs on someone else.

To: marcos who wrote (324)	11/17/2000 1:04:51 AM
From: Gulo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 37263

You're right, of course. The discussion of Day's social values is not just a media conspiracy. It could be a perfectly valid concern for the public. I just don't think it is anywhere near the major issue of the campaign. The media are trying to make it a bigger issue than it deserves to be. I was also concerned about Day at first. How, I thought, can we trust a person with such incredibly naive thoughts (e.g., creationism) to be a wise leader? How can we trust a person with such strong convictions to avoid the temptation to impose those convictions on the rest of us? The answers I came up with are: 1) in the Alliance, it is the membership that makes Alliance policy, not the leader. 80+% of the platform satisfies me. 2) the guy is impeccably honest, to the point of being unable to lie to defend himself. His intellectual honesty may be somewhat compromised by his religious convictions, but that is unavoidable in anyone that is religious. 3) the guy is very bright, and knows what will/will not fly politically. 4) his advisers are smart. 5) his own convictions include the 'sanctity' of personal responsibility and personal rights. 6) most importantly, his track record. Where other saw him lobbying against public funding for abortion, I saw a guy learn to live with a system that didn't agree with his personnal beliefs. The only religious theme that I find offensive is the propensity to judge others (gays, people having abortions, etc.). But when did Day or the Alliance actually state any policy detrimental to any of these groups (unless you consider the definition of marriage to be an issue)? As far as I know, the Alliance has at least one gay candidate, while the Liberals have none (correct me if I'm wrong). The oft quoted professor that says he heard Day state his belief in creationism many years ago hasn't spoken with Day for a long time. As far a I am aware, that is the only time he is on record as stating that belief. I don't know if he still believes it, or if he is still sure of what he was taught in Sunday School. There is a large group of people in this country that are quite uneducated vis a vis earth's history and biological evolution. They will stay that way because they already hold beliefs preventing them from learning about it. If Day is one of them, oh well. I just won't hire him as a biologist. He made a good point the other day, though. He shouldn't have to defend his views on the biblical account of creation any more than Chrétien should have to defend his views on the immaculate conception by the virgin Mary. Both are equally preposterous beliefs that depend on blind faith to survive. Why doesn't the CBC grill Chrétien? I still think that the main reasons we hear more stupid things from the Alliance camp than from the other camps are that: 1) Alliance members represent a broader cross-section of society because they have given a voice to anyone with an opinion to express. This open policy attracts all kinds. 2) Any candidate in the Alliance can state his own views even if those views have nothing to do with the party's adopted policy. In fact, most of them became candidates because they enjoy expressing their views. Most are young and have limited political experience. 3) The media continue to revel in any tidbit of supidity they can find coming out of the Alliance camp. If someone in the Alliance party says "maritimers should not be so dependent on handouts" it becomes national news and the guy is declared a bigot. If a Liberal says the exact same words, he/she would not receive media attention. -g