I've been chomping at the bit on this one:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/19/spanking-bill.html

and this one just in:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/19/father-court.html#socialcomments

You think society has issues now??? I take back what I said about tasers in my previous posts. Disciplining your child has gone the way of the dinosaur. Phone the cops and have them zapped! What is left??? INSANITY! Good for drug companies now as both parents and children will be doped up just so we can cope!

Good call applecork. Canada is headed the way of the super nanny state. Who is going to look after these children when the parents have no more options and just get fed up?

I was coming home last night and noticed two young native women hitchhiking in the same location as Nicole Hoar was last seen. Has there not been enough said about this to inform these young women of the dangers on the highway of tears? What is it going to take? Do they never read a paper of watch the news????

From the first page "It is, as always, your opportunity to talk about that which concerns you, as it is time once again for the Friday Free For All."

How many grammatical errors are in this sentence?? Did the editor take grade 12 english?

I could care less about spanking as consequences work in this house. THere is little room for b.s. with me just ask my husband. As for the girl who took her dad to court pppffftttt! I agree with the dad. this girl needs to be watched closely.

So, hitchhiking at night on the highway of tears? Three things wrong right there, but I am guessing that if something happened to these girls, the native community would be up in arms because the local police didn't do enough to protect them. It would be everyone else's fault. We all need to start taking responsibility for ourselves. You also mentioned Lindylou, that they were young. Where are their parents??

CONGRATULATIONS to pisspulper and his wife on their new baby girl!!!

:)

South Fort Guy, relax it's a nice day so far, enjoy the sunshine.

good point acrider...a dam rare thing these days!

' was coming home last night and noticed two young native women hitchhiking in the same location as Nicole Hoar was last seen. Has there not been enough said about this to inform these young women of the dangers on the highway of tears?'

Clearly enough hasn't been done to educate our local First Nations about the dangers of hitchhiking.

Until adequate resources are allocated from ALL levels of government, deaths will continue to occur along the Highway of Tears.

A quick look at the INAC website confirmed there are only 37 full time Dangers-of-Hitchhiking professionals working on reserves across Canada.

Unbelievably, the federal First Nations Dangers-of-Hitchhiking program has seen its annual funding DROP by 15% (to less than $270 million) under the current government in Ottawa.

We ALL bear responsibility for the tragedy of teenage First Nations girls and women standing on the side of the Highway of Tears, sticking their thumbs out and accepting rides from complete strangers.

We can't force people to not hitchhike. You can educate them all day and night but if they choose not to listen, whose responsibility is it then?

Here is all you need for educating of hitchhikers...It can be dangerous, don't do it. What else is there to educate. There I have rid my responsibility.
Other things:
1)Property taxes...ouch enough said
2)Carbon Tax...ouch enough said
3)Dumb drivers... enough said
The sun is shining and another great day to be Canadian!! Have a great weekend

Why is hitchhiking a government issue? When I was a kid, my FREINDS AND FAMILY taught me not to hitchhike. In my mind it is commonsense. And there is no way these two didn't hear about what is going on with the Highway of Tears. They knew the risks and did it anyways.

Moses, not blaming the victim is one thing, but thinking like yours is the reason why this country is going the way it is. At some point people have to start taking responsiblity for thier safety, actions, health, finincial situation etc etc.

Did anyone else read that the Chinese National Short Track Speed Skating team has signed a contract to train in Kamloops this summer for two (2) months???

Didn't we have all kinds of announcements about Chinese coaches and training in PG and didn't our Mayor make several trips to China to secure this type of thing???

How many trips to China did the Mayor of Kamloops make to secure this coup??

i dont see why everyone has a problem with fostering relationships with our soon to be largest trade partner. Prince George has seen its fair shair of return from China

I read that Accenture response this week and I was interested in reading more. Can anyone direct me to Rafe's earlier articles on the subject? Much appreciated.

PS southfortguy, I am not convinced that there are any gramatical errors in that sentence (I stopped short of cutting and pasting too word to see if it was squigly green line free).

So Moses...are you actually seriously saying that the First Nations people are not educated enough about hitchhiking??? Is there really a program called First Nations Dangers-of-Hitchhiking??? How come there isnt' a Caucasion Dangers-of Hitchhiking program? How many government funded programs do we need to teach First Nation people about common sense things??? Hitchhiking is dangerous, being a prostitute is dangerous, running across the street without looking both ways is also dangerous. I do not understand at all how you could think we ALL should bear the responsiblity of First Nations people standing on the road with their thumbs out. When I gave birth to my children,it was my responsiblity to feed them, make sure they got to school, love them, know where they are and who they are with, and yes, teach them common sense things that are not taught in a textbook. We get the local newspaper and while eating the breakfast that their father and I have provided for them, they read and learn each morning. I have taken responsiblity for my children and if everyone did that, First Nations or not, society would not be "blaming" the government for everything.

After relitycheck's post, I googled kamloops and china ....

I don't know whether I should post this or not .... here are results of Kamloops' trade mission

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/kamloopsthisweek/news/19435754.html

1. The Chinese National Speed Skating Association will train in Kamloops this summer from July 21 to Sept. 13.

2. Kamloops and China have also reached an agreement for the city to host a cultural exhibit, featuring artifacts from the Ming Tombs. The exhibit is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2010.

3. There was also an agreement signed between the Institute of Infrared Thermography and the College of Architecture and Urban Planning around efforts to provide education in China.

A delegation of about 15, representing a number of stakeholders, made the trip.

Mayor Terry Lake represented the city, along with a host of other representatives from Venture Kamloops, Kamloops Indian Band, TRU, Interfor and Domtar.

--------------------

So, seeing whether we will be able to outdo Kamloops?

Still wondering what that sttement about the airport means.

The wording "The delegation presented on the launch of the air cargo service with Prince George Airport in China." comes straight from the Pavilion site.

http://www.bccanadapavilion.ca/code/navigate.asp?Id=9&newsId=35

Maybe they are employing the same Chinese writers who write instructions of how to use the CD recorder ....

;-)

Get a life South Fort Guy. Let us now take a few seconds to look at your grammar.

In your first post, you did not capitalise the word 'English' like you should have. You also forgot to capitalise the first word of your second post and you spelt 'damn' incorrectly.

I read in a Boy Scout handbook (a thousand years ago) that the Boy Scouts of Canada did not condone hitchhiking. It was they said at the time and I still believe it to be still a form of begging.

Born in BC ... all I can see is that ideally there should be commas delimiting the words "once again" in the same fashion as commas were used to delimit the words "as always" or those words should be placed in front of the word "time".

But who cares, southfort obivioulsy has a bone to pick.

(hopefully I did not make too many grammatical errors in this post or the wrath of southfort will be descending on me as well)

LOL

I am sure that the Prince George China task force will make deals and sign agreements which will put Kamloop's efforts to shame!

Or, maybe not.

BTW, I agree with Lewis. This site's grammatical and spelling goofs are nothing compared to what one gets watching CNN and other America

Well said PG GIRL 2
For those of you that enjoy talk radio
1410 cfun

MORNING BUZZ
Shannon 6am -9am (Speaks her mind)
NiK and Val 9am-12noon
Phil Hendrie 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Coast to Coast 10pm -6am

http://www.cfun.com/

n TV news channels. They don't even know how to spell Afghanistan correctly and simple every day words.

I travelled Europe in the sixties .... hitchhiking was the way to travel for a large percentage of the population. British girls, in particular, travelled this way. It was probably safer to travel in that fashion than bicycling, for instance. I do not recall hitchhiking being considered a safety issue.

Mind you, I never hitchhiked. The reason? I was far too shy to want to be put into a situation of sitting together with a stranger for some time. In addition, I had the luxury of having a car at a relatively early age and there was a good urban public transit system.

So, faced with having been stood up by a ride you had to get to your destination 20 km down the highway, having no one at home, or no one who was able to drive, or no car, and no cell phone and no one else to call ........ you do what? ... walk along the highway to get home? .... and that is safe?

Many of us are put into unsafe conditions often in our lives and many of us take risk that when we look at the actions later we think of how lucky we were to have gotten away with it.

The reality is that we live in a world of mobility. The other reality is that some have less access to that mobility than others. It is again, a matter of those who have and those who have not.

hey diplomat ... looks like getajob interrupted your post ... LOL..... neat trick.....

That was no fluke Owl,,,,i planned it that way.

Owl, I'm trying to figure out what your point is about hitchhiking? The reality is that hitchhiking is dangerous.

The reality is that despite knowing the danger, many choose to risk it and do it anyway. Please stop apologizing for those who fail to take responsibility for their actions.

We travel out west a lot,all the way to Prince Rupert,and the number of girls hitchhiking is truly amazing!
This is nothing new.
But the really unsettling part is that in almost every case,they are younger first nations girls,with the odd guy thrown in for good measure.
Why is that,and where ARE the parents?
Don't these kids get it?
But why is it mostly first nations that seem to have a problem with this?
I have never seen non-native girls hitchhiking on the same route.
Are the parents and leadership not bothering to see that they are safe and understand just how dangerous it is?
Actually,it is really starting to annoy the hell out of me, to the point where I am tempted to stop and raise bloody hell with them,for all the good it would do!

"Where are their parents??" from PGGIRL2.
We have just observed Truth and Reconciliation day on CBC. The Truth is that the parents are in recovery from having no parents themselves. The children were separated from their parents' parents and sent away. They were not allowed to speak their language or know their families. We are lucky to have had parents and families to show us the way. Not so for the first people of this land. This is not an apology for them it is the simple truth.

MrPG ... I did not realize I was apologizing for anyone. I was stating what I consider to be a fact of life .... not everyone has access to mobility at the same level ... thsu other methods are used since mobility is an importantr aspect of today's society ...

Thus, the risks one takes to be as close to mobile as others are, are greater by those who have less access.

No excuses.

So, what do we do about it?

1. Make it illegal? .... not as far as I am concerned.

2. Those of us who feel we are responsible citizens pick them up before others that might have other things in mind do? ... that is most certainly a possibility to make the highways safer ... but then that is not like most of us, is it? And, after all, it works both ways, doesn't it? It could be the hitchhiker who is the prepetrator of some criminal intent.

3. get better public transportation opportunities? .. costly, and there will still be those who miss getting access late in the day or cannot afford access.

4. subsidize taxi or other fares???? for legitimate purposes might be reasonable, but will quickly get abused.

5. do an operation red nose all year long with volunteers for this purpose with the backing of service clubs?? .. just a call away such as a call to a taxi? .... I might be getting closer to something workable for true emergencies.

6 .. do nothing .... much more reasonable, especially considering the people involved .... :-(

As I implied, the 60's were more innocent times in my opinion.

PG Girl,

Lets hope you taught your kids a thing or two about being naive and falling prey to stupid rumours. Give your head a shake and pull it out of your rear end.

A course about First Nations Hitchhiking. Honestly, that makes as much sense as building screen doors for submarines.

Common sense isn't as common as one thinks it is. Common sense would tell you that you should question everything said about First Nations people, particularly something that sounds asinine as a hitchiking course. Now are you really that naive to believe that or not question it?

It sounds as stupid as sending First Nations kids to school so we could indoctrinate them with white thought and white religion. Ooops wait, we did that and last week Harper apologized for that, and the damage done to kids by stripping them away from their parents. Its sort of a generational thing.

Ok, how about this one, it sounds as stupid as a country interning its own citizens and taking all their possessions during wartime. oops, we did that to the Japanese.

I really hope you teach your children about the sordid history of this country in regards to its first citizens. Then maybe you could teach your kids empathy for a genocidal past that Harper apologized for and had the guts to say he was wrong!

Now that would take common sense!

oh yes, and Moses your an idiot for spreading false rumours!

oh yes, and Moses your an idiot for spreading false rumours!

I have to tell you I am right RIPPED over this oil crap, and living in a
country where in my opinion we are loaded with the stuff and paying world
prices is a bit more than this old bugger can swallow. I can remember when
WW
was going on we had gas rationing but the price wasb around 35 cents a
Gallon not a dam liter. Is it me but I think most Canadian just don't give a
dam and let the politicians walk all over us, where is the backbone that
we use to have in this country.
It seems to see that what is good for the lower mainland and Victoria is
how the rest of the province will be run, They don't give a fat rat's ass
about the rest of us........

:o

Howard,

Besides a rant what is your point? Do you feel hitchhiking is a result of Japanese internment? What does it have to do with the two people hitchhiking? Maybe there isn't a course on not hitchhiking but are you naive enough to beleve there hasn't been tax payer money spent educating people not to hitchhike? Pull your head out of your ass.

**STOLEN**

Sportek "Road Dawg"
Royal Blue
26" wheels
Full suspension
18 Speed
One gray and one black pedal arm.
taken from the Spruceland area.

Stolen out of our yard between 10pm June 19, 2008 and 6am June 20, 2008.

if seen please call 250-561-7463.

thank you

**end note, yes it was locked up, and an RCMP report has been made and all pawn shops have been notified**

Well .. I wasn't going to bring my pet peeve up .. but thouoght I might as well .... sorry for being so negative on such a nice day people

My pet peeve is that I can remember when coffee was 25cents a cup and it was bottomless ... and when you order breakfast, coffee came with it rather than getting hit for another $2.50 .....

that reminds me... my second car, a corolla, was $2,500 ..... now it is almost 10 times as much .....

So you say gas was 35 cents a gallon some 60+ years ago? ... and it is about 15 times as much now? ... we've had some pretty darn good deals in the last few decades then, it seems. $5 or so a gallon now would be just about right comapred ot the comparative prices of other things.

LOL Lewis - did i hit a nerve?

oh yes, and Moses your an idiot for spreading false rumours!

No point Travism.

Just trolling for idiots.

Looks like I have been successful.

Have a nice day. HA HA HA HA HA!

K people can't we all play nice ?

To Howard_B_Stern

I have taught my children that we are all made from the same cloth...the same things in life make us hurt, laugh and cry. I have taught them not to judge people based on where they live, what color our skin is or who their parents are. I have taught them well...very well, about life in general. We have Aboriginal Week at school, we have lunch programs for the aboriginals, we have extra learning aids for the aboriginals. I have sat through an assembly 2 hours long at my kids school as the big screen flashed a picture of every aboriginal kid in the school with a little quote about why they were proud to be aboriginal. Why was my kid not allowed to be up there? He is also proud of his heritage. And by the way, nobody would be "stripping" these kids away from their parents if they were looked after properly. It is not only Aboriginal people who struggle with parenting...we all do...yes I did say "we", but again take responsibility and quit living in the past.

What??????? There are idiots on this site????? OMG

I love PG and most of the people in it. I hate the ones that use public toilets and do not have the decency to FLUSH!!!! How ignorant is that? It is disgusting.

PGGIRL2 "And by the way, nobody would be "stripping" these kids away from their parents if they were looked after properly."
Untrue PGGIRL it was Federal Government policy to take ALL aboriginal children from their parents so as to take the Indian out of the Indian. They were looked after properly by their parents but certainly not by the residential schools they were placed in. The churches have apologized for that and so has the Federal Government. Time for a few courses at UNBC to study Canadian history????

Lived in Europa in the 60th never seen a
hitchhiker, with a bike you could go anywhere or pay for the Train, so why do some hitchhike here ? "I don't care no one will harm me ?

Is it still government policy to remove children from the homes to remove the Indian out of the Indian? No, it is not. Children are being removed from their homes or lack of because they are not being cared for. And while that child is being removed, another is being born to the same mother who couldn't take care of the first one. So what is the problem now? What is the excuse for parents not living with their children and being responsible for their actions? Who's fault is it now?

Posted by: Foo738 on June 20 2008 11:29 AM Time for a few courses at UNBC to study Canadian history????

Are you serious? Have you ever looked at a UNBC calender? There are plenty of Native History courses. Thats a good use of tax dollars. A white girl I know took one of these courses for filler and said she couldnt believe the reverse racism in there. Government sanctioned reverse racism. I guess thats what happens when we feel bad for something we (as individuals, not as society) didnt do. I just know the Natives will fix there own problems.

Moses wrote:
"Unbelievably, the federal First Nations Dangers-of-Hitchhiking program has seen its annual funding DROP by 15% (to less than $270 million) under the current government in Ottawa."

Is this sarcasm, because I must admit I cant tell? If not then "Dont Hitchhike." That was free, how the hell can they have 27 full time equivalent positions and 270M pissed away on that? If I wasnt so familiar with INAC funding I wouldnt even believe its possible, but unfortunately I am and it is.

norseman last night on global news it was mentioned that gas could go as high as 2.25 litre within the next year. Sure hope I heard wrong!

norseman

If you skip ahead app. 3/4 of the way to the Gateway segment it talks about it.
Here is link to newscast:
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/bc/video/index.html

There is still extensive hitchhiking in Europe. One of my sons did it in the 90's and met dozens of young people doing the same thing who were from European countries, Canada and the US. Perhaps that is the point. It is much safer there because it is an integral part of the society and a common practice for young people to tour the continent.

The "Highway of Tears" is surely a special case. There have been so many disappearances of young girls, not all of them First Nations, that it is likely that numerous murders have been committed. Why would any reasonable person begrudge the attention being focused on stopping people from hitchhiking along that highway. The lack of compassion boggles the mind.

How long did anti-smoking publicity take for people to give up their cigarettes? Over fifty years by now, surely, and still people puff away daily with many of those posting to this site bitching and complaining about intrusion into their rights. Why is that any different? Does the fact that most of the insistent smokers are non-native make it alright?

First Nations teenagers are Canadian citizens and deserve the same attention to their safety as the tobacco addicts among us.

Am I wrong or did the City pass wistleblower legislation?
Why hasn't Opinion 250 checked up into what happened to
a couple employee's that were not protected? Now no longer employed.

Howard B Stern.. The real Howard Stern can actually have a decent debate maybe you should tune into sirius100 and jot some tips down.

Time to stir up the hornet nest im bringin out the guns.. Can we please give highway 16 a real name!! "Highawy of Tears" is getting disgusting.. Yes there has been alot of tragety on that highway but lets not brand one of our landmarks in a negative way because of the actions of a few peices of trash out there that caused this. There can be other ways of honouring the victims and bringing awareness by setting up landmarks or monuments in key places for the victims.

All this talk about white vs aboriginal and who is to blame for what... I just don't get it. Original post was only commenting that there were two young women witnessed hitch hiking and expressed concern about the stupidity considering all of the publicity out there with regards to the dangers. The only mistake was that the girls were described as native. Big deal - just as they could have been described as caucasion, asian, east indian, etc. Who cares what nationality they are - they are young girls. it is dangerous, risky and scary, they are hitch hiking and they know better - don't even try to pretend that they don't, unless they have been living in a cave up until now. I do not agree with picking these people up - that is also ridiculous considering the fact that they could be dangerous themselves - no one ever knows. The fact remains that we all have to take responsibility and learn to protect ourselves. It would be nice to be able to make comments, express concerns, engage in banter without having a select few jump on the bandwagon as soon as someone perceives there to be something racist.

Yes, the past is horrible and the results of the past carry on over the years as a vicious cycle - but the cycle can be broken - choices can be made and I am sick and tired of hearing how others are being held responsible for the actions taking place in the here and now. A child molester does not have the right to molest children just because they were a victim in childhood, nor do his / her victims. Any abuse, be it physical, emotional, sexual, neglect is unacceptable, regardless of race. Making excuses for anyone - Aboriginal or not is only enabling and contributing to the problem, not working towards solving it. Just my opinion. Everyone has issues. Many people have had parents that were unfit, some make the choice to make a change for themselves and others don't - there are resources, there is help out there - one just has to find the desire and the courage to want more for themselves and work towards achieving it.
Just my opinion.

Just another thought - one way we can all be a part of the solution would be to call the RCMP and report these hitch hikers - we could be saving their lives. Why not make that call instead of shaking our heads in disbelief and just keep on driving? Help them. Just to keep on driving and ignoring them is being just as irresponsible as they are. Some efforts in prevention would probably be very effective.

Undermining a parent's authority by making grounding and spanking illegal teaches children they don't have to obey consequences from their parents. I am not talking about abusive situations. Our tax dollars and justice resources are being tied up while the real criminals are sent through the revolving door. If spanking (not abuse) is criminal behaviour, and a parent goes to jail, they get more time than a drug dealer. I agree with all the comments made linked to the article on CBC. Government has NO BUSINESS in my home or your home, when there is no abuse.

Hitchhiking is another example of where society has failed. Not every driver who picks up a hitchhiker is dangerous but the government made it illegal to stop and pick up a stranded person. So which is more dangerous? Leaving a person alone on the highway, or picking them up? I have many times wanted to give someone a ride to where they needed to go -- out of kindness.

This society is full of it! Teens are being taught that there is no such thing as right and wrong. Many adults believe this as well. Consequences? What consequences? Did you know it is considered cruel and unusual punishment by some to isolate a child now? I am speaking of time outs and sending the child to their room. Did you also know that making your child do chores is also considered cruel. As soon as the child is a teen then they can be expected to -- well good luck with that! If you don't instill the concept of picking up after yourself when they're young I guarantee you, you will have a beligerent teen on your hands. Cursing from a child? Soap is out, because that is cruel. Taking privileges away? I know of several parents who faced a social worker because they were not allowing the child to be a child and were not allowing them to see their friends. So, I am not sure what consequences are acceptable anymore for law abiding parents to teach their children ethics, morals and good citizenship when they err. " Gee Johnny that wasn't appropriate." Where is the teeth in that? The child responds, "Whatcha gonna do about it?" Or the classic, "Make me!"
Now they are learning they just have to find another adult that agrees with them so laws can be changed to suit the misbehaving child. When someone now says I don't have to respect YOUR authority they are absolutely correct - it is in the law now.

Guess I shouldn't be surprised...we legislate everything under the sun now.

Just another thought - one way we can all be a part of the solution would be to call the RCMP and report these hitch hikers - we could be saving their lives. Why not make that call instead of shaking our heads in disbelief and just keep on driving? Help them. Just to keep on driving and ignoring them is being just as irresponsible as they are. Some efforts in prevention would probably be very effective.

The RCMP thinks it has paperwork now...just wait! We will be calling you for discipline issues, hitchhikers, you name it!

I am not sure that making hitchhiking illegal is the problem. What if you dont have a car? Then you have to walk. Is that right?

Lets all just pray that they catch this s.o.b. Then this entire discussion can end. Lets keep our eyes open out there and maybe the good guys will catch a much deserved break.

My sister was friends with Nicole and she and all the other victims and their families deserve closure. I dont care if they are Native, white or purple.

I am not sure that making hitchhiking illegal is the problem. What if you dont have a car? Then you have to walk. Is that right?

Lets all just pray that they catch this s.o.b. Then this entire discussion can end. Lets keep our eyes open out there and maybe the good guys will catch a much deserved break.

My sister was friends with Nicole and she and all the other victims and their families deserve closure. I dont care if they are Native, white or purple.

Is it still policy to remove Indian children from their parents to get the Indian out of them? No it is not.

However, it still is Government policy to exploit land owned or claimed by First Nations without their consent. At least, that appears to be the case because if happens with monotonous regularity. In the news at the moment is an item about just that, where an Alberta First Nation has blocked a road in BC. Why do Government actions that lead to such a reaction continue? The fact is that First Nations Canadians are still subject to institutionalised bigotry. They are still treated differently from other Canadians.

As long as governments and individuals continue to look down their noses at First Nations Canadians and abuse the position of power that is held over them, then we can expect these kinds of events to continue. Reconciliation is far more than an apology. It involves actions and changes in attitudes. Yet at the same time as an apology is given by the Prime Minister, an insult is given by one of his party's MPs essentially rendering the apology a joke. That is the major problem, statements which push the belief that First Nations have no rights to the benefits they receive. Well, they do.

I find it difficult to believe that still, in this day and age, there are those who believe that First Nations Canadians who live in poverty do so because they want to, that it is their own fault, that they choose to live like that. That is nonsense. Compare the attention paid to the unemployment levels in Mackenzie to the attention paid to unemployment levels on almost any reserve. Tell me why there is outrage over Mackenzie's unemployment levels but no commentary at all about the situation on reserves. Does anyone even know what the unemployment levels are on the Lheidli T'enneh reserve in Prince George? Does anybody even care? Isn't it as much a tragedy when a First Nations' man can't get a job to support his family and community as it is when a Mackenzie man can't?

The original comment called attention to the race of the two young women. Why was that? Why was it not just "two young women" rather than "two young native women"? Is their race relevant? Would it not have been just as dangerous and foolish if they had been "two young white women"? Of course, nobody would ever express it that way, would they? Who would go out of their way to note the race of caucasian girls? As it is said, "It is impossible not to communicate". It comes out one way or another.

The circus is coming to town. Isn't that great news?

shhhh opinionated....
don't tell the SPCA.......

Is it not fact that most of the missing women on the highway of tears were aboriginal? Does that not hint that maybe this predator that's taking them may have a connection to their race, or is it just that more women hitchhikers are aboriginal and its sort of "law of averages" that they're the race that's being preyed upon most?

Either way, it seems to me that due diligence would be to make sure that all first nations peoples are made aware of the statistics, as well as the general populace. If it was my responsibility to educate the public about the dangers of hithiking with regards to the sad statistics of the highway of tears, the first group I'd be setting up a program with would be First Nations!

Call that racist if you want - I'd still make sure the (apparently) most vulnerable group in any criminal investigation got immediate priority.

I think they HAVE been made aware of the dangers of hitchhiking palomino,they have just chosen to ignore it, and obviously their leadership doesn't seem to think it is a priority either.
And I wouldn't call it "racist" at all,I would call it an honest opinion that makes sense.
And I say that because I see it all the time, so somebody is not getting the message!

New idea: It is reasonable to sooner or alter expect the provincial government to move Departments of the government from Victoria to the mainland, and there is no better time than now for this to happen. the location, in Victoria has, at the best of times delegated the Legislative Assemblly to never, never land due to being inaccessable, costly and time consuming to go to. In my opinion Foresty, Transportation and even Health could better serve the province from it's centre. It is now becoming practically an impossibility to get delegations there.

Thx Andyfreeze(Father's Day Post) and Heidi for the congrats.

And on a happy weekend note, for those who have forgotten, the Circus has been here all along, you just didn't have to pay admission :)

Outwest said:

"Lived in Europa in the 60th never seen a
hitchhiker, with a bike you could go anywhere or pay for the Train"

I tell you, you lived a very insulated life while you were there.

I was travelling for several months from Holland to the southern most part of both Spain and Italy as well as into Austria and Yugoslavia. We had a car with 5 people, so were never able to pic passengers up. But, we had eyes with which we could see, and we stayed at youth hostels. The most common mode of transportation was hitchiking. Some people latched onto rides at the hostel, others at local restaurants and typical youth hangouts and others simply thumbed a ride on the road.

Which, of course, should remind us all that thumbing a ride on the road is not the only way to get a ride from A to B with a stranger.

In fact, one of the girls in our group met someone on the beach in Jesolo near Venice and decided to go with him and meet us in Rome at the hostel there .... SOMETIME!! .. no contact, no cell phone in those days ...... and we did meet her a week later .....

Different times, different place, different people ....

And for anyone who was around in those days and has managed to forget them, or led a very sheltered life, here is a piece of information that deals with the topic and ensures some of the doubters that it existed and that times truly have changed .... for the worst in this case, in my opinion ...... and it is too bad because being so insular and overpotective means, in my opnion, that we interact less and less and cacoon more and more. And that, in my opinion, does not make for a very safe society.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6576347

from that web page:
"Let’s Go Publications. This best-selling budget travel series, founded in 1960, caught its own ride on the success of the hitchhiking movement. Its 1962 Europe edition carried tips like this: “Boys will get rides faster if they pair off with girls; girls welcome the protection.” By the 1970s and 1980s, however, the books were more frank about the dangers. In 1991, the Europe guide stated a new, official position: Let’s Go does not recommend it."

http://www.bugeurope.com/transport/hitch.html

So, you think this is a First Nations "problem"????

Think again before your racism attitudes show once more .....

;-(

Look at these First Nations girls (NOT!!!!)hitchhiking in New Zealand in 2006 .....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Elsa_amylin_kiwi_experience-2006-11-28.jpg

9,340 pictures of hitchhiking on FLICKR.COM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Elsa_amylin_kiwi_experience-2006-11-28.jpg

While there may be a safety issue around hitchhiking, the highway of tears issue is a bit deeper than that I would think. So, let's find out what that issue really is.

How come conservation officers and fisheries officers are dressed like some para-military outfit. Whats with the side arms?. Vicious salmon, terroist rabbits?

NO Hitchhiking,Pickup is illegal.

Signs posted stating this law on every hwy in BC

Posted by: opinionated on June 20 2008 3:52 PM
The circus is coming to town. Isn't that great news?


This is the circus

Posted by: seamutt on June 20 2008 6:41 PM
How come conservation officers and fisheries officers are dressed like some para-military outfit. Whats with the side arms?. Vicious salmon, terroist rabbits?


Kind of a retarded question there fish
farmer.
Why do you think they carry weapons?

It's Wabbit season!!

It's Wabbit season!!

No seamutt, Yogi and Booboo fish too and humans don't share.

Well no side arm is going to stop Yogi. For close in 12.guage slug. Lostfaith just had farmed salmon on the barbi tonight-yum yum.

"What is the excuse for parents not living with their children and being responsible for their actions?" quote from PGGirl

I think one possibility could be family values? How can they learn family values when they have had no family?

It is easy for us as we come from different countries (and we all do;) we bring our family values and traditions with us. Their's have been taken from them, add to that, lack of respect and understanding from those who would judge them. Until you can place yourself in their position you can never understand what has happened.

Just imagine this: Monday morning at 8 a.m. officials arrive at your door and tell you "we are taking your children away from you". What would you feel? Where would you go? Who could you appeal to? You would need imagination and empathy to even begin to understand their great loss and the resultant loss of the children and the children's children.

seamutt! it isn't for yogi lol

When are we going to stop making excuses for their behaviour? What is it going to take for the cycle to be broken? With all the government fed programs and groups there are no more excuses. I know many aboriginal people who chose to make a difference. They have jobs, own their homes,and have raised well adjusted, happy children. Make a choice and make a change.

Posted by: seamutt on June 20 2008 8:12 PM
Well no side arm is going to stop Yogi. For close in 12.guage slug. Lostfaith just had farmed salmon on the barbi tonight-yum yum.

To bad you didn't choke on it :)

Posted by: Foo738 on June 20 2008 8:26 PM
"What is the excuse for parents not living with their children and being responsible for their actions?" quote from PGGirl

I think one possibility could be family values? How can they learn family values when they have had no family?

It is easy for us as we come from different countries (and we all do;) we bring our family values and traditions with us. Their's have been taken from them, add to that, lack of respect and understanding from those who would judge them. Until you can place yourself in their position you can never understand what has happened.

Just imagine this: Monday morning at 8 a.m. officials arrive at your door and tell you "we are taking your children away from you". What would you feel? Where would you go? Who could you appeal to? You would need imagination and empathy to even begin to understand their great loss and the resultant loss of the children and the children's children.

Not true Foo, I am from Canada.
The rest of your story is history and it's time everyone involved moved on with their lives and simply dropped the subject.
It's getting a little tiring listening to all the cry babies wanting my money for things other people and their church friends did many years ago.

Southfortguy sounds like sad sad little man. I have seen mistakes on greeting cards, menus, vehicle logos, you name it. And the print newspapers are often the worst. If we went around criticizing every mistake we happen to see.....we may as well shoot ourselves now! Let's just all admit we're human - well....everyone except "southfortguy" that is.

"The rest of your story is history and it's time everyone involved moved on with their lives and simply dropped the subject"

Easy for you to say, it is, after all, not your culture that is being lost.

Time for the Palestinians to move on.

Time for the Tibetans to move on.

Time for the Serbs to move on.

Time for the Kurds ot move on.

Time for the Armenians to move on.

Time for the Inuit to move on.

Time for the Laplanders to move on.

Time for the Romansch to move on.

Time for the Irish to move on.

Time for the Scottish to move on.

Time for the Somalians to move on.

...... well ... it is time for the just about everyone who gets in the way of the domineering cultures to move on .......

As the ad says ....

"welcome to the rat race. Your mission: to stomp all over the other guy before he stomps all over you. Sound like a good way to run a community? A country? How about a whole species?"

heehee...it is after midnight! woohoo! what a beautiful summer day we had!

Note to all rats: Duck and cover! lol

;)

Okay, who wants to know why you are paying through the teeth for gas?

During the 1999 presidential campaign of George Stupid, that Saudi slave was able to make hay from the fact that President Clinton once had "no energy policy" during his 8 year regime, and once tapped the country's Strategic Energy supply. In fact, Clinton deferred to the free market:
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4758

Wall Street generally supported Clinton inaction, and championed the development of Options trading in petroleum:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2008/01/200-oil-options-increase-ten-fold.html

Clinton's former Labour Secretary has produced this whitewash of his administration's role in causing oil price volatility:
http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2008/06/why-is-gas-at-4-gallon.html

Under Clinton, New York interests took a shot at Chicago prevalence in the commodities market. Currently, the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) effectively controls global prices of petroleum goods:
http://www.huliq.com/27288/nymex-to-introduce-rbob-gasoline-and-heating-oil-options-on-cme-globex

During the current US presidential campaign, rather than risk loss of business support candidates have focused on funding alternate energy resources, or new means of transit:
http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1401672/high_gasoline_prices_spark_gusher_of_energy_legislation/index.html

Finally, high oil prices are the result of the Options market, which indulges trade manipulation. Any 2-bit guru can cite a reason why prices should rise, and the institutional investors (Insurance, mutual funds, investment groups, etc) flood the so-called Hedge market. Gas prices are high because profiteers want them high. The current gouge is largely the result of indulgence of a single mouthpiece:
http://www.blogrunner.com/snapshot/D/0/0/an_oracle_of_oil/

Is the US running out of oil? The country runs 3800 off shore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. An estimated one half are tapped. That is: they could produce but are kept in the reserve balance sheet. The Bush Crime Family - owned by Saudi parasites (Aramco) - indulges market manipulation because they earn millions from same. Vice President Dick Cheney made $60 million in unearned money from his connection with post Gulf War oil interests. George W Bush wants the same thing. Prior to assuming office, he profited from dry well operations with the Arbusto firm (Spanish for bush), and raked in millions from Enron and his figurehead connection with the Texas Rangers baseball team.

http://thinkery.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/29/bandarbush.jpg

http://www.hermes-press.com/bush_kiss.jpg

http://www.hermes-press.com/BushSaud.htm

Okay, who wants to know why you are paying through the teeth for gas?

During the 1999 presidential campaign of George Stupid, that Saudi slave was able to make hay from the fact that President Clinton once had "no energy policy" during his 8 year regime, and once tapped the country's Strategic Energy supply. In fact, Clinton deferred to the free market:
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4758

Wall Street generally supported Clinton inaction, and championed the development of Options trading in petroleum:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2008/01/200-oil-options-increase-ten-fold.html

Clinton's former Labour Secretary has produced this whitewash of his administration's role in causing oil price volatility:
http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2008/06/why-is-gas-at-4-gallon.html

Under Clinton, New York interests took a shot at Chicago prevalence in the commodities market. Currently, the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) effectively controls global prices of petroleum goods:
http://www.huliq.com/27288/nymex-to-introduce-rbob-gasoline-and-heating-oil-options-on-cme-globex

During the current US presidential campaign, rather than risk loss of business support candidates have focused on funding alternate energy resources, or new means of transit:
http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1401672/high_gasoline_prices_spark_gusher_of_energy_legislation/index.html

Finally, high oil prices are the result of the Options market, which indulges trade manipulation. Any 2-bit guru can cite a reason why prices should rise, and the institutional investors (Insurance, mutual funds, investment groups, etc) flood the so-called Hedge market. Gas prices are high because profiteers want them high. The current gouge is largely the result of indulgence of a single mouthpiece:
http://www.blogrunner.com/snapshot/D/0/0/an_oracle_of_oil/

Is the US running out of oil? The country runs 3800 off shore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. An estimated one half are tapped. That is: they could produce but are kept in the reserve balance sheet. The Bush Crime Family - owned by Saudi parasites (Aramco) - indulges market manipulation because they earn millions from same. Vice President Dick Cheney made $60 million in unearned money from his connection with post Gulf War oil interests. George W Bush wants the same thing. Prior to assuming office, he profited from dry well operations with the Arbusto firm (Spanish for bush), and raked in millions from Enron and his figurehead connection with the Texas Rangers baseball team.

http://thinkery.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/29/bandarbush.jpg

http://www.hermes-press.com/bush_kiss.jpg

http://www.hermes-press.com/BushSaud.htm

I posted a duplicate by mistake. Please delete one, and this message. Sorry.

Truth or Cameron, I think you have the tin foil wrapped a little too tight on your head again tonight. You should get out of your moms basement a little more often.

Duh! C-P can't comprehend data, and in his quandary of suffocating dissonance, he feels compelled to lash out at his betters. If you want the names of same, just pick up a phone book. Any name will do.

Duh! Get educated, or sue your parents for wrongful birth.