G8/G20 - Any Thoughts? Official Thread

[Patty Smyth]

Well it will soon be upon us.

Let's start with the biggest issue which right now seems to be the cost. $1 billion. Our money, for what? What will be accomplished? What can come out of this?

Personally I don't think they should be meeting in any country. I think they should have all been put on an aircraft carrier at sea and saved us quite a bit of money. Split the costs among the nations. It certainly would cut down on the number of protestors that will surely be trying to disrupt anything and everything. Many legitimate but many just professional sh*t disturbers(these are the real trouble makers).

Down to the the nitty gritty. What will really happen? My thoughts are that these "deals" have been in the works for months and this is just a big photo op. You don't come to a meeting like this not knowing the outcome. Sure maybe there will be some last minute "surprises" but I think for the most part this is just a big show for the public. I am almost certain there is not one deal that could not have been made behind closed doors.

So why do this? Is this another scheme to deflect our attention from what is really going on in the world? Everyone comes together for a week, look all chummy, all is good, shall we all sing a round of kumbaya?

As for the agenda itself what stands out for me and I am still appalled at Harper(once again he didn't bother to ask anyone's opinion) for doing this is the fact that they will not support funding for abortions in thrid world countries. Everyone else is, what's up with this?

By the way since this is going to be a hot topic, i.e. it's a big country and we all have different political opinions, please keep it calm.

In conclusion my only hope is that there is no violence and that protestors get their points across in a civil manner.

[FallenPixels]

For the sake of my blood pressure, I shouldn't comment but here goes anyway

The cost of these meetings are overly inflated, even by summit standards. The UK spent just $30 million in security for the summit held there, London is by far a bigger terrorist threat than Toronto - come on the security guards don't even ask for the correct spelling of your name when you visit the legislature. And by going crazy over security they have mobilised so many activists who had no intention of attending who are now going to protest the security at the summit

The fake lake and holding the summit in a resort in Huntsville = just stupid

tbh, I wouldn't expect a Conservative govt (in most countries, not just Canada) to fund abortions, they are generally against them and have typical Christian views when it comes to any birth control so its a non issue for me, there are plenty of other countries who can fund them using our money to be used elsewhere and still spending the same money in the country overall

[Patty Smyth]

The Muskoka Initiative is being supported by many countries with "Christian" values. I think that Canada is one of the only ones not supporting it publically for now. Canada is proposing a billion in funds to support maternal health in developing countries but I hope they do not hold the funds back for this one issue. It is a minor part of what the funding is supposed to be used for. The majority is to help fight maternal mortality and post partum hemmorage which is a huge problem.

[Patty Smyth]

Oh dear, a security breach already. A man was able to buy an OFFICIAL airport security jacket from the Salvation Army. He got a good deal at $4.99.

[FallenPixels]

And gunshots in the G20 security area too

From what I have seen from the policy documents the money is to go forward with other countries supporting the abortion clinics

[Andit]

Well it will soon be upon us.

I`m just outside the security zone, but I`ve travelled through & seen the fencing. & of course, yesterday the first of the nonsense started. One protestor already in jail, who knows how many more to join him. I think I`d have more respect for protestors if they actually did something to help their neighbours & not just mugged for the camera.

Let's start with the biggest issue which right now seems to be the cost. $1 billion. Our money, for what? What will be accomplished? What can come out of this?

Canada is the only one of the G8 that hasn`t had a terrorist attack on home soil. That`s the reason for the high cost of security. We`ll see how much the final cost will actually be.

Personally, I think the best way to deter a few costs is to make each protestor pay a damage deposit. You want to protest, you pay $10K. If all is well & good & no one is injured, nothing is damaged, you get your $ back.

Personally I don't think they should be meeting in any country. I think they should have all been put on an aircraft carrier at sea and saved us quite a bit of money. Split the costs among the nations. It certainly would cut down on the number of protestors that will surely be trying to disrupt anything and everything. Many legitimate but many just professional sh*t disturbers(these are the real trouble makers).

Maybe. But how much money would it have cost to rescue the protestors from the water when their sailboat capsizes. Or their glider crashes. Aside from surfboards, that would be their only options, since they`re against the use of fossil fuels.

Also, you`d have to have a second aircraft carrier decked out for the media to report on the summit.

Down to the the nitty gritty. What will really happen? My thoughts are that these "deals" have been in the works for months and this is just a big photo op. You don't come to a meeting like this not knowing the outcome. Sure maybe there will be some last minute "surprises" but I think for the most part this is just a big show for the public. I am almost certain there is not one deal that could not have been made behind closed doors.

Yes, many things were made behind closed doors. But that doesn`t make for good photo ops. & since many of the leaders are facing unhappy voters in their countries, photo ops are worth a lot.

So why do this? Is this another scheme to deflect our attention from what is really going on in the world? Everyone comes together for a week, look all chummy, all is good, shall we all sing a round of kumbaya?

Yes, it`s good PR. It also puts pressure on leaders to not reneg on their promises. Kind of hard to say, yeah, I know I promised to do x, but our economy was better then, when your whole country knows exactly what you said.

As for the agenda itself what stands out for me and I am still appalled at Harper(once again he didn't bother to ask anyone's opinion) for doing this is the fact that they will not support funding for abortions in thrid world countries. Everyone else is, what's up with this?

Sorry, but I actually agree with Harper on this one (& not for religious or ideological reasons). These are not first world countries where women have a great deal of freedom to make their own choices. We`re talking about patriarchal societies where women are second class citizens. Do you really think they`d be *allowed* to have an abortion? There might be a few women who would go against the grain, but for the most part they`d be sitting empty. It would be far better to use the funds to give these women access to other forms of birth control (pill, iud, etc).

By the way since this is going to be a hot topic, i.e. it's a big country and we all have different political opinions, please keep it calm.

Does that mean you`ll still luv me for disagreeing with ya?

[Patty Smyth]

Does that mean you`ll still luv me for disagreeing with ya? [/QUOTE]


What's not to love?

Besides being from the political universe known as Quebec I would expect to be in the minority on just about eveything. LOL

One thing about the publicity surrounding the Muskoka deal that I find unfair is that the abortion issue is just a small portion of what they really intend to use the money for. As I said before I just don't want the money stalled over this part of it. It is going forward but.....we'll see.

Also with the rate of rape in these countries unfortunately it is an alternative that women will seek out whether there are safe ways of doing it or not.

[mcminsen]

Seems a few people in Vancouver will be expressing themselves about the G8, too. I took this pic yesterday afternoon.


Main St. Vancouver, June21 '10 my pic

[Lynn49]

Oh noooo...Andi....our son is one of the protesters and I can't afford the 10K!!

[Andit]

Also with the rate of rape in these countries unfortunately it is an alternative that women will seek out whether there are safe ways of doing it or not.

You have more faith than I do that they will be allowed to have an abortion. Families are more likely to allow their girls to have a pill (birth control pill, morning after pill, etc) than allow an abortion.

I still see it as a money pit, clinic sitting empty cause people will be too scared/ashamed to be seen going there.

[Andit]

Oh noooo...Andi....our son is one of the protesters and I can't afford the 10K!!

Well, if there`s no damage, the deposit is given back.

In all seriousness, please please please tell him to be careful. Some of the (less than sane) zealots have already made their presence known.

[Lynn49]

Are we talking about an abortion clinic as a separate entity from other clinics?
Then I might tend to agree with Andi...it's a stigma that some women wouldn't want to be seen having anything to do with.
Otoh....if it was just a regular clinic where abortions are performed, then perhaps women would be more likely to use the faciility for abortions....what a sad state of affairs in those underdeveloped countries, particularly where rape is so prevalent.....

[Lynn49]

Well, if there`s no damage, the deposit is given back.

In all seriousness, please please please tell him to be careful. Some of the (less than sane) zealots have already made their presence known.

Andi...he created some of the posters that are plastered around Toronto...and he's going there with a group from Ottawa.
He's really a pacifist-type of protester...but who knows if he'll be caught up in those zealot protest groups.....

[Patty Smyth]

Legitimate protestors always end up looking bad because of hooligans!

Funny you should say make them pay Andi because I know that in some states if they have to go and rescue you they do make you pay. Not sure if in Canada they have the same thing. I do know that if you damage public property whether it's an accident or not you have to pay. A friend of mine had a wipeout on the hwy and took out some fifty feet of frost fence and they made him pay.

[Lynn49]

Whoa, that's harsh re the fencing, esp it it was a legitimate accident and not provoked by drinking and driving, etc....What gets me are those bimbos who climb mountains or ski where signs are posted not to ski and then are needing to be rescued.
Survival of the fittest, pal!!
Too harsh??