Dear Barking, I think you misunderestimated my intentions. It's meant to be how Martin and Bush "see" Carolyn Parrish. Who isn't a little proud of her for not towing the line? Thanks for watching. Paul

I love it- I am personally VERY PROUD of Carolyn, as you can well imagine; very funny condom comment Mad Fox- haha

;-} Paul. Cheers Fi.

Carolyn has balls we should nominate her for premier here in B.C.

one of the saddest things about the US these days is their own self-quashing of their sense of free speech -- so many thanks to Carolyn Parrish, one of the last true and free politicians on earth. We shoudl all send her an email saying Thanks!!!

Well, no, C-gull. She doesn't. Balls do not equal courage, I've just decided that. That expression will be called into question from here on in when I hear it. Carolyn is a woman. She's a bitchin' courageous one!!

As one American I know commented about Bush being called a "moron" (yes, I know it wasn't her who did it) "That will cause trouble. The truth always hurts." Far as I'm concerned, she did no wrong to speak out loud what many of her constituents (and others across the nation) were thinking.

She is a hypocrite, I didn’t see her doing this dance about Canada’s relationship with China or when the Liberals sucking up to the now deposed dictator of Indonesia. She reminds of a 10 year kid on a temper tantrum saying “Look at me, look at me” Going after Bush is just going with the flow. I could just imagine the outcry here if a US politician did these same stupid stunts. All she does is belittles Canada by her actions.

Parrish proves her intelligence by going after Bush. Bush has made the world more dangerous, more unstable, and more hellish for the poorest people in it by his stupidity, arrogance and fundamentalist parochialism. Suharto and Sukarno were kept in power by the Americans. China has replaced the Soviet Union as the biggest threat to Pax Americana since it holds so many of their debts, so small surprise the NeoCons want it to receive the bashing it never got when they were trying to open markets with it. I think Parrish is a great role-model for free-thinking people like the 78% of Canadians who no longer think the US is our greatest friend and ally (according to the Globe and Mail).

Parrish is just one more loser who will be forgotten 2 years from now. Big mouth, small brain. Enjoy your fifteen minutes while you can, Carolyn!

Parrish will probably continue to get re-elected time and time again. She's a great position right now -- independent, with a minority government that has less than the accumulated total of the opposition. There's a smart power-play.

I just want to know where I can get one of those condom hats! What fashion sense - it will probably be on America's next top model!

Dear Colin and Jason, I wish you the best of luck in the Green Card Lottery. I'm sure you will both be happier when you are allowed to leave Canada, go south and live in the belly of the beast. By the way, American politicians have no problem insulting Canadian politicians, they just can't insult them personally because they can't remember or never knew their names.

Sorry rkewen but I am a died in the wool Canadian. I have no intentions of running away when things don’t happen the why I would like them to. I have served with US troops and have a lot of respect for many of them, I also have a respect for lot of Americans and there commitment to their community and the principles that their country tries to represent. I also have issues with the US regarding softwood, NAFTA, Hecate strait and the NW passage amongst others. The difference is that I don’t resort to schoolyard tactics to get my point across. Do you have an example of a US Politician performing a stunt similar to hers? I could imagine some of the congressman who represent areas near the borders having harsh words about us, but not likely to be broadcast on national TV. I suspect Jason is right about the 15minutes of fame. I also think that history will be kind to Bush.

What Parrish did was over the top, and I won't bother about why she might have done it. I will say that by comparison to what US politicians have done (ask any Democrat veteran about Republican tactics), her "schoolyard tactics" are positively refreshing. I would be pleased if they would move to that level of reasoned discourse. As for history's assessment of The Shrub, I would guess lying the US to war won't be the worst thing you can expect to see written. I too have served with many US soldiers in the past, and there are equal numbers of those I respect and those I don't for various reasons, and I don't see what that has to do with the appropriateness of what Parrish did. Unless you mean to point out the purpose of the military (Canadian and US) is ostensibly to fight for freedom (including expression), but that doesn't fit your underlying point as I understand it.

CRW Personally I don’t think that anyone in the US, Democrat or Republican can be proud of how their parties acted during the election. Both stooped low. I brought up the point about the US troops as an example that one can both like and disagree with someone/country. I am afraid we will have to disagree on her actions. She acts like a spoiled child not getting her way and should be treated as such.

Naw, she acted like a maverick. It's about time some politicians did. She reflects the views of about 78% of Canadians. So I expect her constituents are fine with it. I wish more fedlibs had her kind of kahones.

We would have a better country if we had more politicians who would tell it like is. I have never beleived toeing the party line was correct if it went against honesty. Guess I wouldn't get far in politics today.

What really concerns me about the Parrish thing is how the media really created the whole uproar, not Parrish herself. It all started when she was caught uttering the "moron" line after she had walked away from a scrum, when a stray microphone was able to pick her words up. The media led the charge, mocking her for getting caught saying these things, and then lay in wait for her to slip up. They never let up looking for, and (literally) broadcasting it far and wide to make more of it than it really was.

I mean, to call Bush a "man of war" is simply to echo what Bush called himself, a "war president." When she called the Americans "bastards" she didn't mean all of the people of the U.S., just the Bush administration. So it's a swear word, big deal. Don't you think the families of the 100,000 Iraqis who died in the invasion, mostly civilians, might have uttered a few words too? Why is it right to treat such a man with respect, when he treats others in such a despicable manner?

The concern I have with the media going after Parrish, looking for tidbits they can "beef up and pass on" is that the chill it sends to anyone else who might harbour such thoughts. The message we all receive is, keep quiet or you too will be mocked and/or shunned.

We're being trained by the media to think that Parrish is an idiot, and that anyone who thinks like her is an idiot, and that people who keep quiet, or worse, who lie as easily as they breathe, are the ones who behave appropriately, and should be held in high esteem and emulated.

Conservative "go-to boy" Peter McKay comes to mind. Here's a guy often featured on the news or is frequently interviewed to have his opionions broadcast through the media. McKay is the same guy who illegally stole a political party, lied to its members, broke a contract (he's a lawyer), then rode roughshod over any dissenters. This is an example of a guy many in the media apparently think we should listen to, and look up to. What the hell is going on here?

I don't mind the media taking a stand one way or the other on Carolyn Parrish's comments, but openly making fun of her is something else again. An example of media bias having an effect on the "news" we hear is the host of CBC Radio's BC Almanac Mark Forsythe who openly mocked Parrish in one of his news quiz spots a few weeks ago. This is the same guy who was forced to admit to, and apologize for, having doctored a tape of a Bush news conference during the Iraq invasion to make Bush look as if he'd given a strong, coherent response (he had done just the opposite). Anyway, a complaint was launched with the CRTC who, after investigation, found it to be true, and required CBC Radio and Mark Forsythe to apologize. They got caught, and that's the only reason they apologized.

How do I know this? I heard the Bush news conference broadcast live in the morning, and two hours later heard a portion of it featured on the noon news. (Boy, did I do a double take when I heard the "re-creation." I phoned the station immediately to complain and the producer laughingly admitted they'd spliced together a piece from Bush's prepared statement to look as if that was his response to a British reporter's question -- Bush's actual response was literally a stuttering string of nonsense followed by Tony "Bliar" stepping in to save Bush further embarrassment. So I made a formal complaint to the CRTC.

Anyway, I'm going on waaay too long, but I wanted to alert people to the fact that the media, even the good old CBC, can be utterly under-handed when they want to, and it's pretty much impossible to catch them at it most of the time. By the way, you'd think Mark Forsythe would lose his job for pulling that kind of stunt (manufacturing the news to make "his guy" look better), but sadly not. But hey, Carolyn Parrish gets caught uttering reservations in an impolite manner, and it's almost a capital offence.

So, cheers to The Tyee, for genuinely striving to give us the real goods, and an opportunity to have a voice in the almost mass media. I don't see anything like it anywhere else. OK, I feel better now, I'll calm down.

CRW I am sorry somehow my comments came out under your name.

Funny how Parrish is so publicly spanked for her opinion of Bush and Stockwell (Doris) Day was left unpaddled for his lack of political appropriateness regarding the death of Yassar Arafat. I'd hate to think the right wing party allows more freedom of speech and opinion from it's members than the reasonably centre walking Liberals. Urk.

The pity is that no media seems to have heard the second half of what Carolyn Parrish was trying to tell us about the "thugs" (her term) who run the Prime Minister's Office. It's important information, with possible connections to the RCMP raids on the B.C. Legislature almost a year ago. We need to listen.

i often find myself wondering if George W. really believes his own retoric? Doesn't he realize that ,most of the world outside of the US, believes him to be a puppet on a string? I have met some Americans in my lifetime and have found them to be not so different from me and you. But politicaly speaking, they could do with comeing up for some reallity. I've heard that some Americans think that the rest of the world is jealose of their prosperity. I've got news for them, most of the world is fed-up with their nationalistic BS!!! if the US kept their fingers out of everyone elses business chances are that '9-11 would never have happend. IF the UShad a more stay at home to fix their own problems before they started putsing around with everyone elses afairs, maybe, just maybe they wouldn't be so hated in the rest of the world

IRe: MS. Parrish Is it just me, or does no one else realize that we really are the "fifty whatever state" of cource the media are going to jump all over her comments! SHE SPOKE THE TRUTH!!! The Canadian mainstreem media are all pupets of the powers that be. THEY ARE TOLD WHAT TO PERPORT AND HOW TO REPORT IT!! If this wasn't true then we would all see more stories about the tactics of the WCB. A government sponsered nazi like regeme that hides behind the thin vail of claiming that 90% of all claiments are faking! If we are faking PUT US IN JAIL FOR FRAUD!!! And conversely, if the WCB representatives are defrauding there clients of their rightfull claims then put them in jail too! I know... I did digress from my original point about the coverage of MS. Parrish but i could not resist!! please forgive any miss-spelled words. my spellings not that good but, the point is that; we see and hear what the powers that be want us to see and hear.They are rarely alowed to report the truth in the light that it was originaly seen in. All reporting in the mainstream medea is colored the way that it best siuts those in power. we are all but Pawns in a game that is played by those who play from a safe and discreat distance. please pardon my sp. errors thnks