11.16.2002 || 09:58

A few thoughts on war

Hm. According to the National Post, 'Canada is not being asked yet to support an American-led war against Iraq, but US secretary of State Colin Powell made it clear Thursday that if military action is deemed necessary, then Canada will be expected to contribute.'

Pretty ballsy, if you ask me. Why Canada should be expected to contribute to a war born from an American vendetta is beyond a lot of people around here, there's the fact that the Canada's admittedly stellar contribution to the Afghani war left the country without enough resources for business-as-usual, meaning that the Forces are now looking at what to cut back on in order not to bankrupt themselves. Oh, and a recent senate commitee report recommends withdrawing all overseas troops for the next two years in order to help ease the stress on our resources.

Yet Brigadier-General Fenton says that Canada could contribute 800 troops.

Eh?

So, after the financial strain of *another* little CNN war, how will the Forces recoup *those* losses? Selling their tanks? Retiring the other half of our air force? Bake sales?

Now, I've got a problem. Aside from the fact that a Canadian soldier in Iraq would be in the wrong, there's the fact that he'd be a woefully underfunded soldier facing off against a better-equipped good guy who's fighting for his own territory. And whereas the US habit of sending Canadians in first did nothing but garner the Canadian units the most kills. But there it was a case of a Canuck sniping from behind rock outcroppings while his buddies moved forward to clean up the survivors.

Iraq: Ruefully short of rock outcroppings. Lots of desert, a hugely militarised population. Canada: No fucking desert camouflage. The government sold it all after the *last* time we were in Iraq.

Under the stewardship of the Liberal Party, the Canadian Armed forces have gone from a well-equipped and extremely well trained mass of bass-arses to an underfunded, ridiculed, and essentially third-rate bunch of guys in a demoralised freefall. Thats what happens when you lay off 30,000 of your soldiers, guys.

But I guess that the US Department of State's list of 22 possible Canadian terrorism targets and Mr Powell's warnings that we're just as vulnerable to attack as the US is supposed to drum up support here in the Great White North for another US whupfest. Funny that all this comes about a beat and a half after Osama bin Laden's threats against Canada. Hm. I smell cynical opportunism down there in Washington.

What a mess.



||Gods save the Queen,
||cf

back || forth

older shite

One last little note... - 09.21.2006

de-stressing, biking and terrorism - 06.06.2006

Mildly stressed... - 05.29.2006

More crime stupidity - 05.28.2006

Scary stuff - 05.25.2006



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