Article

2007-09-11 Great White North

Canadian PM rules out Afghan deployment boost

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Posted by Oztralian 2007-09-11 02:39|| || Front Page|| [11129 views ] Top
File under: Taliban

#1 The entirety of Christendom should have mobilized for war. It is years after the fact and still we tarry with our swords.

Posted by Excalibur 2007-09-11 10:20|| 2007-09-11 10:20|| Front Page Top

#2 I was under the impression that the Canadian forces are near maximum deployment.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-09-11 12:06|| 2007-09-11 12:06|| Front Page Top

#3 That's right, TW. Harper just couldn't say it out in he open.

Posted by twobyfour 2007-09-11 12:20|| 2007-09-11 12:20|| Front Page Top

#4 How many Canadians deployed in WWI? How about WWII? How many are deployed today? I bet it's not even 1% in absolute terms, never mind per capita. And they're one of the BIG hitters! Lord help us - 'cuz we sure aren't helping ourselves much.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-09-11 19:21|| 2007-09-11 19:21|| Front Page Top

#5 It's not their war.

Posted by ed 2007-09-11 19:24|| 2007-09-11 19:24|| Front Page Top

#6 Ed, you are wrong. It is ALL OF OUR war.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-09-11 19:30|| 2007-09-11 19:30|| Front Page Top

#7 On the contrary. The vast majority of western leadership and public opinion (not even sure about the US) does not believe there is a GWOT. The American belief in a western alliance was always a myth. It was an alliance only on the condition hundreds of thousands of young American men would go and die for Europe and pick up much of the cost while waiting to do so. It's been 18 years since the threat went away and 6 years to the day that myth died a horrible death.

"The west" does not believe in the threat and does not support any action that may bring muslim wrath upon them. They believe that by acquiescing and deflecting muslim anger upon Americans that they will be somehow spared from islam's (or Soviet's before them) goal of conquest and weaken America as a bonus. Once you realize this, it does give the US a wedge to exacerbate and speed up the inevitable Europe-muslim war before the Euros are too few to resist.

The world is not a two sided checkers game, one side white, one black, but a 200 sided chess match. We don't have the resources to sacrifice for everyone else's well being. We have to use the resources we have to maximize our own benefit. So let's bury that corpse known as "the west", get smart, tough and mean, choose our friends and allies very carefully, and use our military and economic policy for the benefit of ourselves.

Posted by ed 2007-09-11 20:11|| 2007-09-11 20:11|| Front Page Top

#8 They believe that by acquiescing and deflecting muslim anger upon Americans that they will be somehow spared from islam's (or Soviet's before them) goal of conquest and weaken America as a bonus.

Or: weaken the US and deflect Muslim anger as a bonus.

There's more than one capitol besides Paris where that would be the correct order.

Posted by lotp 2007-09-11 20:56|| 2007-09-11 20:56|| Front Page Top

#9 "The vast majority of western leadership and public opinion (not even sure about the US) does not believe there is a GWOT."

The fact that they don't believe it does not mean it is not true. It IS their war, whether they realize it yet or not.
Three choices:
Fight them now.
Fight them later.
Surrender.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-09-11 21:22|| 2007-09-11 21:22|| Front Page Top

#10 4. Get the Americans to fight them for you.

Posted by ed 2007-09-11 21:28|| 2007-09-11 21:28|| Front Page Top

#11 Canadian Forces trivia

Regular Force (2005) approx. 65,000
Primary Reserve (including Rangers) (2005) approx. 36,500
(these figures tepresent total personnel, not just troops--the second is about 1/3 of the total).
Military expenditures Dollar figures
(FY07/08) CAN$16.9 billion
Percent of GDP
(FY03/04) 1.1% (2003)
Additional CAN$5.3 billion will be allocated over five years. With this money, the Conservative government intends to add 13,000 new full-time troops and 10,000 new reserve troops to the Forces.

Posted by twobyfour 2007-09-11 22:48|| 2007-09-11 22:48|| Front Page Top

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