Venandi

I think it's instructive for first world protesters (especially those prone to political violence) to get out and see the big bad world... more progressives should consider doing it. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/naive-western-activists-get-a-harsh-dose-of-reality-in-egypt If we had compulsory military service and the requirement for 3 foreign deployments most of this nonsense would evaporate. The lack of perspective (in its absence) is simply breathtaking. How many multi tour veterans do you see assaulting citizens in their cars because they drive a Tesla... or whatever. Virtually NONE, that's how many.

Good video, thanks. In the era of keyboard warriors, It should be mandatory viewing. The general idea here is pretty intuitive to any sensible person, the problem is there's a distinct absence of sensible interactions in emotionally charged scenarios like this and hostile actions (by either party) is rapid onset, unexpected and unscripted. A recipe for over reaction if ever there was one. Most people have little experience with such things, as a result their immediate reaction to it is often over the top and generally inappropriate. By that I mean, had they encountered similar situations in the past, or even thought about potential courses of action (in the form of a mental exercise), the response would likely be more measured and thus more appropriate to the escalating force applied against them. The notion that "they deserved" the application of unjustifiable lethal force is just as bad as the idea that it's OK to attack and injure innocent people who's only offence is driving on a public road. Throw two of these individuals into the same scenario and people get hurt unnecessarily.

Tactical assessment of the issue at hand: Forum discussion of the specifics and possible solutions: Herb's contribution:

And at best, it's a "White Boy Herb" idea that has nothing to do with reconciliation. Actually, it's a cheap deflection that tends to annoy people who weren't previously annoyed, it even has the potential to create backlash among those who actually support legitimate action toward rectifying legitimate problems. Just ask a native, there are far more pressing issues. FN folk that I know are more torqued about things like fishing rights, water supplies and medical access than they will ever be about what townies name their roads. Got that water thingy sorted out yet? No... but we renamed your road, it's now called "Manwhosipsalot." It's the same as thinking veterans are deeply moved by renaming a road "The highway of Hero's." Most could care less, in fact, they see it a cheap form of placation that actually backfires (at least it does with me). Want to impress veterans? Give that retired gunner the hearing aids he needs and stop jerking him around....you know damn well why he's deaf. And so do we! Who do the Herbs of the world think they're fooling with this stuff?

I hesitate to even mention this as I haven't given it a lot of consideration, but I was thinking the same thing just the other day but within the context of what the government already spends annually... some $30 billion or so. In 2024 there was a proposed housing top up of another $9 billion; $39 billion is an awful lot of money and I don't think that anyone is actually getting their monies worth here. Admittedly my grasp of the numbers is a bit weak but apparently there are some 1.8 million natives in Canada and I'm guessing that's both status and non status folks. If I did the math right that comes to about $22,000 per person that could be paid out tax free in the absence of maintaining a large federal bureaucracy. I'd take that a step further and suggest that it should only be paid to status holders who actually live on reserves... certainly a much smaller number and thus a higher payout. And before Herb's underwear gets in a knot, my grandkids are non-status so I really have no dog in this particular fight. But what if, instead of maintaining a bloated government department, the money was paid out individually and individual nations (bands would be better IMO) had the power and autonomy to tax and spend in support of their own purposes and priorities at a local level? Probably not an original idea but I wonder if such a thing is even worthy of consideration. The current state of affairs seems more cumbersome, less equitable and more wasteful than the alternative by comparison, at least IMO (which remains malleable BTW). If nothing else, natives in Canada would have the autonomy and individual responsibility they never had before and Herb wouldn't be able to blame whitey for any mismanagement or corruption. Is that a dumb idea? 18 inches of overhead cover established... clear to engage.

I love the blanket statements here... This is from 11 years ago and I bet they still train it today. When I was in Ontario, we trained with the OPP semi regularly and they even hired actors. If memory serves, the members we trained with didn't train it much more often than we did. They certainly spent way (and I mean WAY) less time at the range. Anyway, If you were to suggest that hired actors are better than Marine actors though I'd have to agree.

The road hockey game is over too... duh edited to add "duh"

All in my opinion, but for what it's worth: HAMAS is a reflection of the strong emotions / strong desires of many in Gaza... they want to see Israel annihilated. It's an ideology that manages to survive even in the face of striking evidence that it's a bad idea and that better options exist. Palestinians can actually have peace anytime they want it, they've even come close on occasion but so far no cigar. That sort of ideology (at a very low level) is on display here on the forum IMO. People will defend the indefensible if otherwise indefensible actions come from a party they are ideologically connected to. Use of slogans is almost always front and centre in that effort... here it takes a patently silly LMAO, duh, FFS and down vote form but it's somewhat comparable at a low level. Human nature perhaps, but a difficult thing to sway whatever the cause. That said, at the same time there's the fact that many don't like the heavy handed intrusive nature of HAMAS in their daily lives but they support them nonetheless because their ideology is a reflection of a popular objective and there is the absence of other alternatives. The other side of the intrusiveness coin (from the HAMAS perspective) is that stoking a high level of sustained hatred (and thus loyalty to the regime) is a full-time job and thirsty work. Thus the effort infects many aspects of daily life in Gaza. I think it's far more apparent now than previously, and largely as a result of those efforts. The effect of school indoctrination (as an example) shouldn't be underestimated. A weak analogy of the "why factor" may be something along the lines of liberal minded people who truly despised JT, voting liberal regardless because they didn't see, or refused to accept another option. They become so committed and invested in the ideology itself that admitting they were wrong becomes impossible. Some here will defend COVID mandates regardless of what we learn about the harms it created in the future. It's a similar but far more intense thing in Gaza and I'm not sure how that bubble gets penetrated. In the end (and IMO again), it means that If HAMAS is defeated and ceases to exist as a functioning entity, what replaces HAMAS is of real concern, there are plenty of bad actors willing to step up and there is always a danger of the replacement being something worse. BTW, that's an opinion and not an argument. I don't plan to defend it or hurl insults at those who disagree. Take it for what it's worth...

That simplifies things a bit... sell your house, give the proceeds of the sale to the nearest Band Office and live in the car (or wherever). Now all we need to do is count the Herbs onboard with the idea. So far I got none... you?

You might want to be a bit more specific, no sense showing up without a plan... a common fail point with secular lefties. How about a radio station to win hearts and minds in the region, this was the one I listened to while deployed there.... pssst, it didn't work.

Cool, I have an nominee in mind... what's the plan?

Just my opinion but: Palestinian grievances will never be addressed until they renounce their commitment to the destruction of Israel, the killing of Jews, and choose to adopt political objectives instead of religious ones. It's that simple and that complicated. Historical perspectives simply don't matter unless you have a time machine or can convince Israel to voluntarily cease to exist as a nation. Both are improbable so you have to deal with the here and now with all of its warts. I've talked to old Palestinian men who grew up on their grandfather's farm which is now occupied by Israeli families. I get it, most farm boys do... but in the absence of a time machine it just doesn't matter. The reality of the situation is what it is and in some ways is analogous to the "stolen land acknowledgements" discussed in another thread. No one in Canada is going to sell their house, take the proceeds of the sale down to the nearest band office, and spend their retirement years living in the car. People need to hoist aboard the fact that Jews aren't going to do that either. Palestinians have lost ground and traction under HAMAS and they've become more fanatical than they were during the period prior to HAMAS. Other Arab countries (who publicly sympathize with their plight) simply will not accept refuges because they know the outcome of doing so. Egypt (as a for instance) doesn't want to see the eastern Sinai turned into a launch pad for missile attacks into Israel because they know it would trigger an Israeli military response on their territory... that's exactly what would happen and it would be western aid money that financed it. If you see that response as oppression then cool... I got nothing for ya in the way of solutions other than negotiating political objectives to improve the life of people in Gaza based on the facts of life as they exist in the here and now. The lack of political objectives that can be negotiated over time is governing and it creates a complete roadblock to peace. I often ask but never get a direct answer to the question of how to negotiate with a HAMAS when their religious objective is the destruction of Israel. I submit that you can't and never will. HAMAS has to go and it has to go for the good of both the peace process and the Palestinian people. Once gone, care must be taken to ensure it isn't replaced by something worse.

Peaceful protest: Violent insurrection: Recognizing madness when it slaps you in the face:

That makes sense on the surface but there's more to it than that. That population grew up under HAMAS, that's a pretty stern environment and it's steeped in HAMAS ideology. If you think our school system is something of a political indoctrination process you would be absolutely appalled at theirs. It's actually one of the reasons people (dare I say like me) believe schools should stick to teaching academics. HAMAS maintains significant support within the Gaza population even though many there oppose the iron fisted, often violent intrusion into their lives that goes with it. What's missing from your version of reality is that the majority of Palestinians remain fundamentally opposed to the existence of Israel and will support virtually any group who shares that core sentiment. If it wasn't HAMAS it would be some other entity with similar convictions. This is more than an ethnic struggle over land, it's a religious calling with dogmatic, ideologically driven objectives instead of political ones. That's the problem... and since Israel isn't going anywhere the peace process is thirsty work. The analogy I used about your fiancé's murderous ex-husband warrants some consideration. If you figure out how to negotiate with that guy you could certainly sell it to Israel in aerosol spray cans.

And it's clearly contagious...

Ya, that's how I see most of it too. Some of it's interesting from a historical and clinical perspective (I guess) but that's about it. At the end of the day you're inevitably left with the here and now and withinin that realm, HAMAS is lock wired into ideologically driven religious objectives and those objectives are most definitely NOT political ones. Political objectives can be negotiated and compromises are possible, those efforts can even happen peacefully. On the other hand, the religious objectives of HAMAS simply can't be negotiated because only the destruction of Israel and rebuilding on the rubble will suffice and I don't see that happening. Do you? Does anyone here? 11 pages in and the real issue remains unaddressed. I've spent a fair bit of time there training and on multiple deployments and I always ask people with strong opinions and little experience in the area the same question.... If you do not support the eradication of HAMAS as a functioning entity, how do you propose to negotiate with them? You either eradicate HAMAS or you negotiate with them and I see the latter option as analogous to the abusive and psychotic ex-husband of your current fiancé who just got out of prison for attempted murder... he has repeatedly vowed to be successful on the next attempt. So.... if y'all got a plan to negotiate with this guy then bring it forward, your Nobel Peace Prize awaits. IMO, anything else, no matter how historically accurate or entertaining is truly: Full marks for entertainment value and historical context, especially the emotionally charged stuff, unfortunately though, stark reality renders it just as academic as the childhood abuses your girl's ex endured 50 years ago. You may sympathize with his history and stolen childhood, but he gets out of jail next week... and sympathy is found in the dictionary somewhere between sh%t and syphilis. Best of luck.

I think the question posed has much to do with the fact that you (we and us collectively) can no longer have a civil conversation with people across the hall. And consider that this is all in the absence of ethnic grudges that go back generations, imagine how that strengthens resolve and causes people to cling to animosities... we're actually seeing the first ripples of that now BTW. The level of polarization and downright meanness (for lack of a better word) is something I used to dress up and travel long distances to experience. Some of us (foolishly as it turns out) thought the effort of doing so would somehow keep it "over there." I now think conservatives will bide their time until it's their turn to "hit ya where it hurts," they're actually going to enjoy doing that and they'll do it with the same level of glee clearly on display in the quotes above. And perversely, everything that you don't like about Trump is coming your way and will actually be magnified as a direct result. At its heart it's a bit like trying to keep the peace by mediating "tit for tat" tribal cattle stealing in Africa. The circumstances are obviously different but the human nature aspect remains constant. I've cone to see adverse circumstances as less important than the cooperation and kindness it takes to overcome them. If you don't believe that take a moment and imagine trying to wallpaper a large room with Roboduh.

Yes, I think I understand you perfectly now... thanks.

I thought it might be obvious. There's more to it than simple biological process. The bigger issue is that of individual consumption and its collective effects measured in terms of "excess consumption". World wide, it exceeds Canada's total global GHG footprint. I'm not a "save the planet crusader" but my diet is mostly (almost exclusively) plant based. I have relatives (some pushing twice my body weight) that consume more meat in a week than I do in a year, and like you, they're loud mouthed climate change crusaders that arrogantly end sentences with duh and LMAO. Apparently my 3/4 ton truck (the one that plows the road for them free of charge) is a measure of my absolute ignorance, culpability in global warming, and consummate climate stupidity. Based on your (and their) arrogant BS, maybe I'll just withdraw my pro bono services next winter and let them pay the going price... the closest contractor charges $200.00 an hour for what I do for free duh. Actually, now that I think about it, you convinced me.... I'll save some money and laugh my own ass off for a change. I'll tell them not to bother calling me when their driveway's impassable, their battery is dead and the ponderous ass they just laughed off (at me) is late for work. I'm starting to appreciate your contributions here, keep up the good work.

Maybe the best case scenario... it would render it totally predictable, mildly amusing and limit its vocabulary to duh and LMAO.

Laughing that ass of your's off might just save us some emissions. https://scitechdaily.com/obesity-contributes-extra-700-megatons-of-carbon-dioxide-emissions-per-year/ Overall, obesity is associated with approximately 20 percent greater greenhouse gas emissions when compared to people with normal weight. Like the delusional MAGA right wingers California is famous for? Light er up then... can't help ya.

Cool, maintain the status quo on contingency planning and wait for those emission efforts to kick in then. And here's a fun fact, fat people produce 20% more GHGs than those who are at a healthy weight.... might be a good place to start eh? In the mean time, let's run with the idea that katabatic winds, fuel loading and the lack of preparedness are just MAGA talking points and do nothing. I'm rooting for ya...

There ya go... it has nothing to do with the 250th anniversary of the US army duh. Trump must have coordinated the 100th anniversary of the RCAF too, I attended it last year along with a bunch of other like minded "fools." The food was great BTW... Donald seems to have a flair for such things. Edited to add "duh" in an effort to enhance comprehension.

Yes indeed, they're katabatibc winds, that's their job, that's what they do, and they do it in a predictable fashion with no regard for the opinion of climate crazies. That's exactly how important opinion is here. They're recurring, and due to compressional heating they have extremely low relative humidity. Throw in gusts / speed and they earn their nickname of "devil winds." Here's the fun part and it's only fun because liberals can't seem to do it. This is something you accept as a reality, something you adapt to, something you prepare for and something you train and equip for if you want to live in the affected areas. That means forestry control, early detection, rapid response, contingency planning and making the required resources available where and when needed. Simply put, it's a meteorological reality, progressives can call it "MAGA MAGOT induced global warming" if they wish... but they'll still have to embrace the suck or take their lumps because reality doesn't give a rat's butt what they think. Prepare and adapt or burn, simple eh?

The US army was established on 14 June 1775 Trumps birthday is 14 Jun 1946 The Mutiny on the Bounty occurred on Jun 14 1789 and trade unions in Canada were legalized in 1872... both are Trump's fault too, right?