Black Dog

I stand corrected on the percentages but that's still fewer than 1,100 sorties and only a few of those involving actual combat. Or no one could and it wouldn't really make much of a difference either way. The decision to withdraw the CF-18s precluded the Paris attacks as you well know. You should also know that JT is talking about tramping up other aspects of the mission. I guess the question is: do you really think the minuscule contribution Canada is making to the air campaign in terms of bombs dropped is the best use of resources? If the answer is yes, there's not much else to talk about.

Canadian fighters are involved in something like 6% of all combat ops in the area. Do you really think that's meaningful?

I think I speak for everyone on both sides of the political spectrum when I say: what the hell are you blathering about? Is it so much to ask that, if you're going to make a spirited defense of Islamophobia, to at least make it a coherent one.

There's been plenty of writing done about ISIL's motivations, origins etc. Clearly you should read some. Which is why they are reaching out to disaffected youth in Europe and convincing them to fight for the caliphate in Syria/Iraq and undertake terror attacks on European soil, right?

Evidence required. Example required. I would argue (and the actual weight of evidence is on my side here) that the so-called collateral damage has been a tremendous recruitment tool for terrorists. Yes what a horrible society where we can't arbitrarily arrest and detain people for no cause other than their religion or ethnicity. WTF. No. Some members, individually, are dangerous. There's a difference. You seem a little confused about what exactly our society is about and the values we're supposed to be defending.

And you know this how?

Cite required. And?

Examples, please.

The problem of ISIL and the problem of global Islamic terrorism are linked, but not inextricably so. There's no panacea solution, but that doesn't mean one should take anything off the table wrt to the specific issue of ISIL's position in Syria and Iraq. Again: it all depends on the problem you are trying to solve. If the idea is to destroy ISIL as a force in the region and roll up its territory, then military action is a straightforward way to achieve that. From my understanding of the group, I don't think they are an organization that would adapt well to being reduced to a rump guerrilla movement. Of course, military action would have to be part of a broader global anti-terror strategy (which would also necessitate taking action against the world's biggest supporter and financier of terrorism, Saudi Arabia).

Also not confirmed. If I'm ISIL and one of my goals is to harden Westerners' hearts against Syrian migrants to perpetuate an "us vs. them" narrative, planting a fake Syrian passport on a one of your minions would be a great place to start. Seems to be working.

LOL.

A military campaign against ISIL won't solve the global terrorist problem or the problem of Islamic extremism, but it would deal with the specific threat of ISIL to the region.

I smell straw....

Lowest level of spending on the military as a percentage of GDP since the '30s. $5 billion cut in 2012. No new fighters, no new trucks, no new combat ships or supply vessels, no new helicopters. Last PM to spend the NATO standard 2% of GDP on the military was...Trudeau. Learns some facts, silly partisan.

It`s not clear you read the whole thing.

"They" being...?

That's not the poll, that's a (biased) article about the poll, which distorts the actual polls findings. The actual poll of Arab populations asked respondents if they had a positive or negative view of ISIL. 9% had a "somewhat [positive" opinion while only 4% had a unambiguously positive view. Interestingly enough refugees from Syria had the most positive views of ISIL of any of the surveyed populations outside of Palestine. Now ask yourself: what could possibly be happening in Syria that could lead people fleeing the country to have a positive view of this group?

BTW, this: Is false.

Like Occupy, though, there's no single, monolithic movement here.

Better they mouth platitudes about supporting the military while letting its capabilities atrophy like your boy Stephen Harper did, eh?

To be honest, most Canadians are probably ignorant of the particulars of the case.

How much is "much?" You're talking about the Middle East which is a very small part of the Muslim world. Also, it's not sharia law that ISIS/Daesh is imposing but a very specific fundamentalist, medieval interpretation of Sunni Islam.

You're moving the goal posts buddy. You only have to do a quick read of these threads to see plenty of examples of people who consider Islam and ISIS basically interchangeable. Just because you don't do it, doesn't mean nobody does.

Booked your flight yet?