Borg

Yes there is warranty. Airplanes are not like cars - they need parts and service on a regular basis. They may be down today (I do not know - just taking you at your word), but they will be back up soon. From all reports they are a dream to fly and spend the very vast majority of their time in the air. As for renting Antanovs and such - this is on going and will be for some time. As members of NATO and the UN we have obligations we are not able to fill with our still very limited fleet capability. Stand by for far more renting in the future - that is unless you write and ask your MP to increase the military budget yet again. Do not depair and do not rant and rail - those aircraft are doing a good job. The big - no huge - limiting factor is PILOTS!! The canadian military is drastically and dangerously short of them - they are departing faster than they can be trained and replaced. At last report the military is short some 300 pilots and that number will be increasing. The airlines are calling. And not just the canadian airlines - the international community loves canadian pilots and is willing to pay them nearly twice what they are making in the military. Once having served their mandatory time they are looking further afield. Cannot say that I blame them. Borg

Why not just sell it off - a waste of taxpayers money Glad to see it go. At the minimum - make it self supporting. Borg

This country stands for very little. This was predicted years ago - and has been reported before. The taxpayer will easily fund this through various welfare programs. Life goes on. And the working man will simply continue to pass over a portion of his salary to ensure all are fed and housed. Just another example of how standing for little begins to actually mean we stand for nothing. Import those who will ignore the law and sooner or later it will indeed become an issue - albeit too late to do anything about it. So, stand by for the courts to approve this and the government to be forced into providing funds for those who cannot support themselves. In the end the islamic preacher said it all - "If the laws of the country conflict with Islamic law, if one goes against the other, then I am going to follow Islamic law, simple as that." Just the type of people we want to bring into canada. Not! The slippery slope is getting steeper. Borg

A typical smug canadian response Fact is we are importing trouble and have been doing so for some time This was not simply a bar brawl - the roots run deeper - and you either are ignoring it, minimizing it, or being simply another smug canadian. It happens all over the major centres. Probably all three Even the major media in toronto will do their best to minimize the racial tension by specifically not mentioning the racial backgrounds of the combatants. Avoiding the truth simply makes it worse. Standards of decency? Yours or theirs? They are very different - it is tribe before flag - to ignore this is simply another sign you are a smug canadian. The decency that you live by is very different from many of those who arrive here - and carry - will carry - their own tribalisms and slights - real or imagined - for generations. Time for you to get your head out of the sand - you and yours are actually the problem and certainly will never be a solution. I am certain there will be howls of outrage, but you cannot mix many people from parts of the world into canada and expect them to get along - in fact many of them do not want to get along and will make every effort to not get along - they are indeed quite prepared to do their utmost to tribalize. As for deportation - we all know canada fails miserably - one of the greatest terrorists in the world comes from the east horn of Africa - his wife live in Montreal and he comes here regularly to ensure she has children. And we have been attempting to deport a hijacker and bomber from southern Ontario for nearly 20 years - plus we have allowed criminals to jump the que and call themselves refugees - they stay - and we continue to import. Life in canada is good - travel and you will find that in many parts of the world we are not as favoured a nation as we once were due to our unwillingness to act on these matters - as well as our willingness to sing kumbyah at every chance. Enjoy your smug life, because someday it may change - and then lets see who comes to the crying table. What you do not do today will definitely affect your offspring. Thanks for the chuckle at your response Borg

Import trouble and it will grow Should have left them where they were I am sure the human rights commission and the touchie feelie folks will recommend counselling What can we do to solve this? Ship them out of country - asap Good riddance and certainly no loss Borg

DM - you really do not read what I write - do you. If you do you certainly do not understand. So call me a dork - but even the wild ducks get federal funding - as do the inanimate lock controls on the seaway. It is just that some federally funded projects actually are productive and some are blood suckers that take and take with no care in the world as long as they can keep taking. I think we know where you fit in. If you would get off the reserve and see the real world you might just understand what I am saying - but you will always take it the wrong way. If you were to ever actually see me you might just understand. If I have my way that meeting will never happen - heck I leave the country in a couple of days for at least a year - probably longer anyway - that way you can continue to insult and prove your personal shortcomings. Have a nice day Borg

I dropped in for a look and agree with you. It shows me a victimized kid who has been forced to turn into a child soldier. Which by the way there are many of in that part of the world. Borg

Gimme a break - kebec is a separate country within a country - that makes its own rules - and the rest of canada falls right along. Average kebecers want the scarf gone and that means the topic will be around for a long time. Nothing canada can do about it - accept franco racism as being part of their culture and move along. Borg

Must be nice to have all those tax dollars available to sue - win - win for you. Borg

Lots of sqawking here - fact is they hate each other - real bad like. Their values are different than ours and life is real, real cheap to most of them. They will kill each other off for a while and then start on the Christian folks or the Jewish folks again. Cannot judge them with our values - they are not interested in them. Been like that for thousands of years and not likely to stop in our life time. Some folks will cheer and some folks will snear - but in the end it is not going to change. It will only stop if someone wins or there is a strong enough reason to band together and kill some other group of people. Or if the UN goes in under Chapter 7 (?) - peace making. There is no will for this - suspect the big boys (not just the United States) would veto it anyways - and we will see lots more folks come home in bags if the UN does go in. Tribe before flag always wins out in this part of the world. Leave them be and it will all come out in the wash. Borg

Unfortunately the environmental toll and the expense to move that food from "haves" to "have nots" is not lessening. Borg

Times have changed - so let's kill the reservation system, department of indian affairs and send them out on their own. They claim to be ready and I see them as ready - provided of course they actually do take that personal responsibility. Oh, and one more thing - provided they actually toss some of their crooked leadership and stop listening to those who would hold them back - those supposed wise elders. Those very same people who would allow poverty and drugs and sexual abuse and in some cases rampant criminal behaviour to run freely on reservations. That very same leadership that manages to live well while their bretherin live in shameful poverty. Borg

Well, we tossed Dominion Day for Canada Day and the Union Jack for that silly maple leaf that grows in most of eastern canada - I personally think we should have picked the poplar tree - at least it grows from coast to coast - but I digress - after all what's another tradition or two down the drain? Borg

Great words. Too bad you twisted them into something that can be misconstrued. I have come to expect this from you. Perhaps you would like to be as specific as possible in your meaning in order for us simpler, country folk with no education to have a clearer understanding of what you are trying to say? Borg

I am certain someone will find a way to turn this into a another 'fault of the west". Borg

No different than our own famous Dion. Perhaps one should compare him and other enviro-terrorists to Josef Goebbels. Tell a lie big enough often enough, people will believe it. Borg

Perhaps I did and you were too blind to see. Willingly blind perhaps? As I said - It is always someone elses fault. Personal responsibility is required and it is not there. Borg

Jealousy does not become you. With risk comes reward. Willing to put your life on the line? The rewards are great. To sit at home, safe and smug in your chair is far, far different than going out to grasp what is there. In truth the reward is no where near as great as the rush it brings. Sit at home if you will - I will continue to adventure. I will also continue to pay the taxes that allow you to live quite well my friend. Have a good one. Borg

What happens in another coutry may be disgusting to us - however - this is a country that makes their own rules. Not much one can do about it other than complain. Be glad you live where you do. And life goes on. Borg

Peace treaties can be broken and are tenuous at best. Although Jordan is fairly solid at this time I agree. It could all change over night. United Nations maintains a watch on the Israel Egypt border, the Syria Israel border and the southern portion of Lebanon - there is still a spark that could be ingnited. A few small million (7.2 million) Jews in a spot about the size of PEI against a whole bunch of not so friendly people. Syria - 17 million Egypt - 80 million Lebanon - 4 million Jordan - 6 million That is the vast majority I talk about. Sit and talk with most folks in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jorden - despite any agreements in place they would love to see Israel disappear. I have had the opportunity to do this many times. Lebanon causes its own problems. In fact if the Lebs would settle down and actually make Syria stop meddling - stop the rocket attacks on Israel - things might actually improve - although the country is a total mess - and not because of its southern neighbour. Annex the West Bank? That mess will only be sorted out when the arabs are willing to (1) sit down and truly negotiate in good faith, and (2) when the arabs can sort out their own problems. At present there is no will for that from what I have seen and experienced - the hatreds run too deep. Hell they fight amoung themselves as often as they fight the Jews. No true central control - tribe is stronger than flag. Heck even the Egyptians are tired of the arabs from Gaza after a "shopping trip" organized by Hamas not long ago - the pressure will be off Israel soon enough and on Egypt and the Gaza folks if they keep up their transgressions. I think Israel gets a private laugh out of this scenario and yes - many will say it is caused by the Jews - the argument is valid but I also understand the Jewish frustration in Gaza. Before one knocks the treatment of arabs by Israel - there are indeed citizens of Israel who are arabic - once a citizen, full rights are extended. Syria's dispute - legitimate? There are some who would argue. And that argument is considered valid by many - and not all of those live in Isreal. Settling the problem? Agree completely however - what is the answer? I am quite willing to listen to yours although great minds have been trying for years - and it is not all a one sided fault - but Israel will not fall without wreaking true havoc - are we ready for that - suspect not. Pony up to the bar and tell us how to solve this without causing a mass kill in Israel. Do we not have some responsibility here as well? The Jews will have their way of life and are not going away - the arabs are not about to change their mind and that in itself is the rub. I still see it as an arab problem due to their inability to realize it is also in their best interest to negotiate something that works and LASTS - but they will not. Once the Jews were in, there was no hope of tossing them. No one will succeed now unless they want a nuclear war. I know the history fairly well having spent nearly - hmmm .... must be 6-7 years in the region. Not an expert, but I do not really care that you might figure I am an uneducated ass (just guessing from the tone) - just trying to state a point that is quite realistic in these times. One final thing - if Israel actually does believe it is about to fall - it WILL use all measures at its disposal - and those measures are significant - it would indeed change the world forever. That is why I say we need to keep her happy and above all - safe from the neighbours. Not ideal and in my opinion not pandering or appeasing - otherwise the Jews would be driven into the sea by their "friends" in surrounding countries. The world cannot afford to have this happen. I look forward to your dissection of this - sentence by sentence. You do it so well. Borg

The problem lies with the fact that Israel cannot make peace- there is no wish for this by the vast majority of neighbours. If so required Israel could wipe the local map clean - this "appeasement" has also kept her from doing some serious damage during times they have had their backs to the wall. It is not a one way street - this "appeasement" has also kept the arabs healthy - otherwise Israel could own the whole of the non-radiated pieces of land remaining. It is indeed in our best interests to keep her happy and help keep her neighbours at bay. I may not be correct, but I believe it was Ariel Sharone (sp?) of Golda Mier (sp?) who once stated = "Never again" in reference to the Jews going quietly to their deaths. If war comes hard and serious to that part of the world you can be sure we will all live to regret it no matter which side you support. Borg

I am relatively certain this was a sarcastic comment taken as serious - time for a valium? Borg

Hilarious! So personal responsibility is not the issue - the white man is to be blamed for everything? I needed that laugh - thank you so much. I wonder what colour your sky is? Smoked any crack lately? Indian problems start and finish right here - lack of personal responsibility and crooked leadership. it is always someone elses fault. Borg

Nice words - do you actually believe them? Officially, Syria is still at war with Israel - hence the United Nations buffer. All the other borders could crash in a heartbeat - peace always hangs by a thread in the middle east. I happen to know the Israelis would like peace - so tell me - if Israel were to lay down all of their arms tomorrow - do you believe those friendly neighbours they have would allow it to live in peace? None of the nice people who live on any of the Jewish borders believe in democracy - none of them have any western values - other than perhaps a few enlightened (read filthy rich) - all believe the solution to the problems in the middle east involve the extemination of the people living in Israel. So - rather than pop off - why not tell us how you can magically solve this problem - of course you will manage to do this without appeasing the Jews I am sure - we are all waiting but no one is holding their breathe for a response. The Harper "appeasement" seems to have created a free trade agreement - which in itself can be argued both for and against. I will simply wait to see what transpires. How long have you had this hard on against Israel? Have a little arab blood in your veins perhaps? Borg