Army Guy

I'am curious to find out just when you decided it was a hopless enterprise, was it when you were driving home with a car load of groceries, to your nice home, with all the things we take for granted everyday. My piont is this... we live in a nation that offers so much, and has so much... that we can't offer it to anyone. Nobody is asking you to give up anything except a small portion of your tax bill, and i do mean a real small portion, thats it ....the actual work is being done by our armed forces, diplomatic corp and RCMP a small price to pay to offer a dream come true.... You make it sound like we go village to village and force them into doing or believeing in something they don't want any part of....thats not what we are doing at all, we are offering the majority the hope of peace.... something Canadians take for granted everyday....imgine what it is like to wake up every morning shake your kids awake just to make sure they have survived the night....and live with that fear everyday of your life... You also make it sound that we have no right to interfer, no right into helping out a people who can't help themselfs, no right in stopping a few bad guys into forcing thier will on the majority....it's thier problem let them sort it out themselfs when they are ready..... But not all of us can sit around and watch ....Some have seen thier pain, seen thier suffering, and have stood up and decided we are going to help, regardless of what it might cost us... other than a few dollars so far what has it cost you, personally.... Many that can not sit back and watch have paid with thier lives, thier husbands, wifes, sons , daughters, comrads....and yet they continue to Ask what else can i do....Not once have they even whispered this is a useless and hopeless enterprise...

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the P-51 Mustang, but as military aircraft go's it's got to be the A-10 tankkiller, now thats one killing platform.

HisSelf Psst, climb down out of your tree, nobody is going to hurt you..... perhaps you can show me where i said "Nuke them all. Then we'll have peace."

Yes, i was doing more hoping than assuming, that before the most powerful nation in the world took any action, that the Pres would at least have a sit down with all his dept heads and discuss the problem and all the viable solutions. And your right, being wrong about WMD does not mean anything. but you have to admit thier track record is not very good, or was atleast damaged with thier handling of the WMD intel. And it should atleast make everyone involved cautious about what intel they do provide. I never said there was no diplomatic efforts, just none that are very serious, or supported by the majority of the UN. Current efforts have succeeded in doing what at this piont. Not aples and oranges, Israel felt it was threatened by Iraq's nuk program, and they took a huge risk in destroying it via a limited military strike as they did Syrias, In Iraq's case it did destroy that nations abilities to rpoduce a viable nuk program, in Syrias case it may have bought them some time... Thats a big gamble your willing to take, even with todays tech advances israel has made in missle interceptions, Detonation of a small nuk device would spell disaster for Israel, they would not have the manpower or resources to defend thier nation, and respond to the clean-up at the same time.... Iran would also know that such an attack would have to be followed up with a conventional strike as well, you don't just kick a honets nest, you need to crush it completely or risk a nuk attack yourself.... Nothing is stopping Iran from rebooting. except fear from another attack... Would you see it any differently if you lived in Israel with your family, The whole region is unstable, always on the edge, and any nuk wpn in the region could have serious effects on Israel's very survival. Any military action or unfavourable diplomatic action is not going to encouage any rational response...but then again what has doing nothing brought us today, any rational responses from Iran's government...

I think your making to much out of nothing. We are renting russian designed helos, not Russian supplied helo's. How does that make us look weak, that we have identified a shortfall, ie lack of lift, placed a contract, ordered interm helos , and now renting russian designed helos for the short term to fill that small gap... These rentals will save lives, Canadian lives and Afgan lives....who cares how the freedom fighters take it, if i was them i'd be very concerned, it will mean a major change in the way both sides will operate giving NATO more of the advantage...They will no longer have the advantage of monitoring our convoys, picking out ambush areas that favour them, it will give them less targets, it will however give us speed, stealth, and more firepower sounds like a winning combo to me.... I'm sure the men and women presently serving over in Afganistan don't share your opinions, in fact the taliban are not strong enough to even touch our asses let alone hand them over to us. Yes they are tough little bastards, but they are no match for NATO. It's not our soldiers nor our equipment that will loss this conflict, it is the people of Canada. and thier lack of will, and flip flopping attitude that is the danger to this mission.

If they had anything different, then they failed to convince the President. Perhaps, it's just the Russians playing thier games. but then again they don't do much unless there is a pay off for the mother country, and in this case what would be the pay off. They are already supplying a steady stream of wpns and arments into Iran, russias getting paid in cash and oil. It should at the very least be worth looking into. If nothing perhaps it was confirmation that Iran does have a nuk program, and it's doing well. So what is the world waiting for, diplomatic solutions take lots of time to have any effect, but as per normal the UN will debate the shit out of it, and it will be to late. Military action is no guarantee either, but it did work in Iraq with thier program, not that it means anything. but a limited strike in Iran would be easier to contain than say a large smoking hole in Israel with hundrds of thousands of dead and dying. not to mention the radioactive cloud that would cross into most of the middle east and other countries. I don't see Iran as that stable, much like giving a drunk a loaded wpn in a room full of people....Israel's entire existance hangs in balance if a nuk wpn was used, a conflict that would get out of hand very quickly, no thanks, better to take thier toys away while we can, than try and clean up a smoking hole later...

I'm sure that they do see the irony, the fact remains that thier own Afgan Airforce flys them, but i think it's more pride than anything else, the fact the beat the mighty russians with thier own gear might have something to do with it.... I don't think the average Afgan spends alot of time looking for irony in there everyday lives. to busy just trying to survive day to day...but those Helos will save lives, thats got to count for something.

The mere hint that you have one, gives your nation a seat at the big boys table, Israel for example, there is no 100 % proof that she does have them, and yet she has that card nobody else in the region has. Some wpn systems such as nuk wpns are just meant to be owned, thier actual use would have world reprecusions and consquences. Any of the nations already in pocession of Nuk wpns. Your right, we can't put the genie back in the bottle, but we can control who has access to the genie. Yes, but many countries have spent a kings ransom in search of a nuk wpn, and have yet to produce any thing of value....Those that did get close, had thier programs halted via force, or sanctions...

The problem with HLS is , it is only as effective as we the people want to make it, our current system is one that we have decided we could live with, is it effective by no means, any determined attack could get through but it is one we had said we could live with and afford.... Could you imagine how much goods and service would cost if "we checked every truck, plane, train, and ship that entered Canadian space. Can you imagine how long airline lineups would be if they checked every bag,tote, pocket,etc on every person,dog, cat , mouse that boarded the plane. one has to balance security with reality, So while we may want to slam HLS for not doing thier job, we should first ask ourselfs what is it we want out of HLS, and what are we willing to give up to get it. Even prisons are not 100 % secure.

My position vis. Iran and nukes is this: 1. Iran is not, according to the U.S.'s own intel service, developing these weapons. ( we both know you don't put any water into that argument, i mean these are the same guys that brought us WMD in Iraq are they not, the building cleaners at wal mart have better intel than the US at least the ones advising Bush anyways....) Even Russia's chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Senate, visited Washington last week. He said Iran is likely to produce a nuclear bomb "soon." Iran 2. If Iran decides to resume developing nuclear capability, the west should intervene. Thats the problem short of military action, Iran will not stop, and the world has yet to step up to the plate and take any serious diplomatic action....It's getting everything it needs from Russia and China, and teasing the west just seems to influence the worlds Oil market, a win win for them.... 3. However, intervention should stop short of military action based on the high probability that such action would excrebate the political situation without achieving the desired result. Side point: Should Iran develop nuclear weapons, the probability that they would actually use them is very low. We don't know that for fact, what we do know is if they don't have them , they can't use them....we also know if it did get used it will draw most of the world into the region, some of which don't play nice with others.

First You need to understand what the military does for a living. it uses force and destruction to bring about a political goal. Once a soldier signs the dotted line and agrees to serve his country, he signs a contract of "unlimited liability" meaning our government may ask you to risk or give your life to accomplish one of those goals. It also means that some of your basic freedoms you enjoy as a civilian are put on hold, or taken away for safety of the larger group...For example, before a battle there is no group hug, nobody is going to stand up and ask "OK who wants to storm these heavily defended beaches with me" your expected to do your job, even if it gets you killed so that the greater number will hopefully survives...to do that there is a clear chain of command, ( one guy in charge) who has the final say, no group discussions, no hugs, no pats on the ass, Everyone has a cause, regardless of what type of government is installed, Do you think that there should be a fix number on deaths to achieve that cause, do you think when we invaded france, and landed on the beaches of Normandy, we should have quit after x amount of deaths....if the objective is important enough then yes, it will be achieved regardless of how many die...

I like it, many countries around the world have a national run health care system. instead of increasing financial aid to students why not just have medical school federalized as well, Free educational to all those that qualify, after completion of training and schooling have a mandatory term of service, any where within the nation...It just might look after the shortage of medical pers, and solve issues with small towns, villages , cities not being able to attract trained medical pers to serve the community. Just a thought.

They wear a variation of the orginal uniform, but not the same uniform...which is the piont. It may be a moot one to many here however, those that have spent a life time serving in those depts, it does matter, blame it on not excepting change, whatever, but the uniform and traditions are a major part of that organizations history, it is part of what draws new people into that group....everyone every where is drawn to groups that hold similar ideals and values they want to be part of....and they are slowly being changed for the most part by religious beliefs, or life style choices and us accommodating them. If concessions are being made for religion, why not some other reason, such as freedom of expression, perhaps red makes my ass look big, or Camo is not in fashion, and at what piont due we draw the line....or are we saying that we can only change Canadian icons or images because of religious freedoms....

perhaps if you answered the orginal question, i would'nt have had to dumb it down... Freedom of religion trumps what exactly....what about the freedom of rights of the majority....does thier freedoms get trumped because one out of millions wants to exercise one of thier rights....

Your right Rue, this conversation is getting way to serious, and i'm sure i will not lose sleep over the changes to what is Canadian icons or Canadian culture, it just concerns me alittle... Hey lets not forget real pizza, Montreal has the best pizza...

They are allowed to sleep naked, so i don't know if they count....but then again i don't know of any montie that sleeps with thier uniform on either...well except that guy on south of 40.... -Tibetian monks. - budist monks. There is more if you like.

So your saying it will never happen, would your opinion be of the same if an RCMP officer wanted to join them but wanted to keep his hat and boot's.....would you still have a case.... And all others that don't agree, or have concerns that perhaps traditions are being lost, are just intoleratant....because a few out of thousands wanted things to change... YOU are kidding me, right. Teachers in a a public school have no business telling kids to pray, or not to pray for that manner. And what are atheist kids (a growing number in our wonderful country) supposed to do? That's right, pray to Britney Spears... Allowing a moment for silent reflection at the start of the day would be one thing (and a good thing in my own opinion), and the kids are then free to use it to pray if they wish so, but it should stay at that. You can call it what ever you want, but instead of some sort of comprimise being reached....The majority just said screw it....cancel it entirely....instead of confronting the problem we quickly side stepped it....see a new tradition is born.... what human rights have been broken here, sorry if you want to become an RCMP officer this is the uniform....don't like it join something else...what human rights have been broken, our country is full of examples that everyone is not treated the same or is placed at a disadvantage....do we correct them all...

OK i was wrong about the color, but does that change my piont about changing the RCMP uniform to include robes, of what ever earthly tones you perfer.....where do we draw the line....if we make one exception then are we not forced to include all of them....i mean we want to be toleratant, don't we....

Look i'm not sugesting that being white or christian is the superior race, nor i'm i suggesting that other races or religions have not played a part in the development of this country....what i'm saying is why are why changing historical icons and traditions we already have. History is history why should we forget our orgins.... So what you are telling me is , it's not happening, that traditions and Icons are not changing or being deluted to suit everyone.... So if you see the contradiction why can't you see my piont....although a small one, i've already said it i don't care if your purple with warts on your dick, you want to live in Canada and become a canadian you should be prepare to make some changes....don't ask me to change a Canadian icon or symbol to match your purple dick....as we would not want to enter another country and ask the majority to change for us... Actually it has already happened, in the military a federal government dept, we are not allow to ref to the christmas holidays as just that ....because it is a christian term, but rather must ref to it as the holiday season or holiday break.... just as we are not allow to call the traditional "mens christmas dinner", was changed to the soldiers christmas dinner, as we now have women serving, then was later changed to the soldiers dinner as once again christmas is a christian term.... same as all the holidays that have a christian reference, such as easter, etc, etc .... I can only assume that this is effective across the entire federal government and not something that the military dreamt up.... Dozens of other military traditions have been deleted or changed because of thier orginal back ground.... so while it sounds like i'm on the Reillly cool aid, clearly someone was when they came up with these changes....

I'm not talking about the uniform making the cop or soldier, or deminishing the quality of said persons...I'm talking about tradition, a Canadian ICON, it is a symbol that is recognized world wide as Canadian....And to some it is important, as it is a canadian icon that should not be changed.... So if and when a Hare krishna wants to join the RCMP or military and keep his pink robe and sell flowers at the airport because it is his religious beliefs, do we allow this....and when he screams "Stop police" or i'll fire....what does the average Canadian or for that matter anyone do.... Once again you missed the piont, The majority are force to change one of thier religious rights the right to prayer because of a minority group, no one is saying that all religions must site the lords prayer, like i said pray to what ever god or what ever pray you want to, would have been a simpler solution, but instead it was decided "no Pray in school" along with many other examples.... Your kidding me right.....what is wrong with a teacher to say to her class, bow your heads and pray...pray to god, allah, britney spears if you like , but give each student time for religious pray.... I agree and have said so, But my question is why are we changing them to accomdate a minority group....by diluting them over time will anyone be able to indentify them as Canadian.... Women in the RCMP have not changed the look of the uniform, ok maybe it has more curves, and they look better than thier male counter parts but the ICON and tradition has remained unchanged.....Same goes for everone else and ever other race that has worn the uniform.....it's not about religion or race it's about Canadian icons and traditions. Perhaps tradition and Icons are stupid but show a picture of a mountie on horse back any where in the world and most will be able to tell you it's a Canadian mountie....it's one of those icons that makes up who we are... I don't think pink is a good color for the RCMP, but maybe we'll try all in the name of moving forward and being part of a diverse country.

Did'nt we just have serveral very long posts giving us the orginal history of Canada, and although i did not state any where that to be Canadian one did not have to be "white christian", but this country was orginally built by those same people and thier customs and values are deeply inbeded into "our Canadian culture" it's not being intolerant or racist, just fact. Your wrong, the Canadian mounty uniform is recongized world wide, and it is a Canadian icon, much like the beaver or moose....The military helmet and beret is the same it is what "all Canadian soldiers wear, to indentify them from the bad guys changing it confuses the issue, not to mention the safty issues....all in the name of polictical correctness...or once again the majority trying to adapt with the minority.... You've taken this prayer thing out of context, nobody is forcing anyone to pray, nor are they forcing them to pray to christian gods....hell pray to whom ever you want...but in this case christian religion is the majority religion, and to accomdate to minority religion it was decided to cancel pray in schools period.... Most muslim countries have dedicated pray timings and places, and when canadian vist those countries do we bitch and whine as some have called it to have that changed , no we adapt and do what we have to to fit in.... Much like taking the singing the national athem out of schools....it was done to be policitcally correct....but to whom....and why does the majority need to bend and give up it's culture Really is that why we need regulations on Canadian content on our radio and TV stations....American and Canadian culture are pretty close, with american culture having more influence on ours than you think.... As for me whinning and my fear about anything different, i have no fear just concerns. I'm not hiding behind anything, i have said i have concerns, but i guess a white christian is not intiled to have concerns for fear of being labeled intolerant or perhaps a racist.... I'm a serving member of our Armed forces, and i serve "all" Canadians not just white or christian....and i do so proudly....

Would i call it a crises, probly not, but it is concerning that Canadians really have very little that identifies them as Canadian. And slowly we are lossing those very things that are "Canadian or white christain", I have no problem with anyone wishing to live in Canada , all are welcome, but be prepared to adapt to our culture...as they would expect us to adapt to thier culture. -The mounty hat, and military helmet thing. -Prayer in schools ( religion in general) -Christmas holidays being renamed. ( again a religion thing) - Americanization of Canadians - The Queen Canada in crises Canadian indentity identity crises

Sorry try this one. national post

I think this is a fair question, i understand that we as a culture must evolve with time, but where do we draw the line and just stand up and say, look bud's you want to become Canadian you are the one that has to change, not me....are we indanger of totally deluting what it used to mean being Canadian, is that what we are working towards, is that what is meant by evolving...and why don't we follow this way of thinking on everything....such as religion, sports, our laws etc etc....

A few have asked why we need a navy and big ships perhaps the link below will answer that question. national post