Army Guy

Your right it is easy to piont fingers, when they are backed up with facts....the deficit can be traced backed to Trudeau period of reign....this is where it all started....and while i will agree mulroney did carry on with trudeau's spending habits, and did nothing to reduce the debt, we can hardly blame him alone....Liberals were spending massives amounts way before the PC, and mulroney period... But your right in the last 40 years, the liberals have been in power for 30, i guess according to your observation we should have been in great fiscal health, before and after the 10 years of PC riegn....And the current government is maintaining what MR Martin set out in dept reduction...so how can debt be pilling up once again...

As it should have been, since in was a Liberal project to increase the debt in past years.... but what has me confused is how can the PC have the the current spending , and maintain Liberal debt reduction at the same rates...which leads me to believe that the liberals also had the same amont of free cash to spend but on what is the question....not the military, nor education, or health care... liberal spending

Ahh , an historian, or is it that spending money on our military just scares you....name one Canadian militia that has been used to exterminate the intellectuals ....There is not many things that piss off Canadians, The hockey game being cancelled or moved for some polictical statement...our pogy checks being late....the beer store closing early....and our military being used in any offensive actions....

This really shows how little you actually know about our military, about it's mission, about what it does, and how it effects Canadians everyday... No they don't in fact when it comes to our military most Canadians pay it lip service only..when it comes down to our military we don't know what we want...as long as it is not along the lines of the americans.... The sharing of militaries is false, and misleading....we share a few resources in times of need, providing those needs do not conflict with each other....for a nation that really spends alot of time trying not to be american, we sure depend on them for more than we should... Please, The liberals cut back the military, not to pay down the dept but to have the funds needed for liberal projects, perhaps you can explain all the liberal surpluses at the end of the year, and what percentage of those surpluses actually went to paying down our debt, did any of that surplus money go towards health care, education, or replace funding to the military..

This news has taken many by surprise, Gen Hillier is one of a kind, a soldiers soldier. a crismatic leader, who had the ability to express himself and be heard, be it our nations leaders, Canadian citizens, and right down to the private on the ground in Afganistan. He will be missed by the military community, as it is under his leadership that the rebuilding of our Armed forces was started and set on it's current course...He leaves behind a huge set of boots to be filled, it's these boots that concern all of us in the military now...I hope that our government is up to the challange of choosing the right man for the job, and not some yes man. but rather someone who will continue rebuilding the military and setting the bar even higher. CDS message to the troops

I guess i should have explained what i meant by the recruiting process, one in which there are serveral agencies involved, but for a quick explaination lumped them all into one...my bad... Presently Canada and afganistan getting recruits is not a problem as we both have explained, and i'm not an expert on vacancies, however from my trade 031...as well as many others there are plenty of vancanies, and plenty of recruits just no one available to train them in thier trade...nor, house them, the infra structure needed for all the above.... in many of the other trades purple or support trades the lines of recruits awaiting to be trades trained is incrediably long .... this is our problem and one that will take serveral years to fix.... Recruiters are doing an awesome job, it's on the trade training side we need to do alot of work....

It has taken 6 years to build the recruiting process to where it is now, example we in Canada are facing the same problem, it's not getting the recruits it is training them that is the problem, and it will take Canada a few more years to allow our own build up of forces....it is not a simple matter of giving a guy a pair of boots and a rifle and pionting him to the bad guys....so in answering your question it will still be serveral more years before they can field an army in the numbers they need to secure it totally with out NATO's help... Your making the wrong assumptions, there is more to rebuilding a country than security, and we have already established that not all the districts are unstable, it is in these districts that major reconstruction projects are ongoing....but the media is not interested in them because nothing sells paper or air time than death and destruction. This is true, but when a group uses terror as a wpn it makes them a terrorist, suicide bombers are terror wpns, and most of those attacks are again'st civilian targets... That being said , can you blame Karzai for not doing every possiable to bring about what the people really want and that is peace....even if it means making a deal with the devil himself.... Don't let the media fool you, the Taliban is a well funded machine, it is not cheap to field an army and equiped them, keep them supplied, and give them the cash to bribe the right people....History has proven over and over again that the superior force is not always the key to victory...North vietnam proved that already, and so did the afgan freedom fighter... Because as a responsibale nation one can not kick the crap out of a nation, and then leave. History has shown us serveral examples , WWI for instance left the germans heavily in debt, setting the conditions for WWII.... This question keeps coming up time and time again....The Afganis people don't care what type of government they get...as long they have peace and work to feed thier families....NATO offered a democracy and they jumped on board..... I would not like it, but after 30 years of war, ask me the same question, and the answer would be different... That being said we or NATO is not trying to shove anything down anyones throat, nor force them into anything....there is plenty of examples where they have not taken NATO's advice and gone thier own way , such as the man who wanted to become a christian , the government upheld muslim law, and passed sentence... This legimate government is made up of elected Afganis people and they are in charge of thier country, and destiny....if they are not prove it to me.... Do you have proof of this, or is it your opinion, This government was elected by the people, and in due time it will have another election.... Once again your opinion, the Taliban was not as popular as you think, Kanadar was the Taliban center of power, it is here that they took control of the country....and yet it is here that the average afganis will publicly speak out again'st them....I know it's hard for you to believe but if i carry a big stick and threaten you and your family with daily violence every day at 3 pm i could get you to stand on a wooden box and shout at the top of your lungs that you love the taliban and your beatings....doing what your told to do under threat is not showing support it's called survival.... Show me where they are being changed, reeducated by force under NATO....you can't because it is your opinon,not fact....But then again you've stated that we should have let the taliban carry on with there rule and violence, and let the afganis people rise up and solve thier own problems....i wonder if we had waited for the germans to rise up and end the nazi war machine how far they would have gotten....how long and how many lives were lost in russia for them to see the light....what makes it right to sit on the side lines and watch as millions die... So really all those that need to be reeducated are the bad guys like the nazi's, cummunist regimes, and the taliban ...and they are not interested in reducation...., so they have to be relocated....for the sake of those that can not or will not fight for themselfs....

Actually there are troops in every province, but first i want to explain the numbers. I'll use Canada...while true we do have 2500 pers o the ground more 50 % of that is made up of support pers, ie clerks, machanics, etc leaving about 1200 combat pers available to cover an area larger than the province of PEI... that may sound like alot, but when you subtract all the different pionts that have to be guarded,or manned you battle group shrieks rapidly...hence why we need another 1000 troops to secure the entire province... The Afgan army numbers about 60,000 trained pers at present, once again they have support pers, places to guard. But unlike the NATO pers these guys do this job 365 days a year, for the rest of thier lifes, or until they are killed...That fact speaks volumes about these guys dedication, thier sacrafice to rebuild thier nation... It is a team effort with both sides helping each other, Afganis army and police units are taking the lead in combat operations, meaning they are providing the bulk of the combat troops while NATO provides the most of the toys. It's hard to get that out of our media as they don't report the whole picture...but look at the casuality figures, it's not that they are not any good at what they do , it's because they are involved in every operation..... The government has control over the entire country. much like the toronto city police have control over toronto and yet they still have crime...but afgan there is a twist, the criminals have automatic wpns, and terrorize the people at will.... just one terrorist could lock down toronto, imagine what a couple of thousand could do... You have made judgements, and your mind is already made up.... I'm not trying to change your stand on the mission just trying to give you some of the correct information....Most Canadians are misinformed about this mission and it's our soldiers that pay for that, in serveral ways, purchase of equipment is slowed...funding is not forth coming, moral is effected by opinions at home, the list is long....and each item on that list is another obsticle our troops have to deal with... below is some of the election procedures and education process... afganis election afganis elections Visit My Website It's not so much the fact they want a democracy, the fact is they want peace, they want work to be able to feed thier families....that is what they hold is high esteem...democracy is what NATO is offering....As for control, The taliban did not have total control, there was fighting constantly in the north, much like today in the south.... The Afganis government has control over the entire country, much like our government has control over ours...Terrorism is a very difficult beast to control, with out total lock down ,terrorist can operate freely and attack when the situation suits them, all the government can do is react...the current govrnment has deployed all of it's military and police assets to restrict the terrorist movements and activities, while still providing it's citizens freedom of movement....it's a delicate balance...and the terrorist use it to thier favour... I would'nt say that the current government is super popular, but when compared to the taliban it rocks...something like our current government....the PC are not very popular, but compared to the alternative they rock...but the beauty of a democractic government if something better comes along you can vote a new government...counld'nt do that with the taliban.... The taliban ruled with an iron fist, and back this up with executions....a humans will to live is very strong, and death is a very good motivator...imagine if our country announced that all drivers caught drinking and driving would be executed on the side of the road if they blew over the legal limit...do you think we would have many drunk drivers.. In Afgan during taliban rule you had 2 choices embace the taliban, become one of them and survive, or be a victim...which would you choose....Here in Canada we are extremily lucky we don't have to make those decisions....but if faced with it, we would do what it took to survive....keep in mind not all german soldiers in WWII were nazi's either... One has to remember that Afgan is a very poor country, most people are working at something to provide food for thier families.And rebuilding the nation......a population of 27 million and an armed forces/ police of more than 130,000...and growing by 3000 every month.... I can't say this enough, the current Afganis government decides what national projects are funded, and constructed, such as dams , hyways...( don't here much on the media about those projects, because threre not as news worthy as NATO digging a few ditchs ....but they are ongoing....we provide the protection, NATO however does do alot of local projects, such as wells , irragation ditches etc ...Your warning has been told to the taliban on many occasions and the fighting continues....hence why we are still there, growth and advancements are happening everyday...but it takes time , something the west has little of, in our fast food world....

Yes there is alot of NATO soldiers on the ground below is a link on where they are...note to self take a long look at the map, there only a few provinces in which are unstable , have you heard of other provinces having problems, such as the german or french districts........another note is the entire nation is controled by the legimate Afganis government...NATO recieves it's blessing from them prior to any operations....i know you still can't believe that... There are also over 60,000 Afgan soldiers and double that number in police currently operating along side of NATO soldiers. so the myth of this being a NATO operation is completly false.... Afgan map. You want to make a piont and provide proof in a debate opinion is not acceptable.....Since i asked the question, i guess your avoiding the answer.... Bullshit once again , don't kid yourself the Afganis people knew well in advance what it meant to elect thier own government....in fact the election was well recieve, with many afganis voters traveling hundrds of miles on foot just to vote....Shit Canadians won't even fly that far to vote....let alone drive....walking out of the question....the fact that they turned out in greater numbers than our recent in our countryies election, has got to tell you something....Not only did they know what they were doing in detail but they went in record numbers to place thier votes.... If you want i will provide refs for all of the above....or perhaps you can provide a ref to state other wise.... No i was refering to the use of force, the UN has authorized the use of military force to accomplish it's objectives in most of it's missions, or missions sponsored by them YUGO, Cyprus etc....and most of those have had sucessfull outcomes....not all but most , which does not fit in with your "Usually" statement... Actually NATO did not require UN approval under NATO's goverence allowing military action if it could be proven that Bin ladin was responsable.....the Afgan mission was authorized by the UN prior to any action being taken by the US or NATO forces. Like Germany, cyprus, bosina, those places....or did you have something else in mind.... Taken from your link. After the September 11 attacks and the PENTTBOM investigation, the USA delivered this ultimatum to the Taliban: Deliver to the US all of the leaders of Al Qaeda; Release all imprisoned foreign nationals; Close immediately every terrorist training camp; Hand over every terrorist and their supporters to appropriate authorities; Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps for inspection.[108 talibans dismisal I think your misunderstanding, there are rules for defending your nation, thier are rules in the NATO goverence, inter-national law and those set out by the genva conventions, and un charters....We are not in afganistan to change them, thier traditions, etc ....but help or assist them in rebuilding thier nation....i just don't know why you can not see this...

Actually you do, you've made a claim and have failed in backing it up....your entire argument is based on opinon not fact. Well if you monitor such things why is it so hard for you to find a source or link that clearly shows us all that the elections were a sham and the US did in fact appiont a proxy government? or is this just an other opinion.... Would that preclude being asked to stay by it's legal elected government....as the case in Afgan...which would mean it's not an occupation by your own explaination above.... Again you have a hard time separating fact from opinon, give us an example of how NATO has barged in and started to rearrange the place according to our standards or practices, that was not approved by the legal, elected Afganis government. Really, maybe you could show us some facts on this, start with the UN, and tell me how many sucessful missions there has been compared to the unsucessful ones....because you did say usually creates more problems...making it a very common fault.... What options did the US or NATO have....left when the Taliban government decided it would defend Bin Ladin and his merry gang of terrorist's.... Are you serious, we both know who defines them, and who is really suposed to enforce them, but that organization is toothless, so if that organzation sanctions direct action or the use of force....then it must be legal and just to do so....But your problem is you don't like the rules....that the rest of the world should have to put up with these radical countries because they are finding thier way, to a better future....but the real world doesn't operate that way....

Yes, it has, provide me a link or source stating it does not. Yes, NATO did invade to dispose of the old regime....it did stay until a elected government was chosen...after the elections "the freely elected government ASKED NATO to stay and assist with rebuilding ..... I hope your not suggesting that NATO or the US hand picked the the Afganis government.....Provide a source or link that states that the government of Afganistan was Handed picked by NATO, or any other country other than the people of Afganistan..... Perhaps you need to do some reseach on the term occupation.... What song would that be, "don't spank my ass, when my head is in the sand," or I never saw i thing and won't tell any body"....Great songs , in fact classics for alot of Canadians....and while we sit our fat asses in our nice comfy chairs watching the hockey game or some new reality TV show, with crumbs on our chests from eating way to much snack food, a cool drink at our sides..."we are good", because nothing that happens in Afgan or any place else will effect my life in my chair.... You can correct me if i'm wrong , but your ok with sitting back and watching millions around the globe die, waiting for them to correct there own problems...like those in Darfur, sudan, Afganistan...etc etc....Not all of us fall into that catagory we actually want to help, and while we respect your decission to hide in a hole, we should not have to defend our actions because it upsets the great natural order of things according to you.... Some what of a hypocritically statement is it not, i mean we live in a country were all our rights, freedoms and laws are enforced if nessicary by force...and for most of us we are all right with that...Rules need to be enforced or things quickly get out of hand....So the answer to your question is yes sometimes you need to stand up and use a big stick...Why is it the UN uses soldiers to peace keep, and not hippies with placards. You change what ever you have to, just name one country...Then explain why Afganistan needs to be the first.

The soviets invaded , and imposed thier will on the Afganis government, like most communist states it was controled by moscow....NATO destroyed the old regime, thats a fact, the newly elected government asked NATO to stay on to assist them, in the rebuilding of thier nation. there will be peace in afganistan, but not on any time table....and this mission will eventually turn into a UN one, but it will not be on our (canadian time table) it will be on thiers...( the Afganis time table). and if the other missions are examples that could take 10 to 20 years... Why must it be wrong ? Name me one country that has sucessfully grown into a strong nation that could stand up on it's own after just 6 years of assistance....Name one country that has stood up on it's own after 30 or more years of war? So why is it that you expect this one to instantly stand up and survive after just 6 years... Give me an example? of how we are forcing them to look , feel, and behave just like us.... No i'm not mixing up different things, and your wrong when you say they thought it was normal behavior, they did not dare say anything again'st Taliban policy as it was not allow to do so meant that you would be subject to the same.....so the majority did not...ask them today what they perfer the old ways under the taliban or the new ways under NATO ? There is a minimum standard set out for basic human rights, this accord has been signed by most nations in existance today....so the answer to your question is yes, would should be able to use every method to enforce those basic rights...not doing so means that really we have rules but you can chose to follow them or not....not enforcing them would be the same as turning your head, pretending not to notice something....condoning the action when we know it is wrong.... How's it different than colonization...first we are not there to enforce our values or morals on them , just ensuring that the basic rights are being enforced, and that they are not posing a problem for other nations.

Is it really, a rosy dream, did they not have elections, did the Afganis people not vote in a head of state of thier own chosing, did they not show up in record numbers, most travaling many hundrds of miles on foot just to have a chance to vote....That has got to say something about a rosy dream....I'm not decieving myself i've talked to dozens afganis army pers, whom believe with all thier hearts they are making a difference despite being payed very little, equiped with nothing, them and thier families hunted down like dogs by the Taliban, thats got to say something about a rosy dream....the same could be said about thier police, every other dept,including school teachers, doctors everyone.... the taliban have put a price on everyones head, and yet every day they show up for work, thats got to say something about a rosy dream..... They want peace, they want change, they do not want the taliban and they are greatful to NATO for our assistance... But you make it sound like it was NATO that decided thier leader, and it is NATO that dicates policy, do you think it was NATO that decided to make it punshable by death to convert from Muslim to christian, there is other examples of Afganis policy being made that the west does not agree on, and some how you think it is the west that is force feeding them our morals and values, and it is NATO dictating to the afganis government how they should govern...NATO is advising them, but the final choice, and the final decision is the Afganis government.... This has already been explained a dozen of times as well, the Afganis government is a democracy, and it is one that is controlled and run by the Afganis elected officals. They the (Afganis people) have already decided...it was them that voted...you do remember that right.... and millions work every day , they work with a price on thier head...a majority want the taliban to stop...and fade away... The Afganis people want a few things they want peace, and they want work....it would not matter to them if the next government was democractic, communist, dictatorship...to them it truely would not matter....I guess that more than 40 years of war does that to a people....NATO is there now, democracy is what they are offering...and like i said before they are accepting it as long as it brings them peace and work.... [

What a load of crap, you will never, ever understand what it is like, "until you go outside the wire" and experiance the smells, the sights, until you feel your heart pulsing with ever beat....they call it outside the wire for a reason, it's the wild west on steriods, life is short outside the wire, not just for soldiers, but for everyone.......According to the locals this is normal, quite, relaxed....and yet i can recall each time i stepped outside the wire, i remember every second of my existance until i'm safe inside the wire once again.... The locals describe life under the taliban and local war lords, in detail, describing scences of death, and pain i have never fathomed, or seen, and i can tell you i've seen some horrid stuff in my 2 tours in afgan....scenes out of a the worst horror movie made....and despite all the talk of Afgan casualities and inocents being killed, none would perfer to exist under the taliban rule again....not one.... So while you may think that they where surviving before we came along, your dead wrong....They were a beaten , defeated people that lived minute by minute...not day by day, they're furture was here and now....not what i'm i going to get for x-mas next year.... What NATO and Canada is giving them is hope, pride, and reason to live....and if we have to send some of the bad guys to allah to give the average Afganis citizen some hope, pride, and reasons to live, then sign me up again.... I don't know how many times i've tried to explain this to you....but NATO , and Canada are not there to make Afgan into another province, or carve them into little Canadians...but to give them a chance to have a small piece of what we take for granted everyday, with an afganis twist or flavour....If tommorow the Afganis government informs NATO that we are done then we go home.... Protecting them again'st a small gorup of men that refuse to let the old ways die, to fade away....because they lost thier power and control over everything in thier lifes....and they want it back....the hangings, stonings, the exicutions, the religious police, the dailey beatings....they miss it and have decided that they are willing to die to get it back....by putting your head in the sand you enable them to punish millions, for the sake of a few thousands...they have drawn the line in the sand, they have committed everything to battle, and NATO is responding to that with the blessing of the Afganis government. But you can't see that.... Kind of like watching someone getting murdered or raped, quick turn your head and will pretend we never saw anything....Bullshit....we as a nation with soooo much can afford to help a nation with so little....and here is the thing that pisses me off so much....The Majority of Canadians don't give a shit....they will not support the mission, because of various reasons....Money, dead soldiers, because it's an american war, or the Harper government is running the show....alot of reason other than the right ones....

I'd be curious to know what is a reasonable time limit for rebuilding an entire nation, fighting an insurgency, training an entire army, in the most hostile region of the world? and doing all that with the majority of your citizens not supporting any move that is made towards that new nation, nor with all the equipment, supplies, funding, manning levels that is required to do the job.... Every spring they promise a major offensive, or operation since the start of this mission...we are still there, still doing the job, still kicking thier ass...I think it is kind of funney, that Canadians will actually listen and hang off every word that some terrorist makes, but does not have the time of day for thier own soldiers words....Spring is about a month old in Afgan have you heard of any new offensive....Do you think they know it's spring yet... More troops in the south is going to mean more operations, more troops to hold ground, and it's going to mean BAD news for the bad guys....But it is also going to mean less bad guys and more constrution projects.... The US has always been in the south, in Fact Kanadar is a major military installation, of which we are the guests...as for more deaths Yes, you are going to see more combat, hence more death...

I not sure what your piont is either, try not and make trudeau out to be the hero... but he is actually the one Canadian in our entire history that has done the most damage to our military....during Trudeaus reign of power (terror)the armed forces, went from 110,000 to 78,000 and his great spending spree was'nt until 1978 because so much damage had already been done.... trudeau

The cons have introduced many bills that start to address the needs of our soldiers and vets, and progress is being made...more than any previous governments anyways...That being said, we have always had soldiers and vets, and these problems are not something new, just that past governments and the average Canadian have choose to ignore them... Lets not forget that most Canadians approved of this mission when it was first conceived, and has since changed thier minds...So most Canadians must also take a share in that burden also...Canada has invested alot into this mission in regards to tax dollars, time and effort....it would be a shame to cut and run because of a few dollars....it's kind of ironic that it is our soldiers that have paid the highest price, and they still remain commited, and the just because majority thinks it's not a worthy cause does not mean that it is the correct one or what is best for our country.. I don't think it is for the soldiers, it's so that someone can piont and say "see" we do something for our dead....raising and lower a flag....if only it was that simple....But what we are forgeting that there is plenty of other areas that require urgent attention that would really address the "see" what we do for our fallen, such as increasing death benifits, looking after these families that have been crushed by thier loss, instead we had to pass a bill on this trival problem....that resolves what exactly ?

So a boast of .2 % of GDP is hawkish, replacing equipment that desparatly need to be replaced or forcing the country to do without that capability, sounds very hawkish...unless you are the one who's live will be effected by that equipment....like those during the annual winnipeg floods, or the ice storms, or the hundrds that are pull to safety by SAR (search and rescue)...or those international people that are effected by our aid assistance... not to mention the hundrds of soldiers lives that this equipment will save.... This is the statement that proves that you really know nothing of the situation , or what our country is doing there...which really is to bad....As a Canadian you should know what our countries military forces are doing on our behalf....Thanks for coming out, thanks for your support...

Here is another example of wasting time and money on a totally useless bill, that does nothing for this country or our troops. Just sit down for a minute and think what our troops in Afgan might be thinking....Will this bill increase my odds of survival in a war zone, will it benifit my family in any way, will it benifit the military, our country, or those vets of past service...NO it does not.... And yet this whole situation has made it onto the countries radar screen not once but twice...and can you believe it required a bill to be passed....And yet the soldiers are seriously thinking about...what am i going to do if i'm seriously injured and can no longer work, what is my family going to do to make ends meet if i die in combat, who is going to look after my loved ones when i'm gone, it's one thing to have a buddy to promise you to look after them on you death bed...but raiseing one family one a military wage is hard and next to impossiable to look after two....And it's funney that there is no bill being passed on any of those things i've just mentioned...Things that could make a difference in the way our country treats it's soldiers and vets.... So while we are greatful that our nations parliment will fly a flag at half mass in our honor, that perhaps a couple of thousand of people will see, it is not the grand justure that the majority may think it is.... Regardless of what parliment does, The flags at every military base across the country will fly at half mass, that our own will mourn our loss in true military fashion, we will all take a minute out of our busy days to say a pray, we will donate money to the family, we will hold a large military cerimony so we can say our final good byes...and we will add thier names and faces to our walls of honour "lest we forget". These are the things that we hold near and dear as they are part of our tradition.... And while the above does not include the rest of the country, nor allow them to mourn with us, nither does the lowering of our national flag at parliment...We know the majority of Canadians supports us and mourns our every loss, it's made evident every time that Airbus lands in Canada and the body takes that long jouney down the highway of heros, lined by thousands paying thier respects.... You really want to help our soldiers and Vets then next time our government feels the need to pass a bill, lets make it one that will make a difference in our lifes, in our families lifes. one that will say to our soldiers "thanks" and "we do care".

The 767 is a boeing product, the below link is some of the reasons the USAF are not going with boeing/ 767

You think the russians have the same problem as Canadians, a loss of identity.

Is it the white mans burden, or is it the burden of being one of the G-8 nations, having the power, and wealth to make postive changes... Let me ask you something, do you really think that life under sadam, or the taliban was great, was fair, was in the best interests of the Iraqi / Afgan people. Do they deserve a crack at what you and i have today? Yes it does play into our interests, everything we do on the world stage is for our interest....would it not be benificial for all if Iraq or Afgan was a democractic country of some sorts, that could play be the rules. And what if the problem hits us here at home, to we continue do leave them alone...such as those Canadians that perished in the towers, or what about the FLQ crisses in Quebec....or for that matter anyone with a axe to grind whom turns to violence to solve it.... To sum it all up, nothing gets solved by burying our heads in the sand and pretending nothing is happening. someone once quoted " all evil needs to thrive is for good men to do nothing".

John Cruickshank : We Canadians live in a blind spot about our identity. We have very strong feelings about who we aren't but only weak ones about who we are. We're passionate about what we don't want to become but oddly passive about what we should be.

Debora O'Neil : I think every Canadian should have a map of Canada in his or her house. It should be displayed in a place where one can sit and contemplate the wonderful vastness of this land. As Canadians we are continuously groping for an identity and a sense of love for our nation. We grapple with the concept, find it somewhat distasteful and leave it for another day. We find American flag waving, hand over heart while belting out Oh, say, can you see... too much and avoid doing the same. We admire their national spirit, but Canadians are, in contrast, understated. To understand the identity that exists in our hearts think of our sweepingly majestic home, its quiet, serene beauty. A beauty recognizable to us all. We are proud of this nation and of who we are. We just don't say it. It's like the map. It just sits there on the wall displaying the lines of our coasts, the bulk of our waterways, and the breadth of our northern territories. Surveying all of this leaves me in awe. It brings a tear to my eye...O Canada...

The following quote is attributed to Gen Hillier during an interview with Donna Jacobs and published in the Ottawa Citizen Jan 14. I believe this should be published right up there alongside General Schwarzkopf's,(also known as "Stormin' Norman") statement "Only God can forgive. It is up to me to arrange the meeting" Gen Hillier's statement has to do with War. "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The ugliest is a person who thinks nothing is worth fighting and dying for and lets others, better and braver, protect him" I wonder if I can get that made into a bumper sticker