Great post and link Kate.

The first one to come to my mind would be the building funding of a new Afghan radio station.

Then there was a bridge that was badly damaged by heavy military traffic which was replaced.

Oh and the new two lane maybe even four lane highway being built to bypass Kandahar city and hopefully cut down on the suicide bombs in that the dead man zone along side of the road is going to be like two foot ball fields wide. This is where the WO from the Arty's died but saved many of his fellow soldiers lives in that he quickly open fire instead of diving for cover.

The Torch link does a wonderful job well worth clicking the link in your entry. But no cheating now.

Is there a single newspaper in Canada that opposes, or has opposed at any time, the Canadian invasion and occupation of Afghanistan?

When will the church of failure cease and decist?

Stupid question eh.

It's all about the 80/20 thing.

In business 20% of your contacts will provide 80% of your work.

In journalism 20% of the punks spew 80% of the bullshit.

Go figure.

Syncro

Bob, the short answer is yes, and yes, and Hello,
the invasion and occupation of Afganistan by Canadian troops? Well, you don't watch enough TV!

People in the "know" have it that the Taliban did all these dastardly invasion and occupation thingies simply to relieve the Afganie people of the unapproved thoughts that leads to uppitty women and uppitty males and just an uppitty kind of society. Nobody wants that!
Didn't they "clue you in"? For God's sake Bob, it was in all the papers! Of course it was in "code" but you must have gotten your copy of the "Book".

Oh Oh, I think I've said too much.
Bye Bob.

Media coverage of Afghanistan is almost exclusively restricted to video of coffins being carried while an, almost gleeful, voice-over reminds us of 'how many have died'.

Accomplishments? Naah....we don't have time for those.

This is concrete proof to be held up that the MSM is simply refusing, refusing, refusing to do its job and just report the important facts.

All the MSM does is report on when a Canadian gets killed or when moonbats say, "get out of Afghanistan".

Never will the MSM tell Canadians about all the wonderful things the military and others are doing for the Afghan people, nor will they remind Canadians of the dark, horrible past under the barbaric, bloodthirstily evil Taliban, which was forcibly removed, freeing the Afghan people.

No wonder so many Canadians are ignorant as to the truth, to the facts. Is it any wonder the polls show this ignorance in their results indicating current 'lack of support' for the mission?

I guarantee the polls would indicate strong support for the mission if the MSM would tell Canadians about all the wonderful, helpful stuff being done as a result of the selfless, noble sacrifices of our brave warriors.

The media is manufacturing a lack of consent.

And, a message to Noam Chomsky: screw you, you daft old fart!

By the way, I'd ask Bob above to try to find much support in the papers or on network TV news for the mission in Afghanistan. Bob won't find very much of that.

That's the same as being opposed, when one understands the way the MSM works.

Besides, they give far more coverage to folks who oppose the mission than they give folks who support it.

Think about that, Bobby.

"Is there a single newspaper in Canada that opposes, or has opposed at any time, the Canadian invasion and occupation of Afghanistan"

Bobby, sweetie, the very fact that you even pose that question shows your ignorance!

But we will forgive you because you bring such fun with your comments.

We know who speaks for bob...thanks Kate for being a 'voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio(tv,Red Star, NP, G&M,CBC)- "you don't speak for me"...'
They are becoming redundant as we are able to find out what the 'news' is without them...thanks for that info!!

The next time a masked gunman decides to hold Bob's family hostage, I REALLY hope that the local police force refrains from invading and occupying his house. Let him work it out on his own.

Let me know where you live Bob, and I'll have a chat with your local police, fire, and medical services. None of them will ever bother you again, I promise.

Petey and the CBC-sters never tire of calling it a "so-called" war on terror.

Afraid "Petey" is petering out. Those CBCers and CTVers have lost it completely. Who could possibly rely on them for the unspun facts?
One would need to be retired to spend the time needed to seek the truth about all news reported by these banana republic reporters.

Okay, the MSM is now irrelevant. So is the Partridge Family. Can we stop talking about both?

Mansbridge is just the banner carrier for a legion of Canadian news outlets that only give us the 10% of the news they want us to know.....the rest is tucked away neetly on a beseiged internet news site which they are working feverously to have their political friends shut down.

Yeah Canada!....the 10% informed nation ;-)

Kate: I am not some Liberal cry baby...as you know, but as a serving soldier in the CF, I find Bob's remarks:

"Is there a single newspaper in Canada that opposes, or has opposed at any time, the Canadian invasion and occupation of Afghanistan?"

:extremely offensive and a complete lack of respect for my fellow soldiers who have paid the ultimate price trying to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. Perhaps a 30 day time out is in order for Bob?

During the ewo great wars there were lots of people who resisted sending our troups onerseas especially in Quebec where the citizens refused to fight for their homelands freedom.
The old saying that "evil can only succeed when good men do nothing" should be remembered.
Taliban Jack and the socialist Nato "allies" should be reminded they will be compared to Chamberlain for not wanting to get involved

scott, now don't let us find out later that you refuse to fight for your homeland's freedom.

4000 km of highway, tens of hundreds of new medical centers, 79% of the population with access to modern medical facilities, hundreds of new schools, a 29% increase in GDP after the opium trade is factored out, and most importantly, 4 million afghan refugee's returned home last year...

But we're accomplishing nothing.

Nato and Canada have won the battle on the ground, and the Taliban and Al Queda have completely won the war in the media.

It's important news, great post. Now, where and to whom do we donate?

By the way, does any one know the update on the translator who was badly wounded?

There is no question that Canada has a controlled media which does little but parrot the politically correct line. On the other hand, it makes no difference in Afghanistan how many wells or schools or whatever the United States or Canada builds.

The least bad interventionist option in Afghanistan would be to use a small chunk of the money that is being spent on the military effort and buy off the warlords and chiefs. That is the only policy that halfway worked for the Brits and the Russians.

The best option would be to get out and leave the Afghanis to sort it all out. Eventually they will reach equilibrium.

and Katharine 'digs' a 'well' in the google info and provides the affirmation that we have been RIGHT all along in supporting Canada's presence if Afghanistan.

God bless the peaceful Afghan people and God bless the Canadian military.

man that made my day.

We broke a king and we built a road.
A courthouse stands where the regiment goed.
And the river's clean where the raw blood flowed,
Where the Widow give the party.

Thing really don't change much for Tommy, GI Joe, the Digger, or the Canadian soldier (whatever you folks call them). Not last year -- not over the last century or two. Neither does the disrespect liberal nancies have for the good work these soldiers do.

Hey, no dissing the Partridge Family! "Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque is a phenomenal tune.

http://www.cmongethappy.com/

And Rueben Kincaid was the prototypical role model for all swingin' bachelors.

Congratulations on being quoted in America Alone, Kathy.

The old saying, "the Media is an ass". Well, the MSM is now beyond ASS. It is pathetic. And for a reason. It has been taken over by talk-the-talkers. I guess it was inevitable as that is all they do or can do. Can you imagine the likes of the PPG actually do some real work ?? Like carpentry ? or business planing ? Not a chance.

Remenber back about 15 years ago when the Balkans were in upheaval ?? And the Europeans were scared it may start something again ?? And the UNers in white suits were sitting around and watching from afar with binoculars ?? And France pleaded for Canada and the US to help ?? Next time ... maybe only for the Dutch, Poles and a few others.

Matt,

Are you talking about the "so-called news" CBC?

A bit OT...but related to MSM...The TO Sun picked up Kate's very creative Pink Book 'story'!(Nov. 30, pg 22)
Congrats Kate!!

Doug,

Yes, the "so-called" unbiased presentation of the "so-called" news by the "so-called" journalists at the "so-called" CBC.

Two words: Criminal negligence.
One word: Sedition.

Bob: It's the silence! The Sound of Silence.

I have a liberal "friend" who I suddenly asked, after months of his vicious Anti-Iraq-Bush-Bashing: "What about Afghanistan"?. After repeated attempts I have failed to get any kind of response. Not a single word.

Lies of ommission. Seditious Silence. The Taliban as world template evidently OK.

Has Andrew Coyne's head exploded yet?

Well, for sure the TO Sun takes notice. I'll bet ALL the medias check sda regularily. They wouldn't dare post though, and try and defend themselves. No legs, and now the whole world knows it. Their biased(and basted) goose is cooked. Can just see Wells and Kinsella sitting there fumming, knowing that millions of Canadians are getting the REAL story. Tried, but failed. sda ran over them a few times already. The only era the MSM has been taken to task since the Printing Press was invented in 1440.

Yeah Kate !! If my math is correct; since June 1st 06 to Nov 30 06, average 7000+ visits per day ?? Amazing. And not just for the sports or obits. Nope. sda for the news media Audit. Kate, the Sheila Fraser Auditor of tree wasters !!

And to think the Media used to refer to the chattering-class as the movers and shakers. Barf.

Dear Bob:

It's not an occupation if they INVITE YOU TO STAY.

This smack upside the head brought to you by Uncommon Truths.

What do you expect? It's quite obvious where the media bias and agenda stands when all we hear about are the negative aspects of our efforts in Afghanistan.

Do we hear about the rights that Afghanis are enjoying? Of course not. Do we hear about the privately run media outlets they have? Of course not. etc., etc.

It's very upsetting that Canada's mass media outlets do not have the professionalism to report all sides of the stories.

Imagine a world where instead of stories like "More Canadians Die!" and "The Evil Neocons are Evil" or "A Cat Got Stuck In A Tree" there were balanced news reports about current world issues.

The CBC and Globe have their agenda, and it's obvious. That's why we hear about the suffering in Darfur, but heard nothing about the suffering in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Was it on "best of the blogs"? I don't have access to the Sun, for obvious reasons.

I think the Canadian government should be paying journalists to publish good news stories just like the americans do. It's the only way to guarantee fair and balanced coverage.

"Thing really don't change much for Tommy, GI Joe, the Digger, or the Canadian soldier (whatever you folks call them). Not last year -- not over the last century or two. Neither does the disrespect liberal nancies have for the good work these soldiers do."

We affectionatly refer to our Canadian soldiers as "grunts" because they do all the grunt work!

Airforce types, well we are either "pidgeons" or "Zoomies", for obvious reasons.

The Navy we affectionatly call them "WOGS" who venemently defend 200 years of naval tradition unimpieded by progress.

GOD BLESS EM ALL!

odie, I think you're misinterpreting if you believe that liberals disrespect soldiers' work.

Yes...'best of the Blogs...guess you'll have to go to the corner and get one!Do they have it way out there?...lol
I wish Lorie Goldstein would start blogging...

Bob: "Is there a single newspaper in Canada that opposes, or has opposed at any time, the Canadian invasion and occupation of Afghanistan?"

Now the facts.

There was no invasion of Afghanistan.

Before the fall of Kabul, and of most of the rest of Afghanistan, to the insurgent Afghan Northern Alliance in November 2001--and the consequent collapse of the Taliban regime--there were no foreign regular combat formations in Afghanistan. The Northern Alliance did receive air support and assistance from special forces (both U.S. and British); that however is not an invasion. Substantial foreign ground combat forces--including Canadian--only entered the country after the Taliban had been deposed by indigenous Afghan forces, and those foreign troops entered with the agreement of the Northern Alliance.

It is most unfortunate that the mythical "invasion" of Afghanistan has become common currency (a "meme"?) amongst journalists and commentators--and this is no mere semantic quibble. Describing what the U.S. and other coalition members did in Afghanistan as an "invasion" tends to equate those actions in people's minds with the real invasion of Iraq. That equation implicitly and wrongly calls into question the legitimacy (their efficacy may be something else) of current NATO and coalition actions in Afghanistan, which have been authorized unanimously by the U.N. Security Council.

It was all over TV at the time--did you miss it or just forget--along with so many in media?

Mark
Ottawa

Jose, your comment is more factual than sarcastic. I hope you appreciate the irony.

Polskie: Fidei Defensor. ...-

Polish troops to defend democracy in Afghanistan
Radio Polonia ^ | 30.11.2006

30.11.2006

Defense minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said that Poland gained in rank at the just concluded NATO summit in Riga, due to the nation’s willingness to be involved in the mission in Afghanistan.

The main reason for this has been the decision to increase the Polish contingent for operations in Afghanistan. Presently there are only some one hundred Polish soldiers in Afghanistan, but plans have been approved for deploying over one thousand troops more at the start of next year. ...-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1746614/posts

Have to agree, Kate. I think Jose should have previewed before pushing the post button.

Crabgrass.......I lived through 12 years of Liberal disrespect for the military. Don't preach to this old soldier about the Liberals NOT disrespecting the men and women in uniform. All we were to those Chretien Bozo's was window dressing. They froze our pay and promotions for 6 years. If that isn't disrespect, what is? They committed us to overseas missions with crappy equipment. If that isn't disrespect, what is? They accuse Harper of riding Bushes coat tails.....well Chretien was so far up Clintons arse if you wanted to break his nose you had to kick Clinton in the ass!

12 freakin years of nothing but disrespect from Liberals!

Mansbridge is an asshole. Case closed.
I have nothing further, your Honour.

odie - I misunderstood - it wasn't clear that you were referring specifically to the government of the day.

Do you feel confident that the soldiers are in better hands with the Alliance/Conservatives? If so, I would differ.

Government schools, government health care, government job training, government jobs, ...

Building another Trudeaupia in central Asia probably isn't going to work very well in the long run. It hasn't worked anywhere, except in countries stable enough that their governments can borrow money forever to pay for all the goodies, plus a couple of other places with lots of oil wells and a small population.

If the people who really want to help the Afghanis would contribute money privately, or hire private mercenaries, or go to fight the Taliban as private soldiers themselves, then I think you would find that every dollar and every life spent in the cause would go much, much farther than the dollars and lives which are sent over their by the government, to be spent according to the whims and the needs of politicians and government bureaucrats. And you wouldn't have to pay the slightest bit of attention to the opinions of media commentators.

Crabgrass
Odie441 was correct in both his statements, that the Liberals have no respect for the military and that liberals disrespect the military. And this situation has been evident for at least 40 years.

As for your second comment re confidence in the Conservatives, the answer is yes; noting that you differ indicates you lack knowledge of the subject unfettered by responsible study. Thus your disagreement with Odie441 is based on ignorance and can be treated with the distain otherwise accorded such luminaries as Mr Dosanjh and others.

Cheers

Odie: I was in the CF during the Trudeau years -- the "Just Society" when soldiers ended up on welfare and we trained on tanks that burst into flames spontaneously only to dismissed as "constantly wanting cadillacs". I knew O'Connor at the Armoured Corps school and he was first class -- a soldier's soldier. So yes, the Conservatives are far superior, and the Liberals have only ever done what they always do -- put on a show for the media while blading the grunts at the front.

Odie: Those last comments were intended for Crabgrass -- it's getting late.

J.M. - I'm grateful to have crossed paths with someone whose opinions are so vastly superior to my own. As an aside, when you seek to condescend in the future you may want to engage some sort of spell check.

His difficulty with spelling in no way invalidates his point. I've got 9 years service under my belt, and I can tell you for a fact that the last few years have seen a massive shift both in how the government treats us, and in how we view ourselves. Before the conservatives got into power I was so disillusioned that I was considering getting out. Now...the future has never looked so promising.

They dug a "big" well? Ouch!

Agreed, Alex. I was responding to J.M.'s arrogant tone. One cheap tactic deserves another, I guess. I'm glad to hear that you feel better about your job now, no matter why. Have there actually been substantial increases in pay or other tangible benefits, or is it more the government's philosophy that boosts your morale?

My point was essentially that like the vast majority of people, I would be more inclined to enlist in an environment where I'd be less likely to see combat.

Crabgrass.......in response to your question concerning payraises. As a matter of fact, this Conservative government just gave us troops in the trenches a very nice payraise. One of the largest I have seen in my 23 years service!

Excellent, Odie. I hope I can say the same thing in a few weeks!