Left this morning around 7 for Calgary, and just got home an hour ago – 12 hours on the road, plus dicking around taking paperwork to customs, etc. Hence, a very quiet blogging day.
I used up most of my drive home raging at Paul Martin for the military penny pinching that has now cost a Canadian submariner his life. (*see note below)
“…He gave his life saving his country, and we pay him our profound respects and his family our deepest condolences.”
No, Mr. Martin, you insipid, unthinking, flaccid little man – he didn’t. He died trying to save his own life and that of his crewmates, because your government devoted more skill and effort to setting up secret funds to funnel money to Liberal ad agencies than it did ensuring that our military was provided with dependable, current equipment and supplies.
You converted our once proud armed forces into an international joke that was never funny. And once again, it’s turned tragic.
May you sleep as restlessly tonight as are the stranded men in the North Atlantic.
Update Oct. 7 – a second sailor is now in critical condiiton
[*Something strange has gone on at that link. The google cache displayed the quote above – yet it does not appear in the text of the report. Airbrushing by the National Post? CNN has it.]
I hate to rub it in but there really was a time when Canadians were considered fierce and valiant fighters that the Brits or Americans would be damned glad to have on board in virtually any mission. Now (no offense) it’s like you guys just kind of assume we’ll be there for whatever you need, and you needn’t bother except to give us grief when you don’t like when we take out fascist dictators.
Some Americans just kind of laugh this off, but some of this are still kinda hurt by the whole thing…
Still “fierce and valiant” Dean, just underequipped and hopelessly top-heavy now.
And top-heavy with the wrong types too.
Blogger curiosity note: This post is recieving really heavy direct hits, but I have no clue from where – would a few of you let me know where you’re coming in from?
Got here from steynonline.com
P.S. I think Canada is finished. The Bloc and NDP will probably blast several large holes below the waterline of this already listing ship, as they extract concessions to let the Liberals maintain their sham government a little bit longer.
Liberal attempts to man the bilge pumps will consist of hosing ever-greater amounts of money at Quebec and the Maritimes, and shrieking ever-more strident race-baiting hysteria in the GTA about the “bigots” in the Conservative Party.
Opinions?
Many people who live in here in New England claim that Canada does things better, so I propose a swap. Canada gets New England and the US gets the Western Provinces. I think that the US would get the better part of the deal, especially after people like me left New England in order to stay in the USA.
We don’t want two seater Kennedy either.
No deal.
Canadian disinterest turns deadly
The title of this post refers to the shameful lack of interest among Canadians i the welfare and state of readiness of their armed forces. That lack of interest, ridden so hard by the lamentable Jean Chretien, and expressed as…
I said:
‘…shrieking ever-more strident race-baiting hysteria in the GTA about the “bigots” …’
Upon further reflection I would like to amend this statement.
The anti-Conservative race-baiting is like a fine wine which is only brought out for special occasions.
The everyday, ongoing way in which the Liberals will shore up support in Toronto (to the ruination of the country) is the steady removal of any controls on immigration. That kind of god-like power makes it almost impossible for any other party to match … which is why you saw Jack Layton trying to “steal a march” by jumping right in and wholeheartedly praising a wanted terrorist as another “Nelson Mandela”.
From Mark Steyn…an excellent characterization of our p.m.!
Thanks for letting me know. I worship Steyn. I tried to marry him once, about a month ago.
The Canadians depend on the US economy for their economic growth and on the US drug companies for their medicine. Of course, been next door, they also depend on the US defence umbrella for their own protection as well. Now if only they were astute enough to have had the hated Yanks buy and man their subs. There would be at least one less Canadian naval officer today.
Maybe they be less contemptous of Bush and the Yanks. But then again, I won’t offer any bets on this.
Kate: You are too late. Mark Steyn is happily married with children.
Don’t give up, Kate, The way things are going in Canada polygamy will be legal before long.
oops – posted with incomplete name
ok you got tanks that can’t be moved, hilo’s that don’t fly and now 1/4 of your subs are now barges
and lest i forget big mouthed leftist pols who seem ot love the likes of saddam and his terrorist buddies
I wonder sometimes why the Canadians are not more like the Aussies… they sure used to be heroic and all, remember Dieppe and ANZAC in WWII… not that there aren’t a few good ‘uns left… as I recall, it was a Canadian sniper who set the record for a long range kill in Afghanistan… but now their defense forces are simply patronage programs… militarily, a pathetic joke…
I think the problem comes from living in the very safe neighborhood of North America, after all, why spend all that money on defense when you don’t need it? And, let’s face it, Canadians don’t need a national defense with US next door… if anybody decided they wanted the place, we’d kick their ass. Aussies can’t be so sure, they live in a pretty dangerous neighborhood, surrounded by Asian countries that spring from very different social and political roots… Aussies have to live in the real world, they have to be grown-ups, just like US…
Are Canadians to blame for their infantilism? I dunno, but (like the Olde Europeans) we cannot count on them to behave with adult responsibility, and I think that’s a shame…
Don’t be to tough on the Canadian Gov’t: I think all ‘civilized’ social/democracies which sponsor higher education end up with a very liberal environment on campus and in the press because the left votes for more sponsorship of education, and pressure from the media and the imprinting of liberal values on graduates (especially those aiming for public service) tends to drive governments to the left over time.
It is a morbidly humorous reverse of what happens in Saudi Arabia, where the government sponsors religious schools which drive the country to the extreme, jihadic right. Even more morbidly humorous is how those on the ‘extreme appeasement left’ seem to end up allied with the ‘jihadic right’. (We can only conclude that to a liberal, a terrorist is better than a conservative any day.)
I do believe however that over time, people get annoyed at being lied to, and that alternative media (in PJ’s or not) are rising to provide counterpoints to the ‘Mainstream medai’ output, be those views way right or way left, – witness this blog that fails to fall into step with ‘Al-Reuters’, and also the many middle eastern blogs that fail to reflect the views of Al-Jazera.
In response to Dean’s comments regarding some American’s feelings on Canada. As a Canadian, all I can say is that I don’t blame you for feeling that Canada is a once proud but now useless appendage in North America. I was born and live here and that’s what I think of Canada. All I can say in response is that federal liberalism has wrecked this country and even now the majority of Candians think we are on the right track – although to what end I don’t know. I am embarassed by this country personally – I think that the US has much more vitality and vigour than we do although we somehow pride ourselves on these very attributes, but our time has long gone. We have a long way to go to ressurect our strength and vigour and we are currently heading the wrong way. There are many Canadians who feel the same way as I, thankfully, there is hope for the future, but we are stuck for now in a liberal spin cycle and can’t get out. Let Canada be a warning to the USA – beware the Kerry agenda!
Alas, I also wanted to marry Mark Steyn a while back. Unfortunately his columns suggest he wouldn’t be comfortable with wedding a straight male. Your loss, girlfriend!
I think the root of the behaviour is that Canada, or at least our government, wants so desperately to be liked by everyone. Of course, this is not realistic, often hypocritical, and sometimes immoral.
I just can’t imagine a modern Canadian leader standing up for anything requiring real effort. (Effort is NOT to be confused with expense. Real effort, for the government, involves taking a principled stand on a difficult issue -oh say “how best to approach international terrorism” – and having to actually be disliked by those who disagree.)
That is why the military is so neglected. The Government wants to be liked by our allies. Reluctantly therefore, they have to maintain some semblance of an armed service. But, actually using the armed service for anything other than “peacekeeping missions” (low-risk PR projects) means the fellows at the pointy-end of the stick won’t like you, and nor will their relatives in Canada. Quel horreur!
As far as I can tell, this way of thinking goes for almost all Federal Canadian decisions; not “what is right?”, but “will we be liked?” This is why an anti-US stance is always so easy to fall back on – so many others are that way, you’re bound to be liked.
I got here by way of Mark Steyn’s website, and read many of the comments on this site about modern Canada’s many deficiencies.
I was born “a British subject” because there was no such thing as a Canadian citizen back in 1938, nor for several years after that. I cherish a crystal-clear memory of my mother arguing the point with a census officer in 1951: poor soul, she thought she was a Canadian. Four of my uncles fought in WWII. Two are still alive, in their late 80s. Both have full use of their mental faculties, and they insist that what we have today is not what they fought for. They say we don’t have a democracy in Canada, and I agree with them. It looks good on paper, until you assess the results. The conspiring, posturing and maneuvering that Paul Martin committed to remove Chretien from office made Martin himself utterly unfit to occupy any office: the man is unalterably corrupted and permanently stained. He may travel out of the country and say that he represents Canada, but he does not represent me. And no matter how you feel about constitutional monarchy, or about Adrienne Clarkson personally, who would you rather have talking to Putin?
You self-hating Canadians are what, if anything, would make me ashamed to be Canadian. You don’t like the place? Think the USA is your valhalla? The border can’t be too far away – take a drive and close the door behind you.
You whine about military prowess and our lack thereof as if it was what defined a great nation. Just look to S. America, Africa and the Middle East to see if high military spending has got any of them the kind of countries you guys love.
Your partisanship is naked.
No need to worry about Paul Martin or Adrienne Clarkson representing us, it looks like the Premier of Quebec will be doing that for us. Next, I guess, Ralph Klein, and so on down the line of dreary Premiers. Got here from Steyn’s page.
Hi, also got here from the Mighty Steyn’s page.
I find it sadly amusing that “umakemesick” so clearly proves Ottocat’s argument. “You don’t like Canadian government? Then you must hate Canada and yourselves too! Go ‘way, meanies!” Geez, I thought the Right was supposed to be shallow and bitter!
Try to wrap your mind ’round this one… many deplore Canadian policy because they love Canada and wish it to be a self-reliant, strong, and magnificent country. Aiming for mere competence is a sure way to get less than mediocrre results.
We make you sick…but you make our point.
When Quebec is officially sanctioned to speak for the entire country it’s time to call it a day and pull the plug on this liberal, corrupt confederation. Remember, these are the poets and socialists that have been trying to say for the last 20 years that the country is a cultural fraud. People have bought into this Toronto centric reality of Canada being a country based on some vision of post Trudeau just-society nonsense. What it is in reality is a country run by a small group of self serving quacks who are only interested in personal gain. When you think of Paul Martin or that little twerp from somewhere in Quebec, it would be an incredible leap to use the term “Statesman” or “Visionary” to describe their political legacy. Let’s start getting real about the country for a change. What do we really stand for? Ask someone in the Canadian armed forces this question.
No in depth analysis here, only a certain dismay over what has happened in Canada. All my life, 70 years now, Canada was a respected and friendly place. I had business and personal friendships in that most beautiful of countries. We were proud to be on the right side of world issues together.
While I wasn’t watching or paying attention, somehow we became enemies. Here in the US, I never saw, read, or heard anti-canadian propaganda, and still don’t. Why has Canada turned on us, or maybe closer to the truth, why has it turned on itself?