I don’t mean a wussy go-to-Halifax-to-wave-them-off visit, I mean get your ass on a plane & go to a base that requires you put on a flack jacket? (I bet his son is real pissed he didn’t get to go.)
Does anybody know? I’m too busy to look it up right now, but I just have to say that THIS is whyI voted for Harper.
And this is also why I will never, ever vote for Jack. What a complete a$$hole. Just as the military get excited because for the first time in far too long they have a Prime Minister & gov’t (minority or otherwise) not just willing, but proud to support them, and there’s Jack back in Canada, being the prick that wants to burst that bubble.
As soon as I think I can type an email that will be both coherent & civil enough, I will tell that little weasel what I think of him. I might even post it.
But for now, back to YAY HARPER!!!!
I haven’t felt this proud to be Canadian in a long time.
crossposted at Waking Up On Planet X
Posted by bryceman:
“Then, there are all of those “new polls” assessing whether or not Canadians soldiers should still be in Afghanistan. Are they reporting the issues or trying to create them?”
Nailed that one.
If a story doesn’t sizzle, cook it longer.
Bryceman; you seem to have a lot of conflicting emotions and that’s fine. Once upon a time, pre-9-11 and kids, I had the same doubts. What we all need is to get real, support our troops, (even though they were committed by a cheap, selfish bastard) and have less negativity and more education. They are playing an important role and they deserve our respect and gratitude for their sacrifices.
How about debating the need for a military LATER and instead questioning the bias and our funding of it, namely CBC, NOW?
PM Harper stands up for Canada, the jack only stands at some parades.
My main point was the west has been there since 2002 and it’s going to get worse. Do the original job and get out.
mr fish
Foreign fighters flood into Afghanistan
We finally have a LEADER who the Canadian public doesn’t have to be ashamed of. After the last couple of governments there were many of us beginning to despair and wonder if we would ever have another leader in Canada with the moral fortitude to make us proud to be Canadians.
Toward the end of the last campaign I was getting so sick of seeing Paul Martin ranting about the “scary Conservatives”. The contrast couldn’t have been starker as Stephen Harper calmly laid out his platform and promises.
Now we have Prime Minister Stephen Harper leading by example contrasted against the former prime minister…what’s his name. A previous post titled “Paul Martin — best forgotten?” says it well.
As Prime Minister Stephen Harper has a chance to enter into his role as “Prime Minister” the other guys are going to fade away.
I can hardly wait for parliament to open! It is exciting. To watch the MSM whine and cry about their “entitlements” as the new government buries them in a blizzard of new policy direction and announcements! The opposition will be in such a tizzy that it should make for great theater. It will be interesting to see who is sitting on the government side and perhaps who is NOT sitting in opposition!
The change in style that we are already witnessing is like a breath of fresh air. I hope that renewal, like a spring breeze blows through the halls of Parliament very soon bringing change and hope wherever it blows.
Daniel
God keep our land, glorious and free,
O Canada we stand on guard for thee!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!
Sorry, couldn’t resist adding that. 🙂 Proud to be Canadian.
In spite of the negative spin by Canadian Press, aka MSM; in spite of the ankle-biting by the reporter; the message cannot be filtered out.
Prime Minister Harper’s first foreign tour was/is a resounding success.
President Karzai of Afghanistan agrees.
Hail to the Chief: Prime Minister Harper.
The words: “O Canada, we stand on guard for thee” after decades of abuse again have real, sincere meaning for Canadians.
The blood of Canada’s sons, as stated by President Karzai, attest to our sacrifices.
Thank you, Prime Minister Harper & Defence Minister O’Connor.
To the Canadian Armed Forces, Army, Navy, Air Force: Canadians Salute You. Bravo.
Hail To The Chief. +
Afghan president thanks Canada for ‘giving the lives of your sons’
By ALEXANDER PANETTA
Prime Minister Stephen Harper chats with Brig-Gen. David Fraser. (CP PHOTO/Tom Hanson)
KABUL, Afghanistan (CP) – With military helicopters swirling overhead, Afghanistan’s president told Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday that he is willing to visit Canada to convince Canadians their help is essential to building his country’s burgeoning democracy.
“I’ve said to the president I hope to see him in Canada,” Harper said at a joint news conference with President Hamid Karzai, the first head of state the prime minister has met face-to-face since coming to power in January.
“I’ll be there,” Karzai interrupted. +
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2006/03/13/1485745-cp.html
Lest We Forget
Canadians killed in Afghanistan
Ten soldiers and one Canadian diplomat have been killed since the military deployed to Afghanistan in 2002.
March 5, 2006: Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson died at a hospital in Germany after he was injured in the March 2 Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) rollover that killed Cpl. Paul Davis.
March 2, 2006: During a routine patrol, Cpl. Paul Davis was killed and six others injured when their LAV III collided with a civilian taxi west of Kandahar.
Jan. 15, 2006: While patrolling in a G Wagon, Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry was killed and three soldiers wounded by a suicide bomber in Kandahar.
Nov. 24, 2005: Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield, of the Royal Canadian Regiment, was killed in a traffic accident in a LAV III northeast of Kandahar. Three others soldiers suffered serious injuries.
Jan. 27, 2004: While patrolling near Camp Julien in an Iltis jeep, Cpl. Jamie Murphy was killed and three soldiers wounded by a suicide bomber.
Oct. 2, 2003: Sgt. Robert Alan Short and Cpl. Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger were killed and three more wounded when their Iltis jeep struck a roadside bomb outside Camp Julien near Kabul.
April 17, 2002: Sgt. Marc D. Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard A. Green, and Pte. Nathan Smith, were killed by friendly fire when an American fighter jet dropped a laser-guided 225-kilogram bomb on the soldiers during training near Kandahar. +
http://thehilltimes.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2006/march/13/afghanistan/&c=1
PMSH cancelled the child care deal but insists on buiilding infrastructure in Afghanistan? You Yoodles really believe in this man’s seemingly unlimited bravery when he can’t even face women protesters wanting to question him regarding his broken promise to Canadian families and children? Expansion of military will require wellfed Canadian youth added to the immigrants who will be required to join up. If there are three contending factions in Iraq, there are dozens in Afghanistan. We are dillusional if we think the “friendly” Afghans don’t know about the roadside bombs as Hillier has found out. As well the 16 year old Afghan youth acted out the Taliban/Al qaeda thing when he axed Lt. Green. War is a sober business and it is a business so you might ask what will it achieve and for whom.
Pride in warmongering is not intelligent for one. Are Canadians thinking of follow up plans in Afghanistan regarding oil pipeline put in place to service europe’s needs. North America running interference in middle east to manipulate the fledgling new democrats (the natives) is foolhardy and will destroy what’s left of this country after the lieberals reign of terror. It is pathetic to see a minority government ‘acting out’ a premature majority government. We will in all likelihood see a leadership deficit in all parties when parliament resumes. It will be the same old same old and the taxpayers will pay the ticket. But keep in mind you can’t get blood from a stone.
You can always tell a TROLL (Liberal/Dipper) – thy name is ANONYMOUS!!!
Let’s see – Soldiers fighting the war on terror so women in Afganistan can have the same rights as we women in Canada take for granted – and you are quibbling about daycare – do a little research Anony – check out exactly what the Conservative daycare plan is to create spaces – you could be surprised – although I don’t think so – you’ve got your head so far up in some dark place you wouldn’t know a good thing if you saw it.
Now back to the IMPORTANT stuff – how great is it so see the MSM that were just reporting a couple of days ago how PMSH isn’t in the REAL danger zone, eat their words when he spends a night out on the front lines! Something to think about Anony!!
small dead animals? small narrow minds. this pm you’re so fond of, who is supposedly committed to establishing democracy in afghanistan crapped all over democracy in vancouver-kingsway.
Is there something about the basic democratic rights of those voters you feel less enthusiatic about. hypocrites!
John – Get a life – that “s**t” is really getting old – When the people of Afganistan walk for miles to vote at the risk of being shot, you people in Vancouver take it for granted that it is OK to throw s**t at an office because you are upset.
You bet we are proud – the democracy that PMSH is supporting is so far above your liberal/dipper view of democracy if you even think of equating these two issues.
In Canada – s**t thrown against a privately owned wall is prosecuted by a slap on the wrist – in Afganistan you would be shot – Think about it before you make your next idiotic post.
Emerson is the man they elected, as a Liberal.
Liberals are known to lie.
They got the man they elected.
What’s undemocratic about that?
One wonders if these two journalists received the same PMO briefing:
Lorrie Goldstein, “Man with a vision”
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Goldstein_Lorrie/2006/03/14/1487165-sun.html
John Ibbitson, “How Kandahar fits into PM’s view of Canada” (full text not online)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v4/sub/MarketingPage?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20060314.wxibbitson14%2FBNStory%2FAfghanistan%2Fhome&ord=6170666&brand=theglobeandmail&redirect_reason=2&denial_reasons=none&force_login=false
The amazing idea that the federal government should actually effectively do that for which it is constitutionally responsible–including defence.
Good grief! Who’d a thunk it?
Mark
Ottawa
CTV showed the recent public opinion & in depth visit. CBC all they showed was great lack of respect for our troops & PM, Have you noticed how they Refer to the PM as just Harper, Not PMSH. I can’t recall them ever just saying Martin my solution is Iam not even watching anymore had enough, boycott them RATINGS SPEAK LOUDER THAN YOU THINK (unfortantly TSN has not got full curling coverage yet). As for WACKY JACKY I will say it again, you were too busy last year PROPPING UP CORRUPPTION when there could have been a debate, GET OVER IT FOR F-SAKES try supporting something for once Jack, then again Socialist have never supported OUR FORCES,can you just imagine if that type of attitude existed with the opposition 60yrs ago, Where would we be today?, Start speaking louder with your support for David Emerson, this has just sunk to the lowest of lowest. Then again at Laytons election nite speach when he congratulated Stephen Harper they booed, Tommy Douglas would be real Proud of what his party has become? final note why do you people bother looking at Bourque, The Biggest Cut & Paste job out there, how do you call yourself a news site when you steal from everyone, & put your twist to it, WHAT A JOKE.
You can always tell a TROLL (Liberal/Dipper) – thy name is ANONYMOUS
There is also another type of troll – the kind that gets shot down with a rebuttal comment and soon returns posting under another name.
Anyone else see the pattern?
John Daly
You know, Prime Minister Stephen Harper could have invited you to join his cabinet. Who is in his cabinet is up to him to choose. He will pick those who he feels can best fit the role for that time.
Get over it already. You want to create a lot of fluff about this issue, go ahead. It is going to blow up in your faces as soon as the soft wood lumber deal is inked. This will all be forgotten and Minister Emmerson will be re-elected in his riding. Now get off your high horse and lets get this nation back on track! There is work to do and this government is doing it.
By the way, I wouldn’t be sitting by the phone waiting for the Prime Ministers call. The position has been filled.
Daniel
ANONY EQUALS YOODLES/TROLLS/HISTORICALLY CHALLENGED, UNTHINKING, BEHIND THE SCENES PERSONS OF QUESTIONABLE LOYALTY TO GOD, COUNTRY AND ERRANT PM.
Jean Chretien is the last PM to visit the troops onsite. Did it several times.
geezuz i just read antonia zerbisias’ column . i don’t know why , i never expected anything reasonable or insightful. twisted curiousity maybe . i wasn,t surprised . just the usual george bush north shit .
i’ve spent the last half an hour trying to figure out what it takes to get her head that far up her own ass.i think i’ve got it narrowed down to six very strong men , four crowbars , a winch truck , three eight pound sledgehammers , a vacuum truck and thirty five feet of three quarter inch nylon rope.
Well, anyone who’s seen the “Zerb” understands that she has no right to comment on Harper’s “election trail belly” of all things….when she herself is hardly the stuff of schoolboy fantasies. The “Zerb” is a wee bit on the “puffy” side herself.
As for the rest of the drivel she wrote…..that’s hardly a surprise. Why change her style just because there is a new PM? Hell…even Warren Kinsella mentioned the Zerb’s latest failings.
I know it*s wrong to laugh out loud about the above.. but I just can*t help it.
Must give credit when it*s due.
Prime Minister Harper and Team,
Congratulations. There appears to be a very dangerous risk to your actions, but I suppose your choosing to take that risk is exactly what gives so much weight to your support for our military.
Your solidarity for our troops is admired in the US opinion webnet and is drawing rave response through the Canadian blogosphere.
While I am uneasy about the risk level, [ there is so much important fixing of things on your plate], there is no denying that inspiring Canadian troops makes them and myself proud to be Canadian again. Especially after the fraudulent liberal misdirection we have suffered recently.
73s TG [Tony Robinson]
TonyGuitar.blogspot.com
It’s a breath of fresh air to have a prime minister that supports the Canadian military and all that it stands for. I’m proud to be Canadian again.
Paddy: When and where did teflon Jean visit the troops? The sandbag thing in Winnipeg does NOT count. Facts do.
As for PMSH, Way to go. It might have been better if he didn’t have the press but then again CBC would be whining about that. Wait, they are whining already about not being told everything when they demand it.
I too would like Paddy to enlighten us as to his statement
“Jean Chretien is the last PM to visit the troops onsite. Did it several times”.
Did he sleep in their camps? Did he eat in their canteen’s (is that what it is called?)? Did he visit the front lines and actually talk to soldiers?
Please, all knowing paddy – enlighten us?
Prime Minister Harper in Pak?
Did he not advise the MSM in Canada of his plan to stop-over in Pak?
Did he not take bottled water to flog/sell in Pak?
Ex-PM PM did not leave home without water:
Martin in Colombo to support tsunami relief
http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2005/01/canadian_pm_35390_140.jpg
Canadian PM arrives in Islamabad
http://www.chinaview.cn 2006-03-14 20:13:36
ISLAMABAD, March 14 (Xinhuanet) — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived in Islamabad for a one-day visit on Tuesday for talks on bilateral and regional matters, officials said.
The Canadian prime minister was on a surprise visit to neighboring Afghanistan, where he visited Canadian troops in southern Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khusro Bakhtiar welcomed Harper on his arrival at the Chaklala air base.
Harper is likely to meet Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf and will hold formal talks with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and discuss with him issues of bilateral, regional and international importance.
They will also discuss cooperation in war against terrorism, trade, investment and other walks of life, local reports said.
Aziz and his Canadian counterpart will address a joint press conference after their meeting. +
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-03/14/content_4303854.htm
Late in commenting on this thread but, in answer to the question has a Canadian PM ever done this: Chretien already went to Afghanistan.
Ted
Cerberus
Err, didn’t Jeanie Cretien visit the troops in Afganistan?
Did someone mention AdScam Chretien? Caddy was the Khadrs? +
While Jean Chretien golfs…
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien is vacationing in the Dominican Republic this weekend, where he will tee off with former U.S. President Bill Clinton for the newly inaugurated Soft-on-Terror Masters Tournament
Apr 18, 2003
by Michelle Malkin
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien is vacationing in the Dominican Republic this weekend, where he will tee off with former U.S. President Bill Clinton for the newly inaugurated Soft-on-Terror Masters Tournament.
While Chretien golfs, his fellow countryman and favorite accused terrorist Ahmad Said Khadr is still on the loose.
Khadr, an Egyptian-born Canadian citizen, is considered by intelligence officials to be the highest-ranking Canadian within Osama bin Laden’s inner circle. He studied computer science at the University of Ottawa and worked for an Ottawa-based Islamic charity, Human Concern International, which was generously subsidized by Chretien’s government.
Khadr is suspected of siphoning charity funds to bin Laden and other jihadists, and of serving as a chief terrorist recruiter. Known as “al-Kanadi” (Arabic for “The Canadian”), Khadr had previously been in custody in Pakistan for the 1995 bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad that killed 17 people.
As I’ve noted before (and it is especially worth repeating in light of attempts by some high-ranking American diplomats to make amends with Canada), our so-called friend and supposed War on Terror partner Chretien was instrumental in securing Khadr’s freedom.
Chretien personally intervened on behalf of Khadr during a 1996 state visit to Pakistan. He aggressively sought guarantees from Benazir Bhutto, then the country’s prime minister, that Khadr would receive due process and fair treatment. The suspected Egyptian Islamic Jihad terrorist was released shortly after Chretien’s diplomatic lobbying campaign.
The United Nations, U.S. and Canada (last, of course) have since frozen the fugitive Khadr’s assets due to his suspected ties to bin Laden. One of his sons, an al Qaeda operative and former terror training camp commander, is on the run with Khadr.
Another of Khadr’s sons, 16-year-old Omar, is in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay for his alleged role in an ambush of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan last summer. Omar is accused of lobbing the hand grenade that killed Sergeant First Class Christopher Speer, a 28-year-old medic with the U.S. Special Forces.
“That wasn’t a panicky teenager we encountered that day,” Sergeant First Class Layne Morris of South Jordan, Utah, who lost his right eye in the ambush, told the Boston Globe last month. “That was a trained Al Qaeda who wanted to make his last act on earth the killing of an American.”
Speer left behind a wife and two children, ages 3 and 11 months. Just days before his murder, Speer had selflessly walked into a minefield to rescue two wounded Afghan children.
Chretien’s government, naturally, is pleading for leniency in Omar Khadr’s case.
While Chretien golfs, another fellow countryman and suspected terrorist, Al Rauf Bin Al Habib Bin Yousef Al-Jiddi, also remains on the loose. Al-Jiddi is a Tunisian-born Canadian citizen from Montreal who vowed to become a martyr in the “war against the infidels.” The suicide threats were recorded on a videotape found at an al Qaeda safehouse in Afghanistan owned by bin Laden’s military chief, Mohammed Atef.
Al-Jiddi has been linked to a Canadian-based al Qaeda cell that included Ahmed Ressam, the Algerian terrorist plotter nabbed by U.S. Customs officials at the Canadian border in Washington state with a car full of explosives intended for use in a bombing attack at Los Angeles International Airport during the millennium celebration. Tunisian-Canadian Faker Boussora, an associate of Al-Jiddi’s, also remains a fugitive.
While Chretien golfs, counterterrorism officials estimate that al Qaeda has roughly 75 operatives still on the loose in Canada and that the country remains an operations base for at least 50 different international terrorist organizations — many of whose members have gained Canadian citizenship thanks to Chretien’s chronically lax refugee and asylum policies.
While Chretien golfs, Canada remains a magnet for jihadists and a breeding ground for anti-American terrorism. Yet, the Bush administration is now planning to exempt Canadian citizens from our federal law requiring a system to track all entries to and exists from the U.S. by 2005. The Globe and Mail reports that “The Chretien government has lobbied hard for such an exemption, saying it is needed to keep people and commerce flowing freely across the border.”
Chretien has undermined America’s national security efforts every step of the way. Why do we continue to serve as caddies for his terror-friendly agenda? +
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/michellemalkin/2003/04/18/169545.html
Cerebrus & Zorph – Chretien landed on an airstrip, shook hands, took pictures & left again. A bit different IMHO & if you’d plowed through the whole thread, you’d see that someone somewhere did mention that.
But he never camped out with JTF2! I’m jealous. *smirk*
General Who Ordered Attacks on Canadian Troops Becomes Prime Minister of Kosovo
CNW ^ | March 13, 2006
Posted on 03/14/2006 4:57:28 PM PST by Jane_N
TORONTO, March 13 /CNW/ – Agim Ceku, who is alleged to have led an unprovoked 1993 military attack on Canadian Peacekeepers in the Medak Pocket region of Croatia, has been chosen by Albanians to replace the outgoing prime minister of the U.N.-administered southern Serbian province of Kosovo.
The Medak offensive, allegedly planned by Ceku, is also known as the “Medak massacre”. This name is entrenched in the minds of many Canadian Armed Forces personnel as Canada’s largest military battle since the Korean War. Four Canadians were wounded in the clash that left nearly 30 Croatian soldiers dead.
According to reputable sources, Agim Ceku was instrumental in the 1993 Croatian military offensive at Medak, and was one of the key planners of the 1995 ethnic cleansing operation ‘Storm’. Both of these operations involved the deliberate shelling of civilians, rape, torture, systematic arson, and the permanent expulsion of Serbs from the Krajina region of Croatia.
It is an insult to Canada, and in particular the honourable and respected personnel of the Canadian Armed Forces, that Agim Ceku is not behind bars. This recent appointment raises concern that a man who helped plan and execute two campaigns of ethnic cleansing has become the Prime Minister of Kosovo, a province where intolerance towards non-Albanians continues unchecked and unabated. +
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1596402/posts
19 Wing Comox Medak Pocket Commendation Presentation
CFB Comox
03/07/30
Wing Commander, Colonel Price, Medal Honourees, comrades, families and friends:
Last December in Winnipeg, Her Excellency the Governor General presented Lt. Colonel Mike Day Commanding Officer of the Second Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian light infantry (2 PPCLI) with the Royal Pennant depicting gold bar with vice regal lion that today flies perpetually underneath the Canadian flag at all the unit lines.
The 2 PPCLI battle group was awarded this exceptional commendation for courageous and professional execution of duty during the Medak Pocket Operation in the former Yugoslavia in September 1993. Facing enemy artillery, small arms and heavy machine gun fire as well as anti tank and anti personnel mines, the members of the battalion group held their ground and drove the Croatian forces back from their ongoing ‘ethnic cleansing’, which was also being carried out by Serb forces in other theatres of this tragic war. There is no doubt that the exemplary actions undertaken at the Medak Pocket by Canadians at this time saved the lives of uncounted innocent civilians.
Today we honour:
Master Corporal Kilback joined the Canadian Forces in Kamloops in 1990. Following training in Ontario, Master Corporal Kilback was posted to Calgary from 1991 to 1995 during which he completed a tour in Operation Palladium. Then was back to Kingston for TQ5 unit 1996 with a posting 79 Communication Regiment where he travelled steadily from Greenwood through many postings including Trenton, Gagetown, Camp Zouani (Elgorah), Yellowknife and Esquimalt as well as a tour with Operation Harmony.
Posted to 19 Wing Comox in 1999, Master Corporal Kilback is recently returned from Operation Apollo, we commend Master Corporal Kilback and his fianc�e Ruth who are anticipating a summer wedding.
Corporal T. D. Young was born at the Canadian Forces Base in Warstein, West Germany and also joined the Forces in 1990. With Training in Cornwallis, Corporal Young was posted to Wainright, Alberta to the PPCLI Battle School to become an Infanteer. On his graduation, Corporal Young was posted to 2nd Battalion in Winnipeg.
With two tours as a Peacekeeper in the Former Yugoslavia, the first for the UN and the second for NATO, Corporal Young was awarded the CDS Commendation for his actions at a motor vehicle accident in Alberta in which he assisted in saving a life. He was posted to CFSME, as an LOTP to the Engineers as a Construction Technician at Gagetown before being posted with his family of wife Lia and daughter Morgan to 19 Wing Comox in 2002.
Each of the 875 Canadians who served as Medak Soldiers and that number includes some 400 Reserve Force Soldiers are honoured with a Unit Commendation, created a year ago to recognize this outstanding service to Canada and to the world’s peoples of forcing a halt to ‘ethnic cleansing’ at a critical juncture in the Balkan hostilities in which they were engaged.
It is my honour as representative of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen of Canada in British Columbia to present Master Corporal Kilback and Corporal Young with this commendation for exceptional service to Canada and to the World. +
http://www.ltgov.bc.ca/whatsnew/sp/sp_jul30_2003.htm
God bless the soldiers,pray for there safety they need all the help we can give them.The idiots over there are going to pick them off 3or4 at a time
Yes absolutely phenominal PMSH visiting his our troops boys and girls in uniform.
But what can we do to support our troops win the hearts and minds of the Afgan people so they can accomplish this mission?
If you live near a base they will send any care packages free of charge to Afghanistan. Leave the package open for inspection.
Legions and cadets should also be include with free postage from Canada post for any package maked with support for our troops yellow ribbon.
Some of the things that would go over well are pens, pencils, paper, coloring books, crayons, Tupperware containers to keep dust out, Hand held radios for men, pots and pans for women, solar lights for rural areas, plant seeds for base beautification, Memorial flowers for locations of Canadian soldiers deaths like you see along the side of the road. Help remnd Afgans of our resolve to help them.
If you can think of anything else or how to get support to our troops please post and email your MP to demand a ways and means to show your support. Actions speak louder than words as Prime Minister Stephen Harper has shown us.
We also need a way to help the Afgan people turn from poppy growth to other means of income. I was thinking Ginseng good cash value and they couold grow the Ying while we grow the Yang in canada for cold FX.
God bless all the Canadian Forces in Afganistan, this American thanks you for your service.
In his first trip out side of Canada his going to see those who make your freedom possible shows what kind of man P.M. Harper is.
All gave some
SOME GAVE ALL.
And after all the patriotic speeches our guys gun down an innocent Afghan taxi driver this morning. One less to liberate, I guess.
More on my blog, at:
http://bigcitylib.blogspot.com/
Something for you rednecked yobos to think about.
bigcitylib what part of “too close” don’t you understand? Or would you rather another LAVIII crew got it’s ass kicked?
The rules of approach have been in place since the military arrived in Kandahar. They’ve been made very clear to the locals with the previous taxi incident and if they want to pay the price then so be it. I can assure the bastard was probably screaming ‘allah akbar’ when they shot him. He probably gave his life hoping that the Canadians will change thier rules of engagement. I doubt he’s as innocent as you hope him to be.
What part of ‘too close’ don’t you understand?
Dear Bear,
I don’t think our guys could have done anything differently. But I think the afghan was just a poor sap who couldn’t drive very well (which is what the first reports seem to indicate). The guy has kids, and now his kids probably think that the people who said they were there to protect like their father, just murdered him. A couple of little Jihadis created by accident. How does that help the Canadian Mission?
Alberta Girl
Let’s see you turn that fine female intellect toward this then: post, in as many words as you like (Albertans are usually loud mouths, so you won’t have trouble) exactly how democracy is taking hold in Afghanistan.
Leave out the jingoistic stuff, girl. Just some facts. We know about the capital city. How about the rest of the country. Are you really Albertan (read dumb) enough to think Canada is going to turn the tide of history in this part of the world.
You’ve heard of the Soviet Union? The news made it to Alberta, did it? Ra ra is fine at an Oilers game. Not so fine when the contest involves the lives of young men and women.
You’re on, Alberta Girl. I’ll be reading you, carefully. Some substance, please.
Daniel
The Emerson matter is just getting started. Listen, I am a life long NDP supporter provincially and a Liberal, federally, who voted Conservative in the last election.
This move by Harper was remarkable in its stupidity. Such an uneccessary distraction. Such an obvious crapping on the democratice process.
Alberta Girl, and others of her ilk, will churn out the entirely predictable “get over it mantra” unless and until it’s their riding where this happens.
Here is a simple fact: the voters in Vancouver-Kingsway were disenfranchised. Now if Alberta Girl, or anyone else would like to debate that fact, bring it please.
It’s ironic in the extreme that conservatives comment about the childishness of the liberal POV and then attach to ideas like “Emerson is going to solve the softwood lumber file”.
Really? That’s all it takes, eh? George and the boys in Montana were just waiting for David Emerson to arrive on the scene? Good grief!
Johnny, from a different loud-mouthed Albertan, here is but one example for you: Link from GOOGLE – – Politics of Afghanistan – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This was the first parliamentary election in Afghanistan since 1969. 2707 candidates, including 328 women, competed for 249 seats. …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Afghanistan – 54k –
RE; “the voters in Vancouver-Kingsway were disenfranchised”
Lie. Floor crossing is part and parcel of our parliamentary system of government.
The libs and dippers in BC want “proportional” representation that will take BC down the road to a parliament that more resembles Italys (with hookers having their own union and more of city state status for Vancouver, like they need it).
“Proportional” representation was defeated in the last election in BC but libs and dippers always blame the rules when they cannot possibly win otherwise so ANOTHER push for a change to “proportional” representation is THE big issue for lefties in BC.
THIS IS TO ALL OF YOU LEFTIES, WHINERS & DO GOODER’S THAT DISAGREE WITH OUR TROOP’S BEING OVER IN AFGHANISTAN. Where would you be today if 60yrs ago we had ignored the Nazis, Mussolini & Japan. You would not for one thing be writing or publicy demonstrating, you have freedoms today thanks to the men & women of the allied forces of the past. Men & women that some gave the extreme sacrifice so that you can live in freedom, remember that the next time you complain. These men & women are sent to these zones to stop dictatorship’s eliminating innocent peoples from existance, for free & democratic societies. The people of afghanistan were living under a society of dictators, a society where innocent women & children were looked upon as pigs in a trough, where husbands, brothers, sisters etc… disappeared off the streets or in the middle of the nite never to be seen again. These events were no different than what happened in China in the 30’s & 40’s when Japan invaded them, When Nazi Germany invaded countries & the final solution. DO YOU REMEMBER these events, for our father’s said never again, if we sit idle History will repeat itself. Our Men & Women in our forces well trained & know what they are in for, We must support our leader’s & forces for these decision’s or again History will repeat iself. SO IN CLOSING THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE GOING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR LEADER’S & PROUD FORCES look out your window, do you see that little old man or lady walking with a cane, do you see these people on November 11th with tear’s in there eyes they are the reason that you are here. WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
bigcitylib still trolling this blog in hopes of elevating his obscure profile. Small wonder. Over at his blog, almost nary a comment on any of the librano-slanted articles he posts, because, well, who the hell could be bothered?
You say when did a Canadian PM last visit Canadian troops in Afganistan? October 2003, that’s when. You can hardly tell the difference, words and pictures of Jean The Great are now followed by those of Stephen the Unready.
What can explain the burst of unreasoning passion among the knuckle draggers of Calgary upon hearing the “surprizing news” that has been a feature of many media forecasts for weeks. Can it be relief that finally Harper has done something that is not a case of digging the hole he is in deeper yet?
Alas, he did, he did. You do not visit the neigbours and carry on big and bold then announce that you are a leader of your country that is not in control. It is true and it is modest, two virtues that the new PM exhibits; but it ain’t smart.
Beyond that, enough of the bs about bravery. All the soldiers on every side in every war were brave. It is still the daily obligation of those who send the young and trusting into bad places, to figure out whether they should be there and plan the event that will be used to get them out. We have a place, the House of Commons, where such issues are supposed to be fought out. Let us have that debate NOW!
Johnny Maudlin
“This move by Harper was remarkable in its stupidity. Such an uneccessary distraction. Such an obvious crapping on the democratice process.”
Johnny…Welcome to the Coservative tent!
I hope that when you thoughtfully cast your vote that you did it with a thought process that included the realization for the need for change in Canada.
On the face of it and the optics of it, it I didn’t like the Emmerson move either. After careful reflection, I decided that we were only two weeks into what amounts to a very slim mandate. As I see it now, PMSH did what needed to be done. If you consider the vote count in Parliament, one less for the Liberals and one more for the Tories may make the difference between appeasing one party or two. That is the reality of a minority government. There was nothing illegal about the crossing. It is the PM who decides who he will invite into his cabinet. I, for one am glad Emmerson is there. He is far more a Conservative than he was a Liberal anyway, he has said so himself. Have a look at his business history and resume. He stayed in because of a loyalty and promise to the former PM… what’s his name, I forgot. I believe that when “what’s his name” resigned, Mr Emmerson felt betrayed as he had kept his word. He ran and won the seat- witness the election night speech. At that point he was still a Liberal. When “what’s his name” quit, I think that was the turning point for Mr. Emmerson and when the offer came he decided that he could do more for B.C. and his riding from the government side than the opposition benches.
I believe that, perticularly after this visit to the troops, Canada has finally built up a little good will south of the border. I also believe that because of that, there will be a deal inked soon on SWL. There was a lot of work done on this file before the election and it made perfect sense to send the man who has done much of the grunt work and knows the players back in to finish the work. Good for Mr. Emmerson. Good for PMSH. Good for B.C. and Vancouver. Obviously the proof will be in the pudding!
What people like yourself need to decide is am I going to make my vote count for change and get behind the new government? We are working towards the next election where there will be a majority Conservative government. Which side do you want to be working for. It sounds like you have been all over the map electorially. I think every individual like yourself who voted for the Conservative party this time, many for the first time are welcome to roll up your sleeves and work together for change. We need to be focused on the task at hand, not second guessing every move the P.M. makes. I think part of his promise to the people of Canada was that the Conservatives, himself included would make some mistakes. I don’t think this was one of them. I think it was a calculated move because it is good in the long run for Canada and short term it gave the MSM something to focus on instead of all the new cabinet ministers and PMSH as they get down to business. I believe it was calculated as a necessary distraction!
Disenfranchised, I don’t think so. They have a cabinet minister representing them, Vancouver and B.C. at the table. What more could they want. If they don’t like it, they will have opportunity for another vote within a year or so in all likelihood. I believe he will win again in that riding!
As for crapping on the democratic process, I think the Fortier appointment comes closer but then again, the P.M. can invite whomever he chooses. Like I said before, it could have been you or I! Isn’t Canada wonderful!
There’s work to do Johnny, are you for us or against us. I hope that you decide to put your vote for change to work and support our P.M. and the new government. Canada voted for a “little” change. Until we get a mojority, that is what they are going to get. I look forward to working with you.
Daniel
garhane
“We have a place, the House of Commons, where such issues are supposed to be fought out. Let us have that debate NOW!”
For one thing Parliament isn’t in session. Secondly it makes NO sense to demoralize the troops that are “in theater” by second guessing their role back home. There was a time and a place for that debate but it is certainly not now.
Like the government, the troops are doing their job with dignity and honor, representing what is best about Canada by contrasting it against what it the worst in the world.
Debate all you want before they are sent and dissect policy and do the second guessing once they are safely home but while they are in harms way they deserve our support, not our doubts and fears.
Shame on any leader (Jack are you listening) who feels the debate should rage while the troops are in harms way. The exception that I would make to this is if the General in command of field operations were to request a debate back home so that they could have that political direction, then so be it. At the moment, the troops have the support of the government and of the people.
Daniel
I love how all the left-wing weenies pile on at the end of threads. Really effective attacking other peoples comments after they’ve already moved on. Its hard to move on though sometimes, isn’t it, just can’t get the Emerson thing out of your mind, gee thats really too bad.
Always got to have the last word eh? Sorry to spoil it for ya.
Yay Harper. haha
Address by the Prime Minister To the Canadian Armed forces in Afghanistan
I want to begin by telling you how proud I am of the work you�re doing.
You have put yourself on the line to:
Defend our national interests;
Protect Canada and the world from terror;
Help the people of Afghanistan rebuild their country.
I thank you.
Canadians thank you.
And I know that the Afghan people thank you.
Canada�s National Interest
Your work is important because it is in our national interest to see Afghanistan become a free, democratic, and peaceful country.
Before its liberation, under the Taliban regime, Afghanistan often served as an incubator for Al Qaeda and other terror organizations.
This reality hit home with brutal force on 9-11, when two dozen Canadians lost their lives suddenly and senselessly in the destruction of the World Trade Centre.
Those were ordinary Canadians. People with families, partners, children and dreams for a better future. Just like all of our citizens, people who died suddenly and for no reason at the hands of fanatics.
Since that time, Al Qaeda has singled out Canada as one of the countries targeted for terror.
And beyond the threat of terror there�s the threat of drugs.
An unstable Afghanistan represents easy pickings for drug lords who would use the country as a safe haven for the production of heroin, which wreaks its own destruction on the streets of our country.
Our Canada is a great place, but Canada is not an island.
And what happens in places like Afghanistan threatens and affects all of us back home in our own country.
Canadian Leadership Tradition
Your work is about more than just defending Canada�s interest. It�s also about demonstrating an international leadership role for our country. Not carping from the sidelines, but taking a stand on the big issues that matter.
You can�t lead from the bleachers. I want Canada to be a leader. And I know you want to serve your country. A country that really leads, not a country that just follows. That�s what you are doing. Serving in a UN-mandated, Canadian-led security operation that is in the very best of the Canadian tradition:
Providing leadership on global issues;
Stepping up to the plate;
Doing good when good is required.
Humanitarian Mission
Finally, but no less important, is the great humanitarian work you�re doing. Working with the Afghan government and Afghan people to enhance their security helps them. It helps them rebuild their country to make a better life for themselves and their children.
Already a great deal has been accomplished. Reconstruction is reducing poverty; millions of people are now able to vote; women are enjoying greater rights and economic opportunities that could have been imagined under the Taliban regime; and of Afghan children who are now in school studying the same things Canadian kids are learning back home.
These are important victories for the people of Afghanistan, and the represent things worth standing up for.
Standing up for Canadian Values
Of course, standing up for these core Canadian values may not always be easy at times. It�s never easy for the men and women on the front lines. And there may be some who want to cut and run.
But cutting and running is not your way.
It�s not my way.
And it�s not the Canadian way.
We don�t make a commitment and then run away at the first sign of trouble.
We don�t and we won�t.
Conclusion
Friends, we have made real progress here. You�re work is vital to Canada.
To the free world.
To the Afghan people.
As you get ready to go back to work, know that I am behind you.
Your government is behind you.
And, most importantly, the Canadian people are behind you.
Thank you. God bless Canada.+
http://www.andrewcoyne.com/
I would like to thank all of those who are so bigoted as to believe that since I live in Alberta I’m stupid.
Thanks I always like to know how much we are appreciated in own country.
Calgree Alburda or Emmunton Alburda?
just asking for them from Trona!!!
from the drivers seat of the turnip wagon.