RE: The very best for our
That pisses me off. Our tax dollars are being spent on condoms so our troops in Afghanistan can *censored* someone while their over there. Excuse me while I go freak out!
You clearly are, as cladius pointed out, lacking perspective aren't you? I just finished saying in an earlier post that thousands of condoms are used each year to safeguard our weapons from dirt and moisture. But, in one ear, and out the other no? Furthermore in Afghanistan there is a no fraternization policy, both with the locals and other service members. While I know first hand that sexual acts do occur between members of the military whilst in theatre, the ban on such activities makes them both far and few between, not to mention risky. If you're caught fornicating with another service member while in theatre, they ship you home, no questions asked. So your typical, teenage, knee-jerk reaction, is utterly out to lunch.
I worked for the DnD on a co-op term back in the eighties. I remember the military folks I worked with would all bring these white cardboard boxes for their lunch each day. I asked about them and found out that each morning the military personnel would drop by a mess on base and pick up their lunch, free of charge. Boy was I pissed. Here I am a tax-payer working at the same place and these guys get a free lunch from the government each and every day. Then I found out how much some of these guys made, how long their hours were, where they lived and the kicker for me was the amount of freedom they gave up to be in the military, I quickly realized that these guys deserved their lunch. They deserve their condoms and a whole lot more.
Haha CF boxed lunches. We've still got those, albeit now you only get them when you're forced to work over lunch hour. They're better than they used to be, but still i'd rather pack my lunch any day. This is something I was drawn to:
the kicker for me was the amount of freedom they gave up to be in the military
Most civilians fail to realize that when we sign on the dotted line, we give up a large chunk of our freedoms. Whole sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms no longer apply to us, in and out of uniform. There's an old saying in the military; we're part of a dictatorship to defend a democracy.
To bring this all home and back in to perspective. Yes, the CF goes through a wack of condoms free of charge, techically. However many are used for things other than sexual means, as I pointed out. Bitch and moan all you want Jon, but you're out of your element on this one. You may fail to realize that I, even though i'm a soldier, pay my taxes. I get ass raped every spring, just like every other Canadian over 18. In a sense, I help pay my own salary. It's a screwed up notion to be sure. The bottom line is we don't get a free ride like many assume, we work hard, endure things you in your parents basement cannot even fathom, and we still, in the end, pay taxes just like everyone else.