We and the rest of the world did that with Rwanda, it was a terrifying failure.
Exactly, i've said that before. We sat around on our asses while the Hutus slaughtered the Tutsi's. Are you, Canadian citizens, honestly expecting us to repeat that scenario with Afghanistan? We're in 'ghan for many reasons; we're there to fight militants, we're there to help Afghan's, and most importantly we're there to ensure a better World for tomorrow whether that view on the World be Afghani or Canadian.
Lineman i'd like to thank you for your post. I posted it in to an email I just sent to a few buddys of mine in Kandahar right now. I'm sure they'll appreciate knowing that some Canadians are 100% behind them.
Promised aid money for Iraq has not been forthcoming, in fact it,s decreased every year since the invasion,and the drug trade is bigger than it was during the Taliban years there is not even the slightest possible chance that Canada can make a dent in the poverty and ignorance and bloodshed, we are there for PR work for Uncle Sam. If our troops understand why they are in Afghanistan why don,t the people of Canada, or is this to sensitive to share with civilian Canadians.
I don't see how Iraq aid money ties in with Afghanistan. With regard to opium trade, you're half right. In the North, near Kabul, the opium farms are almost completely gone. My father is now an MP Officer and during his tour in 2003 his multinational company raided dozens of farms and burnt the poppy crops. Then they provided the farms with grain and other things to grow instead. In the South, near Kandahar, the trade is still flourishing, however we recently showed up in the South in force. Give us a roto or two and we'll do exactly what we did to the North. As for the bloodshed/poverty/ignorance, we've made a huge "dent". Random killings in the streets are a thing of the past. People aren't tortured for not having a long enough beard (this used to happen under the Taliban). On the poverty angle we've helped them on an epic scale. We provided them food, clothes, grain, building materials, even radios. We do everything we can for these people, and it's not simply handouts. Our teams go out and teach them how to improve their lives. Tremendous strides have been taken since 2001 and you can see the improvements when you walk around the villages. Our citizens don't know why we're in 'ghan because for years they didn't care and for years they've pretended it was a peacekeeping mission. Now they're seeing bodys come home and they've got a "more honest" Government in power that is telling them like it is. "troops will die, we have to be ready for it".
I am so with you darkbeaver. These "obligations" that are being spoken of simply mean that we are kowtowing to the Americans once again. Not that Afghanistan isn't something that we should be involved in but what ever happened to peacekeeping missions as Canadians?
I hope you get hit by a bus and I witness it. First off we're not "kowtowing" to the U.S. in Afghanistan because we've been doing our own thing since 2002. We haven't been embedded with them for years. Our missions are planned and carried out by Canadians. Only now in Kandahar are we working with the U.S. because the Airfield is the only safe place to house ourselves...an airfield we share with the U.S. Secondly, you're just the example I needed. Everyone that has read my posts on moron Canadians thinking we're a "peacekeeping" nation, take note. Canuckgirl we are a war fighting nation, always have been and always will be. The media over the decades has built the CF in to this peace and love and hippy organization that doesn't go to war. We haven't been on a peacekeeping mission since 2000. That's over half a decade. Furthermore i'd like to point out that in the 20th Century we spent more years at war than peacekeeping. Lastly, yes we are seen as the Worlds best peacekeepers, but not because that's all we do. We're seen in this light because of the quality of soldiers we produce. Men and women we can send in to adverse situations and expect them to exercise restraint in the hopes of bettering a situation.
And at the cost of our soldiers?
116 Canadian soldiers have been killed while peacekeeping. You make peacekeeping sound so safe and moral, when in reality it is dangerous, even more so than combat because you're confined in the actions you can take.
I say we go back to what we were good at doing, peacekeeping, and tell the US to go *&^$ itself.
Well lucky for Canada you're not in a position to make a call like this. Some FYI, no soldier would ever agree that we're a peacekeeping nation. You live in a bubble.
