PORT-OF-SPAIN � Prime Minister Stephen Harper assured Canada's military Sunday that he and most Canadians stand behind them, even if his political opposition does not.
"I can understand the passion that the Leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for the Taliban prisoners, I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers."
Why it this 'too low'? The Taliban leave their wounded by the roadside because they know we will pick them up and take care of them at our expense, yet they would gladly give our boys a beheading? The opposition is giving our generals and our troops flack because of a prisoner transfer system that was set up years ago and was only intended to last one year, not 6. The troops did what they could with the hand that was dealt them. It's time the opposition clue in to the fact that they are trying to score political points at the expense of our own service members doing a difficult job. They don't care who they are treading upon to make these political points and perhaps they lost some objectivity because they are trying so hard to pin this on the PMO but they need to sober up from their zeal to oust Harper and really start taking stock at what truly is in the best interests of OUR country as a whole 1st and not some enemy combatant's human rights.
Sad that this happened and over almost 2 years? Yes, but don't cry over split milk when they are shooting at us and trying to chop our heads off. And we don't need an inquiry to see what was wrong either. It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
"ridenrain" said "I can understand the passion that the Leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for the Taliban prisoners, I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers."
"Scape" said Why it this 'too low'? The Taliban leave their wounded by the roadside because they know we will pick them up and take care of them at our expense, yet they would gladly give our boys a beheading? The opposition is giving our generals and our troops flack because of a prisoner transfer system that was set up years ago and was only intended to last one year, not 6. The troops did what they could with the hand that was dealt them. It's time the opposition clue in to the fact that they are trying to score political points at the expense of our own service members doing a difficult job. They don't care who they are treading upon to make these political points and perhaps they lost some objectivity because they are trying so hard to pin this on the PMO but they need to sober up from their zeal to oust Harper and really start taking stock at what truly is in the best interests of OUR country as a whole 1st and not some enemy combatant's human rights.
Sad that this happened and over almost 2 years? Yes, but don't cry over split milk when they are shooting at us and trying to chop our heads off. And we don't need an inquiry to see what was wrong either. It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
Harper has sussed out that the vast majority of Canadians are now very proud and supportive of their military. The Libs haven't and they will lose votes over it, rightly or wrongly.
This whole prisoner thing has blown up in the Liberals faces. The Tories are becoming teflon in a way that echoes the Chretien government.
"Scape" said Why it this 'too low'? The Taliban leave their wounded by the roadside because they know we will pick them up and take care of them at our expense, yet they would gladly give our boys a beheading? The opposition is giving our generals and our troops flack because of a prisoner transfer system that was set up years ago and was only intended to last one year, not 6. The troops did what they could with the hand that was dealt them. It's time the opposition clue in to the fact that they are trying to score political points at the expense of our own service members doing a difficult job. They don't care who they are treading upon to make these political points and perhaps they lost some objectivity because they are trying so hard to pin this on the PMO but they need to sober up from their zeal to oust Harper and really start taking stock at what truly is in the best interests of OUR country as a whole 1st and not some enemy combatant's human rights.
Sad that this happened and over almost 2 years? Yes, but don't cry over split milk when they are shooting at us and trying to chop our heads off. And we don't need an inquiry to see what was wrong either. It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
"Scape" said It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
Don't worry. This latest scandal will have the same net effect as the previous scandals: The Liberals will lose 2 points in the polls. THe CPC will pick up one and the NDP will pick up the other. A pundit on CBC said last week, "How many more COnservative scandals can the Liberals afford?"
Gotta remember a lot of these people (either Liberal supporters or anti-Harperites) are not only sore losers but they had to lose twice. They had to eat it when they lost the election and then when the non-confidence/coalition attempt came up they were so happy they thought they found a way to 'not lose'....only to lose again in the court of public opinion.
True hard core Liberals simply cannot get it through thier head that the CPC isn't where they are because of some fluke but because people - regular people, not to simply be dismissed as hicks or bible thumpers - voted for them. Simple as that. Good post Scrape.
"Akhenaten" said It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
Don't worry. This latest scandal will have the same net effect as the previous scandals: The Liberals will lose 2 points in the polls. THe CPC will pick up one and the NDP will pick up the other. A pundit on CBC said last week, "How many more COnservative scandals can the Liberals afford?"
I agree. The Libs are consistently misjudging public sentiment and Harper just has to sit there and do nothing as he rises in the polls and the Libs sink further.
Liberal voters are turning to the NDP which will likely mean a left-leaning split vote that harks back to the right-wing PC/Reform days that kept the Libs in power.
Harper will get a majority out of the Liberals and their mis-aligned message.
KABUL, Afghanistan � A senior Red Cross official has criticized a Canadian diplomat for publicly alleging the organization believed Canada handed detainees over to Afghan authorities knowing they would likely be tortured.
�What (Richard) Colvin has said publicly has put us in an awkward situation. What he claims to know should not be put out in a public place,� said Eloi Fillion, deputy director of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan, where it has a staff of 120 foreigners and 1,500 locals.
Colvin, now deputy head of intelligence at the Canadian embassy in Washington, made headlines this month with his allegations that the Canadian government and the military turned a blind eye to widespread torture in Afghan jails.
The senior diplomat said he wrote more than 12 reports while he was posted in Afghanistan, beginning in May 2006, warning of �serious, imminent and alarming� problems about the treatment of detainees following their transfer by Canadian troops.
The International Committee of the Red Cross was aware of the nature of Colvin�s allegations and of the political furor they had caused in Canada, Fillion said. Nevertheless, as a matter of long-standing policy, the Swiss-based organization would not comment on them, he said Sunday.
�What we may or may not have discussed with Canada or with Colvin was confidential,� Fillion said. �This is not specific to Canada or to the situation in Afghanistan. We have privileged access (to detainees) because such information is confidential.
�We do not go public and we do not expect state representatives to go public because this could affect access to detainees and this could then become an issue as regards their well-being. We collect allegations and testimony directly from victims, not from second-hand sources, so we need to have this access. Sometimes we are the only thing between them and the authority.�
If you are against the war politically that's fine but it's just wrong to punish our soldiers for the choice of politicians.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bu ... le1378778/
Sad that this happened and over almost 2 years? Yes, but don't cry over split milk when they are shooting at us and trying to chop our heads off. And we don't need an inquiry to see what was wrong either. It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
No low too low for Mr Harper to stoop to.... what a fucking lout.
NOT OK TO = Critcize the opposition regarding their support for our armed forces
OK FOR = the opposition party to continually to try and find dirt on our soldiers, in essence using them to score political points.
"I can understand the passion that the Leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for the Taliban prisoners, I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers."
Not like those Libs who were using Afghan prisoner torture to raise money for their party..
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bu ... le1378778/
Despicable.
Why it this 'too low'? The Taliban leave their wounded by the roadside because they know we will pick them up and take care of them at our expense, yet they would gladly give our boys a beheading? The opposition is giving our generals and our troops flack because of a prisoner transfer system that was set up years ago and was only intended to last one year, not 6. The troops did what they could with the hand that was dealt them. It's time the opposition clue in to the fact that they are trying to score political points at the expense of our own service members doing a difficult job. They don't care who they are treading upon to make these political points and perhaps they lost some objectivity because they are trying so hard to pin this on the PMO but they need to sober up from their zeal to oust Harper and really start taking stock at what truly is in the best interests of OUR country as a whole 1st and not some enemy combatant's human rights.
Sad that this happened and over almost 2 years? Yes, but don't cry over split milk when they are shooting at us and trying to chop our heads off. And we don't need an inquiry to see what was wrong either. It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
This whole prisoner thing has blown up in the Liberals faces. The Tories are becoming teflon in a way that echoes the Chretien government.
Why it this 'too low'? The Taliban leave their wounded by the roadside because they know we will pick them up and take care of them at our expense, yet they would gladly give our boys a beheading? The opposition is giving our generals and our troops flack because of a prisoner transfer system that was set up years ago and was only intended to last one year, not 6. The troops did what they could with the hand that was dealt them. It's time the opposition clue in to the fact that they are trying to score political points at the expense of our own service members doing a difficult job. They don't care who they are treading upon to make these political points and perhaps they lost some objectivity because they are trying so hard to pin this on the PMO but they need to sober up from their zeal to oust Harper and really start taking stock at what truly is in the best interests of OUR country as a whole 1st and not some enemy combatant's human rights.
Sad that this happened and over almost 2 years? Yes, but don't cry over split milk when they are shooting at us and trying to chop our heads off. And we don't need an inquiry to see what was wrong either. It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
Nicely put Scape.
It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
Don't worry. This latest scandal will have the same net effect as the previous scandals: The Liberals will lose 2 points in the polls. THe CPC will pick up one and the NDP will pick up the other. A pundit on CBC said last week, "How many more COnservative scandals can the Liberals afford?"
Gotta remember a lot of these people (either Liberal supporters or anti-Harperites) are not only sore losers but they had to lose twice. They had to eat it when they lost the election and then when the non-confidence/coalition attempt came up they were so happy they thought they found a way to 'not lose'....only to lose again in the court of public opinion.
True hard core Liberals simply cannot get it through thier head that the CPC isn't where they are because of some fluke but because people - regular people, not to simply be dismissed as hicks or bible thumpers - voted for them. Simple as that. Good post Scrape.
It's time the opposition start picking their battles with a little more savvy and a whole lot less mindless zeal and rhetorical driven passion. It's really pathetic when they are trying to make every day a cause de jour to bring down the government when if it was to happen they would get their asses handed to them.
Don't worry. This latest scandal will have the same net effect as the previous scandals: The Liberals will lose 2 points in the polls. THe CPC will pick up one and the NDP will pick up the other. A pundit on CBC said last week, "How many more COnservative scandals can the Liberals afford?"
I agree. The Libs are consistently misjudging public sentiment and Harper just has to sit there and do nothing as he rises in the polls and the Libs sink further.
Liberal voters are turning to the NDP which will likely mean a left-leaning split vote that harks back to the right-wing PC/Reform days that kept the Libs in power.
Harper will get a majority out of the Liberals and their mis-aligned message.
�What (Richard) Colvin has said publicly has put us in an awkward situation. What he claims to know should not be put out in a public place,� said Eloi Fillion, deputy director of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan, where it has a staff of 120 foreigners and 1,500 locals.
Colvin, now deputy head of intelligence at the Canadian embassy in Washington, made headlines this month with his allegations that the Canadian government and the military turned a blind eye to widespread torture in Afghan jails.
The senior diplomat said he wrote more than 12 reports while he was posted in Afghanistan, beginning in May 2006, warning of �serious, imminent and alarming� problems about the treatment of detainees following their transfer by Canadian troops.
The International Committee of the Red Cross was aware of the nature of Colvin�s allegations and of the political furor they had caused in Canada, Fillion said. Nevertheless, as a matter of long-standing policy, the Swiss-based organization would not comment on them, he said Sunday.
�What we may or may not have discussed with Canada or with Colvin was confidential,� Fillion said. �This is not specific to Canada or to the situation in Afghanistan. We have privileged access (to detainees) because such information is confidential.
�We do not go public and we do not expect state representatives to go public because this could affect access to detainees and this could then become an issue as regards their well-being. We collect allegations and testimony directly from victims, not from second-hand sources, so we need to have this access. Sometimes we are the only thing between them and the authority.�