Analysis | Is Harper trying to increase Canada's military might?

"It's worth remembering that Canada's most onerous military commitment, the 10-year action in Afghanistan, was initiated not by Harper, but by the previous Liberal government.

As Clarkson suggests, that may have been the result of wanting to placate the Americans after Canada sat out the Iraq war."

Uh, Iraq was after Afghanistan? Or did I just read that wrong.. it is late after all.

Clarkson, a teacher at the U of T.

Well, now we know why our kids are growing up stupid,
this fucking idiot cant even keep a calendar straight.

He's probably referring to Canada assuming control of Kandahar and the south in 2005. That was a major commitment on Canada's part. By the way, today's blog is on Kandahar. Some good shots:

IIRC, the US had been putting together the Coalition of the Willing approx a full year before the Iraq War(they certainly were trying to build a case for War). So around the same time NATO(the main reason Canada was involved)was taking over/getting involved in Afghanistan, Political pressure to get involved in the CotW was likely also a factor.

It wouldn't have mattered if there was a Liberal, Tory or NDP government on this.

Article 5/6 of the North Atlantic Treaty was invoked by the US and NATO countries were obliged to support the Afghan mission.

New York City could have been nuked on Sept 11 and the NDP still wouldn't have taken part in Afghanistan. That's how much their antipathy to the United States in general and their hatred of George W. Bush in particular coloured (and still does today) their approach to foreign policy.

Many would cut their own noses off just for spite.

There was quite a good article in the now-quite-lefty Globe in the investment section. This guy was receiving hate-mail because he recommended various US stocks. His suggestion was to check in your emotions about the US (Globespeak for hatred) and invest on the numbers and he got quite the anti-US backlash.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-in ... le2250463/


What is wrong with some Canadians? They seem to have this irrational hatred towards the US. I don�t get it. Then I don�t get the �cop bad harper bad �crowd either.

Personally my Sunoco and Walgreen stocks are weathering the storm well and give great dividends. Now if only Royal Bank would slip another 75 cents.....

All the Canadian bank stocks are bargains right now. I'd maybe wait a couple of weeks just to see what goes on in Europe, but I don't think the share price needs to fall much more to be a "recommended buy".

I like to put a limit buy in and wait Lemmy. RY has been going up and down near to my buy price but I'm waiting to see what happens next week.

Might as well buy it as low as possible. There is opportunity in this fear ridden market.

The younger ones are just kids who don't know any better who are being propagandized and brainwashed by hardcore leftist university professors. The older ones are pothead children of the 1960's who never grew up and who are still upset that their utopian vision of Marxism didn't conquer the world.

For the record I'm still damn choked at the US for what their economic system did to the rest of the world. Hopefully one day they too will grow up and finally figure out that letting Wall Street rig a criminal enterprise so vast that it makes organized gangsters look like pikers in comparison really isn't a good way to run the world. On this I tilt left in favour of more government intervention and policing of the banks/brokerages/etc. But that's as close as I'll ever get to co-operating with the left. On the majority of their other stupid ideas, especially their idiot vision of foreign policy, they can all go straight to hell as far as I'm concerned.

Good ideas, just don't wait too long..."Buy when the snow flies".

RY at 42.9 will do nicely!

I'm all for our Military getting a much needed overhaul. I hope they look at our Navy and give them some new toys to play with. I've always thought Canada could benefit from a couple of Aircraft Carriers, and some subs that can submerge without catching fire along with some more surface combatants. I'd also like to see the Canadian Army get those Infantry Fighting Vehicles (perhaps the CV90?). The only thing I don't like are the F-35's. I think we'd be better off with either the JAS-39 or the Rafale or the Eurofighter. Anyway just my thought.