Monthly Archives: May 2007
We Will Remember Him
| 5/31/2007 | Posted by Patti under Brave Canadians |
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Master Cpl Darrell Priede – Afghanistan May 30, 2007
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
We Will Remember Him
| 5/25/2007 | Posted by Patti under Brave Canadians |
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Cpl Matthew McCully – Afghanistan May 25, 2007
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
Full Posts on Front Page
| 5/21/2007 | Posted by Patti under Site News |
I just spent a couple of hours going back through my archives and discovering that March 2007 and later postings have been mostly truncated where I had inserted the break on the front page of the blog. When you put a lot of thought into the articles you write it is disheartening to discover that a lot of them have been truncated.
All of April & May and a few in March are intact. I suspect that the culprit may have been the gremlin I had to hunt down in the database back in March that was creating a loop which managed to crash my system every time I tried to load this blog to work on it.
SO, as of today, splitting articles will stop on this blog. I had done so to facilitate browsing. It meant you could scan down the page and decide which entries you wanted to see more of. The whole article will now appear on the front page, you’ll need to click through if you’d like to comment on the article.
Biggest Ottawa Vacancy
| 5/18/2007 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
I happened to take some time to do some wandering into corners of the Toronto Star website I don’t normally explore today and found this little gem. It is on their Political Notebook page. The writer notes that as busy as the pundits and political strategists have been over the problems of Stephane Dion’s leadership they have missed the root issue, I quote from the piece:
From the National Executive list….
Leader Stéphane Dion
President Senator Marie-P. Poulin
Past President Mike Eizenga
VP, English Douglas Ferguson
VP, French Brigitte LegaultChair, Standing Committee on Policy Development Joan Bourassa
Chair, Standing Committee Organization Vacant <<<======
Chair, Standing Committee Constitution & Legal Affairs Johanne Brodeur
Chair, Standing Committee Constitution & Legal Affairs Martin MacLachlan
Chair, Standing Committee Communications & Publicity Richard Diamond
Chair, Standing Committee on Multiculturalism Amarjit Grewal
I have to admit it took me a few minutes to find the point. So, in the interest of fair play to my readers, I have created an arrow to the point.
The Liberals apparently found the point. When I clicked on the link to the Liberal party website provided in the article, I got back the sitemap to the site which no longer shows the list of the Executive. HMMMMM wonder why?
Progress in Afghanistan
| 5/16/2007 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan |
In a media that is often pessimistic about the war in Afghanistan, it is refreshing to read some material which talks about some of the progress being made in that country. Rosie Dimanno is a Toronto Star reporter currently embedded with our troops in Afghanistan. In her column today she talks about the lack of support the Taliban have and how the security situation is improving.
She describes areas of the country that just a matter of weeks ago were war zones and are now being repopulated by the then displaced population. She writes:
When it’s asked what Canadians are dying for in Afghanistan, the answer is here, in this now-tranquil region where insurgents infrequently appear and villagers have returned to their farming hamlets, unmolested as they go about their lives.
Isn’t that truly what we all want? To go about our lives in peace and security. If the Afghan people are anything like others who have lived repeatedly through the brutality of war, they will cherish that peace and security almost more than we do, we tend to take it for granted.
For Canadians wondering how long it will take before our young men and women can come out of harms way in the march to bring peace and stability to that country, her column talked about one of the key elements that will allow us to stand back and turn the country over to those who should be running it, the Afghans.
That element is their security forces. Increasingly Afghan Police and Army elements have taken part in establishing and maintaining security in the areas where the Canadians have had to fight so hard. The developing Afghan army is greatly respected by the people. As security is established so is the infrastructure to allow the security forces to establish themselves. Police check points are setup, the army moves into become a fixture in the areas. She writes:
She also writes of the Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). In all of 2006 they were able to start 136 projects, they have already surpassed that this year. Another indication security has improved, with security can come building and rebuilding.
Traitor Wins Flip-Flop Crown!
| 5/13/2007 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Well, just as I was nicely celebrating the exit from Ottawa of one of the band of traitors taking up space in our House of Commons, the door didn’t have time to close on his rump before Duceppe about faced and ran back. Fleeing preliminary polls in his home province which indicated low support for him as leader of the Parti Quebecois, the provincial version of the federal band of traitors.
That has got to be the fastest flip-flop in Canadian history.
He likely forgot that in the Province of Quebec, if by some weird chance he actually won election as premier (assuming the separtists had let them anywhere near leadership) he’d have to actually carry through and take some responsibility for his words. As leader of the Bloc, he beat his chest and whine and cry all he wants knowing full well that he will never be Prime Minister. He can be a talking head, play some politics and never actually have to attain anything because he doesn’t have the power.
Boisclair the former leader of the PQ made it abundantly clear that Duceppe had a hand in the push for him to resign after the party’s 3rd place finish in the recent election. The character which appears to emerging from all this with a pure doggedness is Pauline Marois. Having twice lost in a quest to become PQ leader she has quickly rose to 45% popularity in Quebec well ahead of Duceppe at 21%… hmmm wonder why the flip flop?
In deciding to pull out of the race, coronation now, Duceppe claims that he is convinced he could be a good leader for the PQ but it is time for a woman to lead. You know, I’ve often thought of him as a condescending PR when it comes to women, he appears to have opened his yap and proved it. His comment implies that he’s giving her the leadership because she couldn’t have beat him for it, yeah right.. no one can read polls.
So, while Duceppe hasn’t actually announced his resignation from the Bloc, his on and off jump with the PQ will have started thinking and speculation about his successor the head of the Bloc. He will ask for a confidence motion from his caucus on Monday. It will be surprising if that doesn’t go in his favour but that wont mean that the Pandora’s box isn’t open.
From the Journalist’s Perspective
| 5/13/2007 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan |
I have been following the columns written by Rosie Dimanno in the Toronto Star for some time. I’ve always liked her straightforward, often brutally honest perspective when she’s writing. For several months now she’s been writing from Afghanistan, embedded with our troops in Kandahar.
Today, instead of writing about the troops or more specifically their operations, she’s writing about what is it like to be a reporter, a female reporter, with the troops and in Afghanistan. Well worth having a look at.
Van Doos Prepare for Afghanistan
| 5/12/2007 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan, War on Terror |
The famous Royal 22nd Regiment based in Valcartier, Quebec are undergoing final training and preparations for deployment to Afghanistan this summer for the next rotation of Canadian troops. While the regiment is prepared and looking forward to taking a turn on the mission which has seen the first Canadian combat deaths in over 50 years, the political mills are abuzz.
Quebec is the province where support for the mission has been the lowest in the country. Some believe that once the Van Doos are deployed if they take casualties there will be hell to pay politically at home. Quebec is not a province that historically has been known for its sense of duty and service to the rest of the country.
While the Quebec based regiments are not near as plentiful as those from the other provinces, those that have been raised have served proudly and bravely alongside other Canadians. When casualties occur, as it appears is likely, it will truly do those men and women in uniform a terrible disservice if the province fails to rally behind their regiment, with honour and support for the completion of their deployment.
There will be a contingent of Quebec media travelling with the Van Doos when they are deployed and that, on the other hand, may well serve to provide Quebecors with an opportunity to understand what the mission is about. A clearer view may well serve to change perspective and attitudes.
It is over the Afghanistan issue that I have some serious issues with my own support of the Liberals. I find their insistence on a hard 2009 deadline for the end of the Canadian involvement in combat in Afghanistan arbitrary and irresponsible. If the security issue is still an issue at that time then Canada would be leaving before the completion of the mission. Something Canada has never done in our history.
Based on the current Liberal stance, Canada would have pulled out of WW2 after Dieppe claiming we had done our share. Regardless of the heavy lifting being done, the mission isn’t about ‘doing a share’ it is about getting the job done. Something Canadians have always done well.
I have no doubt the Van Doos will do their part well, I just hope the politicians at home don’t play silly bugger politics with their service.
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