Thursday, September 14, 2006

Canadians Destroying Taliban

Hard to believe, as it doesn't fit several narratives being propagated these days, but while Europeans are indulging in binge drinking and Americans are descending into the madness of conspiracy theories, 2,200 Canadian troops have quietly been systematically destroying the Taliban in Western Afghanistan. Go Canada.

10 comments:

Pastorius said...

This is good news. Someone needs to take over for us Americans while we lay naked on the bathroom floor in the throes of our binge hangover.

Thanks, Canada.

Unknown said...

I have been reading about this, the Canucks are kicking ass over there.

Anonymous said...

What are the demographic characteristics of the Canadian forces? Who signs up, in other words? Here in the Northwest since we are so close many have heard of the Princess Pats and Lord Strathcona's Horse - from Edmonton and Manitoba, correct? Are they mainly western Canadians, or from all over?

Barry Dauphin said...

The Canadians have been doing great work despite the CBC and NDP. I heard on CBC radio the other day (I live near Detroit) that the NDP is pushing to bring the troops home and get out of Afghanistan. Well, NATO is falling down big time. The Euro partners in NATO (save Great Britain) want to pick up and go home and have been pulling out troops. Norway won't send any troops into combat nor even into supportive roles, even if troops are not in combat. I guess they want to clean toilets in Brussels instead. The Taliban are still a threat, and Blair is begging the Euros to stand up and get their act together on this. These are trying times. But way to go Steven Harper.

But the CBC (don't get me started) guy who's name I don't remember gave a report the other day on how George Bush has been saying for years that Saddam was behind 9/11 and finally took it back only to commit the grievous offense of linking Iraq to the WoT. The guy doesn't actually listen to what Bush says but probably watches Farenheit 911 when he wakes up every day.

Rick Ballard said...

Knuck,

The older the chimera, the more expensive the maintenance. The socialist bread and circuses cost so much that maintaining even the illusion of military competency is beyond the reach of most of NATO. Which the oil ticks have duly noted.

A return to dispossession and plunder as a just consequence of war would solve the problem (plus its the epitome of multiculturalism - adopt your foes concepts of life as a mark of respect!) but its better that the socialist regimes of Europe collapse first.

Killing chimeras is even harder than supporting them.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Nomdeblog - that is what I would have expected.

Knucklehead: Pragmatically, I guess there are two ways to look at this. First, no one else can or wants to do the heavy lifting - move them there and back, provide all the logistics, and the air and ground fire support. The Aussies are stepping up to the plate in the maritime area, but the Canadians are still looking for an appropriate vessel design and who knows where that will lead. Better than nothing, but drops in the bucket.

Thus the logic behind our latest sales of older naval equipment has been somewhat mystifying. For example, the US Navy is negotiating the sales of three amphibious landing ships, one to India and two to Mexico.

India I can see. Mexico plans to use them as disaster relief ships and perhaps also in joint anti-drug operations. But curious that no other nation stepped up to the plate on these vessels. Perhaps they are old and full of asbestos and whatnot and therefore not suitable for a modern, first world navy.

And in airlift capacity, well, there ain't even a race. I think the Brits have four or so C17s leased from Boeing and the Aussies are buying four. The Canadians I don't think have plans for anything.

So for the heavy stuff it is really just us, now and in the future.

There is a second way to look at it in which lack of the heavy stuff doesn't matter, given that allied efforts will always be small. If the small numbers of troops that our allies can provide are very good - the Canadian snipers come to mind - and are allowed to go in harm's way, then they can indeed punch above their weight. So Canuck and Aussie and perhaps some other specialist and highly trained units are very valuable. And if their participation is seen as positive by the majority of folks back home (a big "if" there), it is positive for the West as a whole.

Anonymous said...

I think you all should know that my devotion to this blog is such that while I was previewing the above missive for typos (and there were many), the cat was clawing her way up the patio screen door in an effort to get in.

She got all the way up to the top and was hanging by all fours upside down when I arrived. The screen door received yet another mangling. So after ten or so more posts of such length, it will be time for a trip to Home Depot.

Unknown said...

skook:

That poor cat, hanging there wondering where her daddy was.

Barry Dauphin said...

The cat was hanging on your every word.

Anonymous said...

Barry:

Hah! She was mangling on my every word. Of course now she is fast asleep, covering my pillow with cat fur.