Canada finds itself in a painful situation now. It is a problem that was recognised years ago. There have been attempts to fix the problem. But every time there seemed a viable solution, a special interest killed it off.
What is this problem? The aging of Canada's military airlift fleet. I have commented on it before. Over 50% of the Hercules fleet is grounded due to age and the others in the fleet are questionable also.
General Hillier, under the previous government of PM Martin, tried to procure replacement airframes, 10 C-130J Hercules from the RAF, but groups with vested interests thwarted these efforts.
So now upto 30,000 Canadian citizens are trapped in Lebanon as Israel pounds Hezbollah positions. So Prime Minister Harper, who is in Europe, is having his plane flown to Cyprus to help airlift these citizens out of the war zone. While General Hillier is again catching flak from neutering ninnies as he tries to buy for Canada four C-17 Globemaster IIIs from the United States.
I have to ask those who have been opposed to the purchase of new airlifters how their opposition has truly served Canada's citizenry? As people huddle at Beirut airport praying a plane can take them to Cyprus or at the port awaiting a ship to take them away, their rights as Canadian citizens are not being served. In fact their rights are being violated by a coterie of self-appointed experts who are safely ensconed in nice offices surrounding Canada's government.
3 comments:
They protest and when it all falls apart, it's still not their fault! It's always someone else's fault!
The Canadians have been getting a free ride from Uncle Sam for years. No wonder they don't spend what is necessary to keep their military in shape.
And of course they don't want to participate in the early development of our anti-missile defense either. But what do you bet if North Korea fires a missile and it goes off course towards Vancouver, the Canadians will be on the hotline begging for us to shoot it down.
I'd say "ok, sure... as soon as you pay for the development costs required to protect your half of North America."
The protestor for peace in a democracy has nothing to fear from the government so he protests anything. But a protestor in a despotic country [Iran] can be carted off and killed. So if the Western protestors really want to speak truth to power they need to be in Tehran. But they lack the moral courage to actually risk their lives. So their true value is that of warm spit.
And the spin-miesters who are turning the valiant attempt to evacuate people from Lebanon into another Katrina are lower than whale dung.
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