Master Blaster,
Don‘t apologise! You‘ve obviously earned your right to be indignant. Your right, put it down to youthful exuberance. On poor equipment? Let‘s start when I rode around in a baffed out Ford Econoline(remember those?) during the October (FLQ) Crisis. Sat in a beatup Centurion, looking through the gun sight at my Gen Force counterparts while on Reforger in the early ‘70‘s (part of the Cold War, for you young fellas). In my Ferret at the ‘76 Olympiad in Montreal, waiting for terrorists to shoot down aircraft, or doing ammo guard while the Baader Mienhoff gang and the Red Brigade (ever heard of them?) plunder NATO ammo points for supplies. Finally, getting to rum(caught this spelling mistake but, it fits, so I‘ll leave it) around Bosnia in an overworked, worn out Iltis, in 94-95 when it was a little warmer(politically) than it is now. Always the poor cousin to whoever we worked with. Canadian soldiers have always worked with beat up, worn out, and past it‘s due date stuff forever. When we get stuff like the LAVlll, the guys deserve it, but we don‘t keep it on the cutting edge. We let everyone develop mods for the brand new stuff WE develop and sell to them, then we don‘t adopt the mods! Lots of new stuff in War Stock(in Quebec), but we can‘t have it. Your right! They won‘t have it on their shelves! And if they don‘t, they‘re not doing their jobs! (In their deluded minds). I would say the opposite. If it‘s not issued out, some field soldier is being deprived of essential equipment he is entitled to. The role of the (entire) CF military, is to support the Combat Arms! That‘s the bottom line! Constitutes deriliction of duty amongst other things if you ask me, if they don‘t. Money to third world nations? Not until they become full democracies with sanctioned, monitored (by western nations, and the $ donors) elections. Bush is right. Give them loans, they don‘t repay them and you have no say in how they‘re spent (or socked into the dictator‘s Swiss account), notice how Koffi Annan has been re-elected, in the UN, and is asking for HUGE (totalling billions) increases to HIS continent in forgivable loans?. He offers no progress or guarantees from recieving nations. And we‘re racists if we demand to know how OUR money is spent. Make it a grant and you can monitor it‘s distribution and who gets it. You won‘t see it back either way, might as well have some control. However, and I‘ve always believed this, Canada should get it‘s own house in order, eliminate child poverty, homelessness, and fix medicare, etc. THEN, we‘ll solve the problems of the world. To many Canadian politicos trying to buy their way into the World Cocktail Circuit with our 53% taxes. You young pussers (there‘s a word some have‘nt heard for awhile) should get some TI (another acronym) before you start deciding policy for the world, or how we send our soldiers into it! A previous post has one of my favouite authors quoted. You young fellas would do well if you read Kipling‘s stuff today, it still applies.
There‘s my rant for the wknd, did it go off topic? Oh well!. No apoligies!
