Ottawa goes Schizo

The citizens of the City of Ottawa had better sit down for a bit and figure where they live. Is it the City of Ottawa or Ottawa, the capital of Canada?

If it is the Nation's Capital, then they had better realize that two of the major tasks of the government of Canada is security and defense. Once they realize that, then maybe they will allow the defense folks to demonstrate and sell defense products to the defense department and the CSIS and to the RCMP and to the many police force across the country who attend major defense trade show.

And if they finally figure out the Ottawa is the nation's capital then they picket defense trade shows to their heart's content but they will not ban them.

But hey, this is a democracy. If Ottawans decide that this is just another pretty city on a river, rather than the nation's capital, then they will not gripe if the Defense Department moves to Kingston where they can be all that they can be; taking thousands of jobs and millions in taxes with them. It would follow. for the same reasons, that the RCMP and CSIS would follow them out of Ottawa.

And just in case you miss the point, I am talking to you, Alex Cullen.

Did Lewis make a mistake?

Say it isn't so. Lewis MacKenzie, General to the stars and a man who have never met a microphone he didn't want to drone into, made a mistake by suggesting that 10,000 more NATO troops are needed in Kandahar, Afghanistan?

He stated this in a interview with the precious CFRA tyke, Michael Harris., last week. He then sent Mikey a memo the next day correcting himself by saying that the 10,000 was for all of Afghanistan. Only 3,000 more are needed in Kandahar, where all the real fighting is.

Two problems, Lew. Why do you need 7,000 more in the relatively tranquil north? Also, if you send 3,000 more troops in to help out the Canadians in the already target rich south, what would you do with them that you cannot do with the current contingent?

I suggest, General Lew, that you read the book, Utility of Force, written by your British peer, General Rupert Smith. Smith talks about war amongst the people, as he describes Afghanistan and Iraq. He maintains that, when you fight a war amongst the people, rather than an industrial war, the key is not bulk; the key is intelligence and stealth. Rather than 3,000 more troops, let's send in 3,000 sneaks and spooks to infiltrate the local population and ferret out where the insurgents are and what they are doing.

Also, with respect to rigid withdrawal time frames as advocated by the NDP and the Bloc, I urge the Liberals to back a continuation of the mission, for now, with the proviso that Harper, MacKay and Hillier read Smith's book. The Taliwackers in Afghanistan are in no hurry to conclude the strife. To pull out before we make some real progress would be an error.

The Manley Report fails the simplest test

I have a lot of respect for John Manley but I hope that his study and report on Afghanistan didn't cost more that about $4025. That amount would pay for a researcher to Google on the Internet for a month to collect the background and foreground information that Manley claims he and his team discovered. There is nothing new here!

Let's pick a couple of issues that show the best of what I am talking.

The report claims that the mission must be working because the Taliban have resorted to IEDs and other small skirmishes rather than taking on NATO directly. It is interesting to note that Manley even mentions that the largest number of Canadian casualties occurred when Canada went on a major offensive in 2006. Guess what, John. It is a different kind of war; different than the one's starring John Wayne. IEDs and ambushes are tactics that work when you have no deadline to end a war. And make no mistake about it, the Taliban are not in any hurry.

Second, on page 21, the report talks about our goal of not allowing Afghanistan to revert to being the headquarters of global terrorism. But guess what? The headquarters for global terrorism is a figment of an over centralized imagination. Do you think that nuts in Spain and Indonesia and other hot spots around the world sit down around a table in Afghanistan like NATO does in Brussels. Terrorism has its headquarter all across the world; when ever two or more bizarros get together to foment hate!

I have some ideas on Afghanistan that I will impart later. In the meantime maybe I can get CGG (Canada's Greatest Government TM) to pay for a trip south to collect my thoughts.

The Manley Report - Part 2

John Manley will make his report to Canada's Greatest Government (TM) today. According to some news sources he will recommend that Canada stay in Khandahar, demand that NATO provide 1000 more troops (I wonder if he calculated in the 3500 new Americans who are already on their way?) and do a better selling job on why were are there.

So much for Part 1... what about Part 2? Has he written it yet? Does he have a clue about what should be in it?

Let me enlighten him!

First, Canada must decide on the goals of the mission. If it is peace making then let the army make the peace. If it is peace keeping then get the army out of there and send in some cops. The army cannot be makers and keepers at the same time. They are not trained that way. No one is!

Second, give the troops the correct equipment. Tanks are useless in the desert with 110 degree temperatures unless you are fighting a rolling war. This is a static war! Get the troops off the ground and into the air. Of the 77 Canadians killed so far, almost all have been due to IEDs hitting fast tracks and transport vehicles. Give them helicopters!

More to come from the Manley Report? I hope so.

Catching up with Petie MacKay

I have been off sick for a few days. In the meantime, life and politics goes on. I will attempt to catch up as soon as possible.

Let's start with our straight shooter Defence Minister Peter (I love my dog... and only my dog) MacKay. Let me set things straight at the beginning. Canada's Greatest Government (TM: PM Harper) has been in power for almost two wonderful and glorious years, a time of great prosperity and positive things happening to our finally-on-the-world-stage nation.

In late 2005 the former (boo hiss) government of Paul (spit!!!) Martin signed an agreement for new helicopters. The schedule called for deliveries of begin November 2007. They won't, at this time, begin for another year or two. Forgive me for restating that CGG has been in power since 2006, a year before the first delivery was scheduled. Did no one notice the helicopter contract was in default? Did CGG and the Defence Department, ask any questions? Did they demand any answers? Did they apply any penalties?

Nope.

"So what went wrong, Minister MacKay?" the press and the opposition asked.

MacKay cleared his throat, smiled, and then blamed everything on a decision made by Jean Chretien in 1995 or so.

So much for ministerial responsibility.

I love the government!