Maxime Bernier Exaggerates 'Safety' In Afghanistan
Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier
October - 2007
"The security situation in Afghanistan is assessed by most analysts as having deteriorated at a constant rate through 2007,"
UN Department of Safety and Security
August - 2007
Canada's new Foreign Affairs Minister, Maxime Bernier, is going out of his way to try and convince us how much safer it is in Afghanistan lately even though United Nations assessments are not as optimistic!
The Conservative Government of Canada is determined to continue with their war in Afghanistan and that is all that there is to it! They will even lie in their attempt to try and convince Canadians that we should continue fighting.
Globe & Mail
leftdog,
Good post but one small spelling mistake. In the title you said 'exaggerates' when I think that should be spelled 'l-i-e-d a-b-o-u-t'
Hope this helps buddy!
Posted by Mike | 11:28 am, October 08, 2007
Thanks Mike - I NEVER could spell very well and I always seem to forget spellchecker!
Happy Thanksgiving my friend!!!!
Posted by leftdog | 11:32 am, October 08, 2007
Leftdog....It's been a while and pardon my memory..but..I forget why you are so against Canadian troops in Afganistan. Can you refresh my memory??
Posted by mooner | 12:44 pm, October 08, 2007
The thing that irked me about Maxime Bernier's visit to Afghanistan is when he announced that we are commited to stay until 2011... Sounds like the Cons are pushing for an election.
Posted by kinch | 1:35 pm, October 08, 2007
Mooner - you phrased your question like the right winger you are, "why you are so against Canadian troops in Afganistan"?
I am 'against' the Conservative Party's concept of 'perpetual war' for economic purposes. The history of Afghanistan is that the entire British military and the entire Soviet military were BOTH unsuccessful in Afghanistan. Our current little mission there will be similarly a military failure. I have been advocating for a year and a half what Karzai is NOW doing (and what the AMERICANS have come to agree with) - we need to find a way to bring order to this bizarre nation of war lords, drug smugglers and Taliban. Canada's little troop will not 'win' in Afghanistan.
But as a Conservative supporter and a right winger, I would never expect that you will be able to understand that. Your black and white view of the world is too simplistic to understand complex military issues. Hence the way you tried to frame the question that I am - in some way - 'against Canadian troops'.
Posted by leftdog | 1:35 pm, October 08, 2007
Mooner is typical of the right-wingers - avoid the fact a Conservative Minister is lying thru his teeth about how safe it is or it isn't in Afghanistan, and try to throw out a red herring about why someone is against the troops.. as if pointing out a Conservative Minister's fibs is somehow anti-troops.
Posted by Oxford County Liberals | 2:50 pm, October 08, 2007
Leftdog and Scott.....understand one thing..I'm not crazy about our men and women being in Afganistan....I personnally think it's a lost cause.....the Middle East as a whole has been at war for 6,000 years and it will continue for another 6,0000....fuled by centuries of hate and religious fanatasism. The only thing that will stop it is what happend to Japan in 1945. When the "bang" is big enough you will get their attention!
What I am trying to understand is this... where do the NDP and followers stand when it comes to our military.
Say the NDP came to power in Canada...what is the plan for the military?? Would we have one?? If we did what would they do??
If Canda was threatend in any way would the NDP resort to use of the military?? Say we were attacked in some form or another would the NDP respond with the military??
I'm just trying to figure out if you people could be counted on to defend what we have established over the years from the sacrifice of others.
Just asking.
Posted by mooner | 5:09 pm, October 08, 2007
These questions remind me of my old adversary, David Maclean. Same type of right wing - tongue in cheek game playing.
Put first of all I find anyone who suggests nuclear attack as a solution to any political problem to be very offensive. Such a callous disregard for human life (mothers, infants, grandmothers, toddlers) is stunning.!
Under a New Democrat administration we would have a peace time army. Now that the cold war is over, the biggest challenge to peace and security is the unresolved situation in the Middle East - which can be fixed by way of diplomacy.
If Canada were attacked or invaded some similar to our WW2 response would be taken to defend the country. The current problems with Al Qaeda is challenging because it is impossible for a traditional 'army in the field' to defeat a civilian insurgent (guerrilla force) - just ask the Americans how well they did in Vietnam AND how well they are doing in Iraq.
Unlike conservative types, New Democrats VALUE our peacekeeping role of the 1950's and onward. Canadians saved numerous lives by our role in Cyprus, Suez, and other hot spots.
We do not subscribe to the type of militarism that is currently happening from the Americans - even though Harper would like to emulate that. The fact that the US DOES NOTHING to resolve the Palestinian problem (which has allowed over a million individuals to live in Refugee camps since 1949) the problems in the region continue.
You used to post here as 'Mooner' with a capital 'M', now it is lower case - you must have forgotten your old password.
Posted by leftdog | 8:04 pm, October 08, 2007
dog...can you please name the last time peacekeeping worked. It didnt work in the former Yugoslavia..NATO had to start bombing. It didnt work in Rwanda. Its not working in darfur. Its not working in Lebanon. Why the attachment to something that doesn't work? News flash: Peacekeeping only worked for us in the Suez because we still had international clout left over from WW2.
Humanitarian interventions are the future. Traditional peacekeeping is dead, thank god.
Everybody but Dion, Layton and the Center for Policy Alternatives knows that peacekeeping simply doesn't work. It could only work in the cold war....the Sovs and yanks MADE it work, to prevent escalation. The threat of nuclear annihilation is no longer there.
Posted by Philltaj2 | 9:33 pm, October 08, 2007
Phil you are talking nonsense. How ridiculous to say that our peacekeeping missions didn't work! Your concept of history is totally inaccurate!
First of all there is no traditional peacekeeping going on in Darfur.
Rwanda got out of hand before the UN understood the depth of the racial conflict bit thereafter, the conflict was ended.
What are you talking about in the former Yugoslavia - of course it worked - after the initial conflict was ended, Canadian forces stood between the sides!
You have watched too many movies and simply have resigned yourself to accepting war.
You are advocating a bizare Bushian concept here - "Humanitarian interventions are the future" - you mean like Iraq? That is working our
REAL well isn't it.
I get so frustrated with the way you right wingers think. Hell Phil you don't even believe in Canada! You have said so on this blog in the past!
Posted by leftdog | 10:51 pm, October 08, 2007
"You, on the other hand..vote...which makes you even more delusional in my eyes."
Phil ... I am delusional because I vote??? You are one sick puppy! You need to get off political blogs and maybe stick to the 'fishing blogs'.
Posted by leftdog | 8:41 am, October 10, 2007
haha I actually do frequent an outdoor sports blog.
Posted by Philltaj2 | 10:18 am, October 10, 2007
Phil here is the BIGGEST attracting story I have ever had on Buckdog - this post still brings in about lots and lots of hits a day months after I first posted it. I have considered switching my format from politics to fish!
Posted by leftdog | 4:15 pm, October 10, 2007