Friday, September 22, 2006

Fight the Empathy

The western world has made the worst mistake it could in any fight. We brought a dictionary to a gun fight.

Step back, look at the world. Pockets of unsettling events all over the globe. Most have a common theme. Islam versus other religions. These are not events that have only timing in common, but rather events that are tied together with one religion versus another.

The western world, be it Canada or the US chooses to fight these wars with a greater emphasis on words rather than actions. I know some may disagree when you think of Iraq, but the larger picture points to the fact that we do not employ the same war techniques that the enemy does. We are fighting on a skewed playing field. In Iraq and the other Arab nations with NATO and other forces on the ground, we are losing the fight, badly.

As the days pass we see a change in their cowardness and methods. We lose soldiers because of their ability to play against a set of made up rules and regulations that change day to day. We however must play by the rules of Geneva, or NATO, calling a two month inquiry when an individual not directly related to the fighting is injured or killed. Why?

Do we feel that we are lowering ourselves to their level? If we do not take similar reactions for their actions will we not be destroyed to a level that is beneath them?

Look back at world events. World War II was a horrible time that should not be re-lived for a moment, if not for remembrance. We were not the group that started the events that lead to war, but we were the group that fought them on even terms. One of those terms was that empathy followed once the threat was controlled.

I hope to see the day that we control the threat, provide our empathies and move towards a more secure, peaceful time in the world.

Friday, September 01, 2006

NDP's Yoko Oh-no

A few days after reading a post on another blog rounding up some wacky policy suggestions made by grass-roots NDP ECA's, I thought it was something that would filter down by the time the leadership parsed the text. I was wrong.

In a move that must have been inspired by the suggestions, "Handsome" Jack Layton has come out and said that the Canadian Government should engage the Taliban, with conversation, not cluster fire. Huh?

The Taliban, the same narrowed-sighted, fundamentalists who nurtured and assisted Bin Laden in changing the world almost five years ago.

Bringing these cavemen to the table to talk does only one thing, solidify their presence in the area. Instead of driving them back to the caves in the mountains, are we prepared to say to them, "C'mon down here, you're an important part of the nation's future, let's talk.". No way.

If the NDP wishes to push this point forward even further, may I suggest that the negotiators we send is frontlined by Mr. Layton, Pat Martin and (through air-freight) Libby Davis? Perhaps looking at evil directly in the eyes may have some effects on their position.

What's that ticking noise?

Trudeau v2.0

To all those who doubt the forces behind Liberal leadership candidate Michael Ignatieff are positioning him as the next Trudeau of the country, look again.

Iggy, whom won the claim of Trudeau v2.0 after speaking at the Liberal convention in 2004, is continuing down the parallel path of the rosed one. He has made a comment that contained many words but the three that are stirring the pot of federalism are "Civil", "War" and "Quebec". He was quoted as saying that he want to avoid civil war in Quebec painting the situation as some foreseen separtist 18-wheeler coming to the nation head on. The cause for concern over Quebec's slow slide towards independence is troubling, but I think his words have an undercurrent of conservative success in them. For the first time since Jean "The emperor" Chretien took power (not office) we have see the sun poking through the haze of Quebec separatism. The conservatives won a stronger than expected presence in the province and it may be growing, if the general Liberal shakes are any indication.

With his continued direction of spreading FUD for thought in Quebec, perhaps Iggy should brush up on past performances.