The CBC's brand of activist journalism is tired and old. Two weeks ago Kate at SDA nailed the CBC for photoshopping an image of Toronto to make it appear more polluted.

This week Stephen Taylor has caught the CBC slipping images of Canadian soldiers into reports on Iraq. The CBC intentionally tries to get viewers to confuse the Afghan mission and the war in Iraq. Worse yet, it implies that somehow George W. Bush's veto yesterday has some effect on our troops, which it does not.

When will the CBC stop misrepresenting the truth in order to promote it's own agenda? The CBC can't be trusted. As the proverb goes, "fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"

Labels: Afghanistan, CBC, Iraq, Republican Party

From the Canadian Press:

Liberal foreign affairs critic Ujjal Dosanjh said he wonders whether the Conservative government ever sought advice or asked the human rights group any questions about the wisdom of transferring detainees to the Afghan intelligence service.

Mr. Dosanjh has good reason to wonder. When the Liberals were in power, they asked all the time (h/t).

The old liberal government had been prevented by Canadian diplomats in station in Kabul, in 2003, 2004 and 2005, that torture was a current practice in the Afghan prisons.

In spite of these warnings, the Martin government decided to sign an agreement with the Karzai government, in December 2005, in order to deliver to the Afghan authorities all the prisoners captured by the Canadian soldiers, reveal documents of the Ministries for Foreign Affairs obtained by the Press.

The Liberals are using unfounded rumors to score political points from a mess their own government left behind.

Labels: Afghanistan, Liberal Party, politics

Ian Robinson on multiculturalism.

Despite the fact Canada embodies such virtues as democracy, Don Cherry, honest courts and cops, the Tim Hortons double-double, and tolerance for guys who like to wear dresses, not to mention other perversions like being a New Democrat or a Liberal, our official point of view is the culture that created such gems is virtually worthless.

I would go so far as to say that multiculturalism is more anti-Western culture than it is inclusive.

Labels: Afghanistan, multiculturalism

An interesting video on the Pakistani gun-market (h/t Dust My Broom.
Clearly, the Taliban won't be running out of weapons any time soon. More reason to kill 'em. More means to kill each other.

At least 40 people have been killed and more than 70 wounded in clashes between Sunni and Shia Muslims in north-western Pakistan, a senior security official said.

Labels: Afghanistan, etc, Guns, YouTube

Jeff Nyquist writes of another impending war on the horizon (h/t New Zeal).

People living a hundred years from now will be puzzled by today’s America. The signs of impending destructive war are everywhere. We do not see the signs because we do not want to see them. This is true in the White House, at the CIA, in the major newspapers and within major corporations. Russia and China are maneuvering against the United States on all fronts. Russia and China are supporting Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, Syria, etc. All the worst regimes, led by criminals and butchers, are supported by Moscow and Beijing. The objective is to arm as many rogue states as possible. And the reason for doing so is transparent.
A researcher and former news editor wrote the following note to me last week: "Russia has been conducting war in Chechnya for years, slaughtering, raping, imprisoning and displacing Muslims. Russia slaughtered Muslims for ten years in Afghanistan. Russia is 'right next door' [to the terrorists]. Yet bin Laden, allegedly tired of what has been done to Muslim peoples, chose to attack... the United States. Bin Laden ignores the enemy who has been slaughtering Muslims in his backyard for two decades and instead targets a nation thousands of miles away..."

The tie that binds is pure unbiased anti-Americanism.

Labels: Afghanistan, China, democracy, Iran, politics, Russia, United Nations

Who do you think will be first to help out, NATO troops, or the Taliban?

At least 51 people have been killed and hundreds of homes destroyed after flooding and avalanches in Afghanistan.

Another potential benefit from all the rain they've received is more fertile farm land. And since the flooding didn't affect most Taliban strong-holds, there is a good chance that the land will be used for food rather than the poppy trade.

Update:

ISAF ground forces and helicopter support carried the marooned local people to safety. Poor weather earlier yesterday initially hampered rescue attempts; however, helicopters landed where possible to rescue villagers. In some cases ISAF had to persuade frightened people to accept their help to hoist them out of danger. [....]

This morning, three Dutch Cougars helicopters are once again in the air above the Helmand River. Two platoons of Dutch troops stayed near the river last night with the Afghan people they rescued. The troops were able to give the stranded locals shelter, food and medical assistance. (link)

Labels: Afghanistan, Y2Kyoto

The Hack will be live-blogging something Monday at noon central. He's been hyping it up for a week, but at no point has he indicated where or what the event is.

Also, The Hack points out this great story.

Standing on an armoured vehicle in the desert sun, a Canadian flag flapping on a radio antenna overhead, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk handed out $50,000 worth of hockey gear to soldiers to show his support for their efforts in Afghanistan. [...]

Melnyk also had some new gear for the American players, including New York Rangers and Washington Capitals jerseys.

Canada won the game 9-0.

Labels: Afghanistan, etc

Shockingly, Stephane Dion is demanding an apology from Stephen Harper (h/t Dust My Broom). What was the comment that was so offensive to Stephie Dion? Well, apparently the truth:

I can understand the passion that the Leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for Taliban prisoners. I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers.

A heavy accusation, but Dion's comments clearly lead to that response:

Mr. Speaker, there are few things that are more important for the honour of a country than its duty to protect human lives, including war detainees. It is clear that the Minister of National Defence failed in his duty, even though he has often been briefed on this.

I have no other choice than to ask the Prime Minister to ask his Minister of National Defence to do the honourable thing and resign. [....]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has to see that his minister was negligent and incompetent with respect to a very serious issue for a country like Canada: the protection of the human lives we are responsible for.

The Prime Minister cannot keep his Minister of National Defence, not unless the Prime Minister is telling us that it is not important for Canada to protect the human lives we are responsible for.

Stephane Dion doesn't seem to understand the fact that the Government of Canada is responsible for Canadians and Canadian soldiers first and foremost, not murderous Taliban thugs. But Dion shows his spine in his response to the Prime Minister. Instead of denying the accusation and throwing it right back in Harpers face, Dion whimpered and whined.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made two shocking statements. First, he said that the government does not care about human rights and, second, that the official opposition does not care about Canadian soldiers.

The Prime Minister must understand that he has insulted the entire Parliament with his statement and he should apologize.

Stephie, say these four words after me: "WE SUPPORT THE TROOPS". He should have screamed those four words back at Harper as loud as possible. But he can't say it, or he won't say it, because it would be a lie. The Liberal Party under Stephanie Dion does not support the troops. By concentrating all of their efforts to ensure the safety of Taliban fighters, they undermine the safety of Canadian soldiers.

There's also the fact that - as the US has demonstrated with Gitmo, and again pointed out at Jack's Newswatch - insurgent fighters do not qualify for treatment under the Geneva Conventions because they are not soldiers.

Dion's spinelessness brings back memories of a Charles Adler rant, put to video by Officially Screwed.

Labels: Afghanistan, Liberal Party, politics, Stephane Dion, Stephen Harper

Since the weather is starting to turn seasons, I'm attacking my apartment in a cleaning offensive unlike anything this apartment has ever seen.

Much like the Taliban have their "Feared Taliban Spring Offensive", I have a March tradition, the "Feared Natedawgian Spring Cleaning". And believe me, it is terrifying.

The differences between Spring Cleaning and Spring Offensives are subtle. The Taliban get a little "frisky" around this time of year, and get a hankering for their allotted seventy-two virgins in the great hereafter. Spring Cleaning also, is all about the ladies; though I prefer my ladies to be in this life, and I don't mind a girl with a bit of experience either.

Every good campaign needs an effective propaganda machine to pull the wool over the enemies eyes. My propaganda machine will be employing this technique from Lifehacker.

Back in my bachelor days, I lived on my own for a while. I hated doing dishes; however, I enjoyed eating off of plates. At some point, I realized that plates were merely platforms to hold food. I got the idea to place plastic wrap over plates or any other hard surface to recreate a clean plate. So, if you don't want to do the dishes any more, get some microwaveable plastic wrap and place it over your plate. When you're done eating, throw out or recycle your plastic wrap.

Battle updates may or may not be available in the comments.

Labels: Afghanistan, etc

It was noted previously that the Aussies are planning on sending more troops to Afghanistan for spring.

Now the Brits are following suit.

Defence Secretary Des Browne is expected to make a Commons statement on Monday setting out details of the new deployment to reinforce the British taskforce in the troubled southern province of Helmand.

More than 1,000 extra troops - together with additional equipment - will be sent, according to a report in The Guardian.

The details apparently leaked out after Mr. Browne briefed the weekly meeting of the Cabinet at No 10 yesterday.

Not to be forgotten, The Americans are diverting 3200 troops from Iraq to Afghanistan.

The US says that 3,200 troops of the 173rd Airborne Brigade will be deployed to Afghanistan in the spring, instead of Iraq.

The Taliban don't stand a chance in hell.

Labels: Afghanistan, Britain, democracy

First Stephane Dion demanded that Canada "rebalance" the mission in Afghanistan

Earlier this week, Canada delivered $1,000,000 in cash to farmers who had been displaced by fighting. Now we get the announcement of "hundreds of millions of dollars" in aid for Afghanistan. One would think that the mission has been "re-balanced", and would regain the support of the Liberal party, right?

WRONG! Apparently Dion misspoke when he said the mission needed to be re-balanced, what he to say was it needs to be ended. The Liberals released a statement about their "plan" for Afghanistan today:

* Committing to ending Canada’s mission in Kandahar in 2009 and immediately informing NATO of this deadline so that a replacement nation can be found;
* Better integrating military, aid and diplomacy efforts;
* Developing an effective strategy to combat the problems stemming from the local economy’s dependence on the illegal opium trade; and
* Addressing the chronic fresh water shortage.

Basically what Dion and the Libs are saying is that the current strategy will do just fine, until 2009; at which time control of Kandahar should be given to whomever fills the power vacuum left behind by the Canadians.

As a Liberal cabinet minister when Canada committed itself to the Afghan mission, one can only assume that Dion supported the war. When it comes to winning the war, he's not so supportive.

Labels: Afghanistan, Liberal Party, Stephane Dion

Good news for all NATO allies currently preparing for the "spring offensive" in Afghanistan:

Political attention swung back to the "forgotten war" yesterday as the Federal Government grappled with its difficulties in Iraq.

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said a reconnaissance team had gone to Afghanistan to assess whether extra Australian forces were needed.

About 550 Australians are based in Afghanistan, with nearly 400 in Oruzgan province. Their job is about to get tougher as temperatures climb.

"All of our intelligence suggests that the Taliban will this year mount a significant do-or-die offensive across Afghanistan, including in Oruzgan," Dr Nelson said. "If we do need to redeploy Australian defence forces to Afghanistan, we will."

Prime Minister John Howard confirmed the Government was looking at bolstering our commitment to Afghanistan.

"We have not made any decision but I don't rule out some increase there," Mr Howard said.

If only more NATO allies could be more like Australia. Actually, I wish more Canadians could be more like Australia.

In a speech to students at the University of Montreal, Dion reiterated today that a Liberal government led by him would not extend Canada's mission in Kandahar beyond February 2009. He also says he would also inform NATO right away how firm that deadline is and that it must find a replacement nation.

Because all good allies should set a time table for defeat, right Stephie?

Labels: Afghanistan, Australia, Stephane Dion

Not that it comes as much of a surprise, the Taliban have broken their truce with British soldiers in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

The Black Rod, who's been doing a great job with his weekly Afghanistan updates, writes about the British Helmand Protocol.

Under the deals, known as the Helmand Protocol, the International Security Assistance Forces surrender control of provincial districts to councils consisting of local clerics and tribal elders. Nato troops and Taliban fighters are supposed to withdraw from the districts. The councils chose their own police chiefs and pledge loyalty to the central government. They are in charge of keeping Taliban insurgents out.

Yeah, sure.

Well, the Black Rod was right. The very first agreement made with the central Afghan government, and the Taliban broke the deal the first chance they had.

This shouldn't come as a surprise, the lesson should have been learned from Pakistans Waziristan region. The peace deals the Pakistani government signed with the Taliban have failed equally. Not only have cross border attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan increased, but Pakistan now has to deal with its own internal Taliban threat.

This should squash any ideas Canadian forces are having about agreeing to such deals in Kandahar. The plan was to follow the British example in Musa Qala, but that example should make clear that the Taliban will only use such opportunities to regroup for more attacks.

Labels: Afghanistan

Since Wajid Khan crossed the floor recently, many Liberals have been begging to see the report he wrote after his Middle East fact finding mission, even though Paul Martin routinely did NOT make such reports public. The speculation amongst Liberal blogs is that "either the report that Khan wrote does not exist, or it does exist and is of such poor quality that it could not be released."

Today, CTV is reporting that in fact, the report does exist. Further more, Harper will be implementing some of the recommendations from said report in government policy.

And, Harper will kick sand in their Liberal faces to boot:

Wajid Khan, the embattled former Liberal MP who recently crossed the floor to the Conservatives, will be heading out on another fact-finding mission in his role as special advisor on the Middle East.

Government sources told The Globe and Mail that Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be sending Khan to Afghanistan and Pakistan, though there were no details on when he will be leaving.

But what about the money that Khan's dealership loaned to his riding association? Apparently there's nothing there either:

Elections Canada says there's nothing illegal in MP Wajid Khan using loans from his Toronto car dealership to finance his riding association and his election campaigns.

And even if those loans are never repaid -- effectively turning them into huge personal or corporate donations that are supposed to be prohibited -- there is likely nothing that the independent watchdog can do about it.

So it seems the only law that was broken was that the Liberal riding association didn't pay back the money it was loaned. I'd say that Stephane Dion owes Wajid Kahn a couple hundred grand!

Labels: Afghanistan, Dirty Liberals, politics, Stephane Dion, Stephen Harper

While every other dog and his blogger is doing a preview of what the year 2007 will hold, here goes nothing.

• Gary Doer will win another provincial election here in Manitoba. Scandal's don't mean squat to the NDP's socialist base, which will be enough to win; Meanwhile the Manitoba Liberal party will pick up seats at the expense of the Progressive Conseravtives, who seem to have dropped the Conservative part of the party platform.
• Stephen Harper's Conservative government will win a majority government some time in the first half of the year. The party will campaign on their long list of achievements in a minority position, which most clear thinking Canadians are fond of. The Liberal Party will attempt again to campaign on anti-Americanism, and bribing Joe Public with Social programs.
• My tarot cards also show me the end of the NDP and Jack Layton on the federal scene. The party has, in the last two years, been unable to separate itself from the Liberals on most major policies. Their biggest strength, the environment, has now been hijacked by a much more "centrist" party in the Greens, while the Liberals will also try, unsuccessfully, to stake claim to being Canada's "Greenest Party". In the end, it's Layton's blatant anti-Canadianism that will send him packing.
• Coalition forces will start to exit Iraq. The result of this will be two-fold; One, Iraq will be divided into three autonomous provinces divided between the Kurds, Sunni, and Shiite. Two, it will leave behind a power-vacuum that will be filled by different regional powers who will wage a bloody proxy-war in Iraq.
• The Nation-building efforts in Afghanistan will see rapid improvement, with the continued defeat of remnant Taliban fighters, and with the aid of a refocused US Army. The Afghan army will continue to improve and take more responsibility for the security of the country.
• In US Politics, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will fight a savage Democratic Presidential nomination battle, with Obama coming out on top. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani will handily win the Republican Presidential nomination, a sign of the impending doom for Obama.
• Global Warming will continue to wreak havoc with the climate causing warming, cooling, mass floods, and extreme drought in various locations around the globe. The Climate-Cultists will continue to preach about the falling sky, while Skeptics will continue to deny, deny, deny.
• The Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup over the Ottawa Senators. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers win the Grey Cup. The San Diego Chargers will win the Superbowl (duh). The Toronto Blue Jays will make the playoffs, only to lose to the damn Yankees in the first round. The Toronto Raptors will have the best season in franchise history, going to the Conference Finals before bowing out, while the Denver Nuggets will go on to win the NBA Championship.

Go ahead, take your best shots. If you want any specific predictions from my tarot cards, feel free to post requests in the comments. Happy New Year!

Labels: Afghanistan, politics, sports

I would bet that this guy is a card carrying NDP member. Jack bin Layton would be proud:

Several members of the 1st Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment's Charles Company told The Globe and Mail they were abandoned while pinned down by heavy Taliban fire on Sept. 3. Four Canadians soldiers died that day in fierce battles with insurgents.

One soldier told the Globe in an interview in southern Afghanistan that his superior left him there to die. The unidentified NCO was later returned home and is now out of the army. There is no information on whether he was investigated or charged.
(snip)
Master Cpl. Ward Engley of Charles's 8 platoon told the Globe that the NCO "left me there to die." He said the officer was "hiding behind a wall" and wouldn't come out long enough to give him the radio when he asked for it.

"Our grenades were duds," Engley explained, "and we were running low on ammo, but he couldn't even hand me the radio."

Thank God that the rest of our boys are made of better stuff.

Labels: Afghanistan, Jack Bin Layton, NDP, Treason

One of the main reasons why I like Stephen Harper, is his ability to clearly explain and articulate his thoughts. An example follows, from CanWest (h/t Halls of Macadamia).

"The Liberals and the Bloc tell me: rebalance the mission. What does that mean? I mean, what the hell does that mean?"

"We've got guys there, they're in the most dangerous province in the country. Yes, we're trying to do development and humanitarian assistance and we're doing that. But the fact of the matter is that they've got guys shooting at them. And they've got the most concentrated group of enemy combatants right there. It isn't an option to cut down the military side of the operation. They have to do what is necessary to protect the local people and protect themselves. And nothing less."
(snip)
"If other parties want to go to the people and take that position - 'We'd leave them there but we'd tell them not to defend themselves' - let them explain that to the Canadian people."

In three short paragraphs, he can completely explain his position, and totally undermine the oppositions. I like him more and more every day.

Labels: Afghanistan, politics, Stephen Harper

The numbers speak volumes.

Those who think Afghan President Hamid Karzai is a lost cause should think again. So says the evidence from a recent poll of what Afghans think, five years after the fall of the Taliban. "The current Afghan government retains broad support," concludes the survey by Charney Research, with 68 per cent of Afghans approving Karzai’s work.
(snip)
While the Taliban are active throughout south and west Afghanistan, their suicide bombings and attacks on schools and government buildings are not winning them any supporters. Nearly 90 per cent of Afghans have unfavourable views of the Taliban, with 76 per cent saying they have "very unfavourable" views. The only thing with a worse rating: Osama bin Laden.
(snip)
Another indication of the trauma of Taliban rule is that 85 per cent or more Afghans are thankful for the US invasion, grateful for the presence of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation troops in the country and prefer the Karzai government – despite its inability to provide law and security or stamp out corruption – to the Taliban.

All the while Jack Bin Layton, Gilles Duceppe and Stephane Dion talk about how the mission is a failure. They want to quit now that we're on the verge of victory. The Taliban are hated in Afghanistan, and they need to be exterminated.

Oh, and is this what it looks like to "force our lifestyle" on another culture? Because I think they like it.

Labels: Afghanistan, Bloc Quebecois, Dead Dictators, democracy, Fun With Polls, NDP, politics, Stephane Dion, Stephen Harper, Treason

The treasonous Gilles Duceppe is making wild threats about toppling the government over military operations in Afghanistan. Not surprisingly, he's got support from other opposition parties.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe warned Monday he might table a non-confidence motion if the mandate of Canadian soldiers in the wartorn country doesn't change.

And the other opposition parties suggested they might join a Bloc effort to that effect in the new year.

Duceppe is only making these threats because Quebec is starting to send a lot more troops over. He is not concerned with the well being of Canada's reputation on the International stage. His only concern is not losing more seats in Quebec come next election.

Fortunately for Duceppe, the Liberal Party has just elected another coward in Stephane Dion. Dion has also expressed skepticism about the War in Afghanistan, saying, "We'll wait to see (the motion) before making a choice."

The NDP's position on Afghanistan is quite clear. Jack Bin Layton can't cut-and-run fast enough. His policy is unilateral withdrawal, and possible peace talks with the Taliban.

These are the three parties that are currently screaming bloody murder about a $5M cut to the "Status Of Women". Yet they have no problem sending every woman in Afghanistan back into the stone age. Not to mention all of those schools we've built, they'll all be promptly destroyed.

Either way, I don't think Duceppe, Dion, or Jack Bin Layton have the guts to fight an election over the Afghan War. Since Layton started spouting off about unilateral withdrawal, the NDP's popularity has dropped by six percent. If Canadians do decide that they want out of Afghanistan (and I don't think they do), surely they wouldn't decide to elect the Liberals - who got us into Afghanistan in the first place. Which leaves the Bloc, who only runs candidates in Quebec.

So the only party that would actually gain from making the Afghan War the main election issue, is the Bloc. That being said, neither the Bloc, or Liberals have presented any kind of an alternative strategy in Afghanistan - while the NDPs plan is offensive to most Canadians. Dion will have a tough time articulating any kind of "alternative strategy" in Afghanistan, since he was sitting in Cabinet when the Liberal government committed our troops to the mission.

Duceppe is bluffing, however. And I think Harper should call him on it.

Labels: Afghanistan, Bloc Quebecois, Dirty Liberals, politics, Stephane Dion, Treason

Stephen Harper is at a NATO summit in Latvia today. NATO is currently trying to drum up support for the mission in Afghanistan, and is in need of 2500 more troops to get the job done.

A lot of the European NATO members have troops in Afghanistan, but they're not allowed to fight. Even the war-mongers in France understand how ludicrous this concept is. French President Jacques Chirac admitted yesterday that "the Europeans have relied on their American allies for too long. They have to shoulder their share of the burden."

But if NATO can't even get 2500 troops when they need them, what exactly is the point in having NATO? Too many countries like Germany, Italy, Spain and Norway are apparently just along for the ride. They get all the benefits of NATO membership, but do none of the work. War is declared in Afghanistan, and they prepare to send in the cafeteria-crew while the other allies lose lives.

NATO's original purpose was to keep the Soviet Union at bay during the Cold War. Apparently thats where the allegiance ends as well. If NATO can't get the resources to tackle a place like Afghanistan, who in their right mind would think they could do anything about Russia today? The Soviet Union may have collapsed, but Afghanistan was a completely failed state.

I think that the time has come for NATO to consider shedding some of the fat. If a country like Spain is unwilling to fight after losing 180 of their own citizens to the savages in the Madrid train bombings, why are they a part of the treaty? It becomes abundantly clear in this context that these "allies" don't believe in fighting for anything, no matter what the threat is. So why are we watching their collective back?

Labels: Afghanistan

The trecherous terrain of Afghanistan is not the safest for Canadian soldiers. Interestingly enough, one of the battles our boys are fighting, are against ten-foot tall marijuana plants.

The army's been trying to burn them, with limited success. The result according to General Hiller was, "A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those [forests] did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action."

I can just imagine some proud Canadian soldier walking out in the morning, and declaring "I love the smell of marijuana in the morning", while a fire burns on the horizon. I'm sure the B.C. boys feel right at home.

Labels: Afghanistan