What I didn't expect was the following:
- The failure to get a majority in the last election.
Whoever ran their campaign was either asleep, complacent or hopelessly dumb. Never did I see an ad that said what the Conservative Party of Canada could do for this country. Hell, none of the other parties ran similar ads. Only the New Democrats had some sense of providing a platform, but most Canadians who previously experienced provincial NDP rule knew better than to vote for more taxes and Federally-sanctioned political correctness.
It appears in order to win an election in the 21st century©, the political ads should be saying variations of "You suck", "Suck it", "STFU" or "ESAD" to their respective rivals. "Promises be damned: I'm-a pwn yo' ass!"
The Conservatives simply got a second chance at power because the fibbing Liberal alternative was unacceptable at the time. After all, who wanted to be ruled by Céline Dion? The problem was, and is, that the Conservatives are giving Canadians no other good reason why they should deserve another mandate, other than the fact that we have been free from any attacks by Islamofascist militias, and that Québec is still part of Confederation (all for the sake of telling the Yankx - "Here's why we're not you").
Maybe Hell is starting to get a cold front. Maybe we might get a Prime Minister named Jack.
Maybe I should get to the next point; - Kanada's Kandahar Kuagmire. (Unfortunate choice of lettering, but who am I to impress?)
Right about now my brothers and sisters are in one of the most dangerous places in Central Asia. We may be doing right, getting right and making right, but something is wrong.
We're simply not getting the love.
To be fair, this mission was a holdover from the previous Liberal Chretien/Martin (WHO? LOL!) regime. We wanted to show the world what we could to against terrorists, fanatics and the corrupt cesspools that spawned them. After jumping in wearing forest-green combats (imagine a dab of relish on hummus - YUCK!), we got our act together, got proper camo, had our highs and lows, made a few people happy...
And still... NOTHING WAS DONE!
Material, logistical and political shortfalls notwithstanding, with a little help from our friends the Canucks did the job right. It's just that a) the impotent Afghan "government" couldn't get its act together enough to catch up and step up to alleviate the workload unertaken by an already overworked Canadian Forces (+ "allies") presence; b) our "allies" (read: "NATO") promised more personnel, yet all the countries, save the UK and the Netherlands, were reluctant to give a hand.
At least, for once, we should get some of our new partners from the former Warsaw Pact to help us out. Not only would it make life easier for the World's Hardest Working Armed Forces, but also it could give our Forces a chance to take some much r'n'r'n'r'n'r (rest, recreation, recovery, re-arming), because in spite of being a big country, we have a small population.
Small population equals small tax base.
Small tax base equals relatively small military.
It doesn't take an economist or a general, let alone a DND official, to figure that out.
Too bad it had to take several rotations and over 100 lives for the government to say "Time-out".
Not really anyone's fault, except for those who we tried to help, and whose help we needed WAY BACK WHEN.
As for the third point; - Too hostile - too friendly. But nothing in between.
Back in the day when we were living in a Trudeaucracy under the annointed Jean Chretien, we told W in no uncertain terms that we would not take part in Iraq nor the missile shield programon the grounds that we want everyone to like us.
Then when Steve-O came to power, it was huggy huggy kiss kiss kiss. Still no Iraq, "but we're sticking with you, W." It may not have been a bad thing but by then people realised that the US Military was doing the "War by Playstation" shtick - by ousting tyrant Saddam Hussein, the US may have won the war but they are now trying to win the peace, piece-by-piece. But that analysis is best left with someone more qualified in doing theoretical autopsies.
When the Great White Hope Barack Obama came to power and visited Canada, guess what happened?
Huggy huggy kiss kiss kiss.
I don't mind having having great relations with our neighbours to the South - we got stuff, they got cash, more money and jobs for us, eh? - there there should always be a time for Canadian politicians to say "We like you, but not in that way."
In other words, being honest can hurt. Having an honest friend can be very painful, but you have a better chance at survival than having a dishonest sycophant.
Not to be outdone; - The justice system still sucks!
What's up with "time served"?
You know - the "two-fer-one" deals made to the condemned once they're sentenced.
Case in point: some kid who got himself entangled with a Toronto-based Islamofascist cell was sentenced to over 2 years at Club Fed.
Then he got released.
Why?
Because he already spent that same amount of time in remand.
Go figure. If you do the crime, then you should do the time. No ifs, ands or buts. You got remand? Boo-hoo-hoo - that's your problem.
That's the point of punishment: you knock enough sense into someone who did the offence so that person doesn't do it again.
But we are a society that cares for the poor misbegotten individuals caught up in a world of larceny and vice, hoping that these wretched weeds bloom into the beautiful, fragrant flowers to which they were meant to be.
Sadly, reality states that once someone is in that life, it's a long hard road to recovery.
The power, the thrill, the danger - that's why some people become gangsters.
Forget poverty, racism, class-ism, ageism. Desperate people are everywhere, at times susceptible to the bug of evil. That is why there is a justice system.
Of course, we did vote in a party dedicated to restoring some proper law and order.
So where is it? We're still waiting. Hello?
And why is the Bloc still around in Parliament? Just wondering.
