Why We Fight

"I believe in a strong international role for Canada. I think this world is getting more complicated, more difficult, more dangerous. I don't think those issues should just be resolved by nuclear superpowers. I think that countries like Canada have an important, meaningful role to play. Projecting our values. Standing for the rights of individuals, of the human security of people whose own governments can't protect them. That's something that we as Canadians have talked a lot about and we believe in.

And what's our alternative? ... This is not, you know, you can't turn the rheostat on this. You either stay. And you say you mean it. And you get something that we can call success, which is giving the Afghan government the ability to maintain its own security like any sovereign country should be able to do it. Or you get out.

And if we get out, what's the next mission? ... We're a rich country. We've gotta do some of this stuff. Would it be in Darfur? Well, you know, regrettably, the government of Sudan doesn't want anyone in Darfur. And, let me tell you, it'd be just as dangerous. It would be a combat mission.

Would it be in Rwanda? We didn't have a combat mission in Rwanda, we had blue helmets. And the result was genocide.

You know, the world isn't a pretty place. But I happen to believe that the people that came before me in the Liberal party, that believed in a strong role for Canada on the international stage, would say, there are times when we have to count. There are times when it matters. We're not prepared to retreat under the U.S. missile shield and live in fortress North America. We're prepared to be out there and we're prepared to pay the price. Because that's what you expect of a country like Canada. That's what I say."

John Manley, commenting on the release of the report of the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan

Since Nato has now confirmed that it intends to support Canada in its mission in Kandahar province, it is probably a good thing that we have eloquent men like John Manley, a proud Liberal, to remind us what Canadians stand for. Sometimes, I fear we have forgotten who we are, and what we have always been, regardless of what the revisionists would have us believe.

If Canada really is a one-and-a-half party state and the Liberals are the party of "the majority" of Canadians, then Mr. Manley, who is very much a mainstream Liberal and is therefore without the ideological bagage of the Harperites, did something that no Conservative has been thus far able do: Speaking the language of modern liberalism and Pearsonian foreign policy, he gave a most compelling explanation of why centrist and left-of-centre Canadians should get behind the Afghanistan mission.

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Related: Ivison beats up May for her profound silliness on Afghanistan. I hear that tomorrow there will be an encore of some type involving fish in a barrel and a firearm.

Human Rights Omission

If there really should be limits on free speech, I submit that perhaps this fellow comes a bit closer to crossing the line than either Ezra Levant or Mark Steyn ever did... Not that I believe free speech should be limited.

But tell me there are at least a couple of Osgood Hall Law Students willing to speak out against this kind of hatred and incitement... Nah, didn't think so.

The Killing of Canadian Troops is Legitimate and Well-deserved?

So what I really want to know is at what point do we start talking about treason here? This is about as bald-faced as one can get.

While he writes that he approves of attacking Canadian troops, he also says he would not do so himself.

Of course not! He's at University in Mississauga, enjoying all the benefits of living in Canada! He doesn't want to roll his sleeves up and you know, actually do anything for the global struggle! He may be "hot for jihad", as Steyn would put it, but he prefers to outsource his war on those of the Christian/Crusader Heritage --Incidentally, I thought Canada was a multicultural nation, but thank you Elizabeth May for clearing that up.

I bet you "the brothers" are really glad that they have pampered college jokers in Canada cheering them on from the sidelines.

Give Me That G-D Clickerbox

That title, completely unrelated to the content of the actual post, is in honour of Ma and Eddie Reardon,the grossly underappreciated culture critics from This Hour Has 22 Minutes. God how I miss them. Somebody should YouTube some of their stuff. It's classic.

On the subject of brilliant use of the 'ol YouTube...seen some of the promos for Cloverfield? There's some pretty groovy viral stuff out there. This is the trailer:



Have you seen Cloverfield? I mean the actual movie. In the words of Jules Winnfield, "That was some chilling shit".

Jonah Goldberg of the NRO says it is Godzilla meets Blair Witch. That seems like a pretty good description to me.

I dare not ruin any of it for you so I don't know what to say about it except to say it is very much worth seeing... Ryan and I had a little e-mail back-and-forth on it after we each watched it separately. Here is part of that conversation, sans spoilers. The names have not been changed to protect the innocent:

Ryan:

I am interested in the talk of a sequel as long as it doesn’t become a
Blair Witch 2 project type thing. I hear it may document another group’s
perspective of the attack. Still once may be enough. I really have no commitment
either way.

James:

agree… it is a singular movie event, and if they go
back to the well too many times, it will lose its unique appeal… maybe a TV news
team’s perspective, which would mean much better footage, and a more
professional approach. It could be unedited footage –a series of stand-ups and
interviews at various locations with the reporter giving her perspective and
talking to military leaders, survivors etc , followed by out-takes, where they
don’t turn the camera off, and we get exposition from various characters, and
even some “coverage” where you get some “combat camera” type footage. It writes
itself

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Now watch those bastards steal my idea that I already stole from War of the Worlds!