Military Power

I was totally disgusted by this when I noticed it on the news. Then I accessed it on YouTube, and I was totally appalled . Finally by this afternoon, an apology was issued.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcJn5XlbSFk

Ok, First, Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld is a talk show, not a news source. Comparing this to news is the same as comparing The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a highly liberal version of the same thing, to news just because it airs on CNN International. I agree that many of the things on there are out of line, but most people who watch that show should know what it is and take it as such. I am highly conservative, but one of my favorite shows is the blatantly liberal, conservative hating, Bush bashing, atheistic, Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Sure I tend not to agree with anything mentioned on the show, and even repulsed by some of it, but that is what makes this country great. There is a little thing that we hold very dear to us, and wave about almost as much as the flag, and that is the First Amendment, guaranteeing us Freedom of Speech. Though, as we Americans so often forget, that isn't just an American freedom. The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR recognizes the right to freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression". The freedom of speech can also be found in early human rights documents, such as the British Magna Carta (1215) and The Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789), a key document of the French Revolution.

However, just because you have a right, doesn't mean you should use it. I, have the right to remain silent, but can give up that right if I so wish. KnightTemplar and General Forestry ave enacted limitations on this freedom here on Military Power, some of which they are bound to by contract (no porn for instance) and some they choose to enact (profanity limitations, topic limitations, and comments designed to purposefully offend (sorry, I've been guilty there) ) and that is his right. He owns this site and there is nothing forcing you to visit, participate (as it seems most have stopped doing), ect. If you don't like the limits here you don't have to stay, just like if you don't like the comments on Red Eye, you don't have to watch it.

All that being said, and me getting off my soapbox. Is it really a bright idea to not have a military for a full year? I believe it has been mentioned in the past, the Russians have attempted to cross into Canadian airspace many times in the last year, and what stopped them was the Canadian Air Force. Tell me that if the U.S. decided to disarm for a full year and broadcast that fact to the whole world we wouldn't be laughed at and made fun of by the British, French, Germans, Canadians, Mexicans, ect.

"All that being said, and me getting off my soapbox. Is it really a bright idea to not have a military for a full year? I believe it has been mentioned in the past, the Russians have attempted to cross into Canadian airspace many times in the last year, and what stopped them was the Canadian Air Force. Tell me that if the U.S. decided to disarm for a full year and broadcast that fact to the whole world we wouldn't be laughed at and made fun of by the British, French, Germans, Canadians, Mexicans, ect."
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In responce: "The recent YouTube video, called “How to lose friends and alienate countries,” posted by “taffyincanada,” shows an episode of Red Eye, FOX News' answer to The Daily Show, in which Gutfeld repeatedly smeared and jeered the Canadian military. Gutfeld either was ignorant of or deliberately withheld from the audience the fact that the Canadian military is fighting in one of the most dangerous pockets in Afghanistan and has suffered a disproportionately high number of casualties (In 2007, it was 2.6 - 4 times higher than British or American soldiers in Afghanistan and 2.6 times higher than the death toll of U.S. Soldiers in Iraq). Not long ago, Canada's Lieutenant General Andrew Leslie announced that, the Afghanistan mission is taking a dramatic toll on the military and, due to personnel and equipment shortages, it may need a “year-long break from operations when its current mission in Afghanistan ends in 2011."

The Canadian Armed Forces is one of the smallest armed forces in NATO. We do not have arms being pumped out of factories at our Military's wish, we buy our arms(aircraft, tanks etc.) We have Soliders in the 50,000 range, Tanks in the hundred, Frontline fighter bombers 80, not the ten's of thousands and million's and so on that America has. The release that the CAF would "take a year off" is even being exagerated by youre statement. The following is the "REAL NEWS " pay attention to the "take a short operational break,that is well-organized and synchronized" so in laymen terms would mean that only part of the force would be stood down and that is just the Land forces. Nowhere does it state that the WHOLE armed Forces would be going on holidays. Canada is involved in UN operations other then the NATO mission in Afganistan to rid it of the Taliban in support of our ally that was attacked on 9/11.


CTV.ca News Staff

Canada's top military commander says that the army is running through equipment faster than it can maintain it.

Gen. Walter Natynczyk, chief of defence staff of the Canadian Forces, said that army vehicles are breaking down at a high rate due to the amount of action they are seeing in Afghanistan.

"It's an army that's undergoing an incredible operational tempo right now," he told CTV's Power Play Tuesday.

"We've added a lot more heavy armour to vehicles and that's put an additional strain on them and that's why some of them are breaking down at an accelerated rate."

Natynczyk 's comments come just one day after the head of Canada's army, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, said the military may need a year-long break from operations when the mission in Afghanistan ends in July 2011.

"In the mid-term, and beginning in July 2011, we will have to explore the possibility of taking a short operational break, that is well-organized and synchronized, of at least one year," he said.

Leslie, appearing before the Senate defence committee, said a break may be needed because the military is facing personnel and equipment shortages.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon promised Tuesday the government "will take care" of upgrading and fixing badly needed military equipment.

There are reportedly 40 Leopard 2 battle tanks in Montreal and another 40 in Europe that are yet to be outfitted with heavy armour to fight off roadside bomb attacks in Afghanistan.

Leslie said the tanks have been in storage since last November and won't be finished until the federal government hires a firm to do the job.

Natynczyk said the military was in the process of finding domestic firms to work on their Leopard tanks, which are German-made.

He added that the process would include "other government departments" in addition to National Defence.

Cannon said the money would come out of the Defence budget.

"Of course the military will take care of that situation," Cannon told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday.

"Defence budgets are there to be able to take care of it."

Cannon said the government doesn't "put our people into the theatre to go out there in equipment that is not completely up to sniff."

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Monday that Ottawa is working to get the tanks into action as fast as possible.

"Those Leopard tanks are lifesavers," he said. "They are game changers and we want to get those tanks where they can be used to save lives and to further the aims of the mission."

Leslie also told the committee that only 30 per cent of equipment used on military bases in Canada is in service at any time.

He said many vehicles aren't being fixed because there aren't enough skilled mechanics and technicians to do the job.

The lack of equipment means fewer are available to train soldiers before they head off to Afghanistan, Leslie said.

According to a February tally, Leslie said 33 per cent of light-armoured vehicles (LAVs) are out of service, 76 per cent of Coyotes, 100 per cent of its tracked light-armoured vehicles (TLAVs), 73 per cent of its Bisons and 71 per cent of its Leopard tanks.

"This situation is extremely serious because the number and types of equipment that have to be repaired and replaced continues to increase at a rapid pace, and their use is much greater than planned when they were originally purchased," Leslie said.

He said Ottawa needs to get rid of the red tape and ensure that broken equipment gets fixed.

Last year, Parliament agreed to extend Canada's military role in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2011.

Before this turns into more of a slug-fest that it already is, let me say a few things. First, the "take a short operational break" comment is a little vague. I think I understand what they mean, but also see how it could be interpreted that they are taking a year off. I'm fairly certain that if I said that the forum was going to be taking a "short operational break of a year" beginning in May, the large majority wouldn't return to the forum after April 30th because the forum would be closed in your mind. What I think would have been a better comment, and hindsight is 20/20, would have been a "cessation of overseas activity for a year".

Second, I think what the thread was actually about was that the U.S. has Jack Asses. I freely admit that that is an accurate statement. There isn't much that can be done about it due to the reasons CCM pointed out however. I would also, however like to state that the jack asses on Red Eye do not represent ALL of America. I would also like to point out that if you are truly honest with yourself, there are jack asses in Canada and the UK as well, it isn't just an American problem.

KnightTemplar wrote: I would also like to point out that if you are truly honest with yourself, there are jack asses in Canada and the UK as well, it isn't just an American problem.

Yup, but the U.S. is held to a higher standard than the rest of the world, so American jackasses are the only ones that matter.

Spazz Maticus wrote:

so American jackasses are the only ones that matter.

HoW arrogant - We've got bigger jackasses over here than even the Yankees could imagine - and most of them were elected into Parliament (LOL).