The NDP on "Defense"
I was watching Mike Duffy Live earlier on CTV Newsnet and they had a segement with Dennis Coderre the Liberal defense Critic, and Dawn Black the NDP defense critic regarding the announcement that Canada was purchasing 100 tanks from the Netherlands and leasing 20 from Germany. I always find the panel segments on this show a bit tiresome when they have a government representative on earlier, and the opposition later given that the opposition has the benifet of responding to what the government has said in full while there is never any refutation of the opposition.Needless to say its a shocking moment when Denis Coderre is coming acrose as the reasonable fellow on camera. After all his unbiased point of via involves participating in Hezbollah demonstrations, however, Dawn Black managed to make Coderre look like the voice of reason. Given that her reaction to the purchase of tanks was to suggest that the tanks would do "nothing to help secure Vancouver for the Olympics, or fight flooding, ice storms in Quebec or snow storms in Toronto." She also suggested that Afghanis draw no distinction between the Russian occupation of Afghanistan and the UN's eviction of the Taliban. She also rather shrilly called for more development work to be done, because Afghanis need clean water and food but for all troops to be withdrawn immediately, presumably because soldiers aren't suposed to be fighting wars they're suposed to be used to shovel the walk if it snows in Toronto.
I'm not sure what world the NDP are living in, if they believe that development work can continue with any sort of sucess if there isn't a commitment made to the physical security of Afghanistan. You can't send in aid workers and not protect them or people will die, only it will be the aid workers not soldiers trained to deal with the conflict in question. It seems hypocritical to call for the government to do more on the humanitarian front, while failing to acknowledge that achieving peace is necessary for many of those advances. You'd think that a group of people that cherish every suposed "human right" imaginable would see the value in fighting the most backward, violent and oppresive regimes ever seen in the modern world. If you don't find the Taliban objectionable..who is really? But apparantly the NDP only wants poverty to end and peace to spring into existance through the magical waving of some sort of wand rather than through hard work. I'm told they'd also like a Unicorn and and a choir of winged faeries to seranade them.
Beyond that I'm not entirely sure what purpose possessing a military would serve if we're not suposed to commit it to the pressing conflicts of the world. Apparantly these days even the blessing of the UN, which apparantly sanctifies any other cause in the eyes of the left isn't good enough. The fact a few lives are tragically lost means we should do absolutely nothing. Our military is apparantly to be kept at home for the occasional bought of sandbagging, firefighting and snow shoveling. Clearly its for those dangerous tasks that we train them to use guns, fly planes and drive tanks. Its unforunate that some soldiers lose their lives fighting for their country, but joining the military is premised upon those risks. All our soldiers are volunteers and they know the risks involved with their decision. Their bravery is commendable and they undertake to preserve and spread some of the most noble principles of our society. However, the NDP apparantly believes the military is some sort of multi-billion dollar Odd Job Squad and the freedom of other people and nations is worthless.
These days rather than calling for the damned and hungry of the world to "arise" and "cast off their chains", the NDP wishes them well provided doing so doesn't really require any sacrifies or participation on our part.
posted by Chris @ 4/13/2007 12:07:00 a.m.
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