Who should we bomb after Saddam is gone

[Band Camp Productions]

Who should be next after Iraq has been flattened?

[shotglass]

Nothing personal to our Canadian buddies here, but.....

http://www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id=3B270089-BAC7-428D-91A0-785CF30C08D7

Canada to U.S.: Mind your business
Don't tell us how to run our military, defence minister admonishes U.S. president. Second Canadian official calls Bush 'a moron' for pushing Iraq onto NATO agenda

Robert Fife
The Ottawa Citizen

Thursday, November 21, 2002

PRAGUE -- Defence Minister John McCallum bluntly told George W. Bush yesterday to stop lecturing Canada about increased defence spending after the U.S. president urged the federal government and the NATO allies to boost their military budgets to confront new international threats from terrorism and rogue states.

The Bush administration, particularly through Paul Cellucci, its ambassador to Canada, has been calling on Canada to increase defence spending and to purchase new heavy-lift aircraft so it does not have to rely on the U.S. to transport Canadian troops.

Mr. McCallum said yesterday he is fed up with the Americans hectoring Canada about its low defence expenditures, even though he himself has been publicly lobbying for greater military spending.

"I would not urge the president of the United States or the U.S. ambassador to Canada to do my job to ask for more defence spending. I think that is a Canadian matter," Mr. McCallum told reporters.

He added: "I think a number of Canadians were a little bit ticked off when the ambassador keeps pushing."

"It is a made-in-Canada decision, so while Mr. Bush may be asking for what I am asking for, I am not asking for his help."

On the eve of today's opening of the 19-member NATO summit in the Czech capital, Mr. Bush made an impassioned appeal for the western alliance to strengthen its military "to confront terror camps in remote regions or hidden laboratories of outlawed regimes."

Mr. Bush said NATO needs to develop new capabilities, including a 21,000-member rapid reaction force, more special forces, better precision weapons and more modern command structures if it is to win the war against global terrorism and rogue states, like Iraq.

The president did not directly name Canada, but it has the third-lowest military budget in the NATO alliance, spending more than only Luxembourg and Iceland, which does not have a military.

"NATO forces must be better able to fight side by side. Those forces must be more mobile and more swiftly deployed," he told the Atlantic Youth Council. "For some alliance members, this will require higher defence spending. For all of us, it will require more effective defence spending with each nation having the tools and technology to fight and win a new kind of war."

At a later news conference, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien would not comment on Mr. Bush's appeal, other than to say he would like to pump more money into the military, but the government has many other priorities.

"Me too, I would like to spend more money on defence. I'd like to spend more money on everything, but we have to make these decisions when come the budget," he said.

Earlier in the day, a senior Canadian official, who asked not to be identified, called Mr. Bush "a moron" because of his efforts to push the war against Iraq to the top of NATO's agenda. The summit was to focus on expansion and moderation of the alliance, but Mr. Bush has used his clout to make Iraq the dominant issue at the meeting.

NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson and the Liberal-dominated defence committees of the House of Commons and the Senate have all deplored Canada's $12-billion military budget, which represents only 1.1 per cent of gross domestic product spending, half the NATO average of 2.13.

But Canadian officials argued the "pure GDP numbers is a pretty crude indicator" of Canada's military capabilities, noting the Canadian military has played a role in almost every major United Nations or NATO operation from Bosnia to the war in Afghanistan.

Mr. Chrétien also picked up on that theme, saying the Americans appreciate the role that Canada has played in operations around the world.

"The Americans always compliment when we participate with them. When we were in Kosovo, we were the third country with the greatest number of sorties and we were complimented by everyone there by the effectiveness of our troops. We did the same thing in Bosnia. In Afghanistan, our troops did very well," he said.

Mr. Bush said NATO, devised as a static defence against the former Soviet Union, is outdated and its military forces are incapable of responding quickly to military threats outside Europe, such as Afghanistan.

"When forces were needed quickly to operate in Afghanistan, NATO's options were limited," he said.

"The allies need more special operations forces, better precision strike capabilities and more modern command structures. Few NATO members will have state-of-the-art capabilities in all of these areas, I recognize that, but every nation should develop some."

The Senate defence committee recently called for a $4-billion annual increase in the Armed Forces budget, while Liberal MPs on the Commons defence committee have urged the prime minister not to sacrifice Canada's military to fund a social agenda.

But officials close to Mr. Chrétien say he's reluctant to approve a substantial boost in spending for Canada's Armed Forces, preferring to pump money from the federal surplus into social programs and infrastructure improvements for cities.

Mr. McCallum has been seeking a modest increase in the defence budget of $1 billion and is prepared to find savings of up to $250 million from within the Defence department, sources say.

Since 1994, the government has reduced defence spending by 23 per cent and cut the Forces' regular personnel to 57,000 from 87,600 in 1990. Canada has the world's 54th-largest military and 77th-largest reserve force, even though it has the 34th-largest population and is a member of the Group of Seven industrialized nations.

A bevy of military analysts, most recently the Council on Canadian Security in the 21st Century and the Atlantic Institute, have also warned Canada is at risk of being unable to defend itself unless it increases spending. Military experts say Canada needs to double its equipment budget to $3.5 billion annually just to replace aging equipment.

Behind the scenes, Defence department officials readily acknowledge that military capability has suffered while other allies, in particular the United States, have made substantial improvements.

[JBMoney]

I notice Sydney is not on the list.... :sure:

[nonparanoia]

I couldnt decided who to bomb next. I think we should just leave people the fuck alone and stop sticking out nose into other people's business. Whoever decided that the United States was the 'superpower' or leader or whatever made a big mistake. We cant even take care of our own shit let alone trying to drag along other fucked up nations. People fuck with our people, kill them. Other than that, our Government should sit the fuck down and stop pointing fingers. The people should be free, not just those who 'work' for the people.

[Band Camp Productions]

... officials close to Mr. Chretien say he's reluctant to approve ... spending for Canada's Armed Forces, preferring to pump money ... into social programs ...

I think the solution here is an official statement by the entire administration stating that in the event Canada is attacked by another nation, the U.S. will only provide a limited number of ground troups to help defend Canada, but will depend on Canadian airplanes to get them across the border. No high-tech stuff will be used.

Without the U.S. to defend Canada, how long do you think it would take Chinese tank columns to reach Ottawa? Two weeks? Hmm... somebody call Beijing, I think we've found a solution to Canada's military impotence

[Rguess21]

Originally posted by JBMoney
I notice Sydney is not on the list.... :sure:

ya, but then what city would be the most beautiful in the world??

[shotglass]

Same one as now, Rguess. OLONGAPO!!!

[Mando]

Shotglass, you have a sick sense of humor.

Sorry to say but I am with nonparinoia. I am sick of spending either Thanksgiving. Christmas or New Years pursuing some presidential ambition. For the last twelve years I (we) have had to go over seas and extend the US hammer. Am I a little tired of this? The short answer is yes. Reality really struck me last Monday. My seven year old sons teacher sent home a note that, to say the least, really upset me. I left two weeks ago on a mission to ??????. For sharing he told the class that I was away on a mission to ??????? I might die and never come home. If a seven year old is remorseful of this, shouldn't I. I am tired, and just want to spend a holiday at home.
:nolike:

[Eddy's Geist]

Yeah... I'm with Paranoia and mando. Shit. Mando is speaking about reality here.

You know.. when you think about it.. most of the "presidential ambitions" haven't made much, if any difference in the world. We still got attacked, the world is just as f'd up if not more so, and you still can't legally own any interesting firearms in California. It's a screwed up situation. Oh yeah, and to make matters worse... Steven Seagal is still making movies. Now that's sad.

[Deamon]

I dunno.. I'm really itching for a U.S attack on NK so they have an excuse to nuke japan, taiwan and south korea and maybe hongkong

[Band Camp Productions]

Originally posted by Deamon
I dunno.. I'm really itching for a U.S attack on NK so they have an excuse to nuke japan...


Oh hell no, if my supply of Pocky was cut off I might start committing terrorist acts myself

[Wham Valdez]

You dirtbags voted for Canada 5 times!
JB$ I demand to know who cast those votes. They should be ostrasized and cast out and banished even. Or something.

We all know it's just beer jealousy but still.

As for the rest of the conversation, it's kind of like Civ3 where you have a democratic society and your people get war weariness.

[shotglass]

You're looking at it the wrong way, Wham. Try this.....

Canada made the top 3! :D

[Mando]

Originally posted by Deamon
I dunno.. I'm really itching for a U.S attack on NK so they have an excuse to nuke japan, taiwan and south korea and maybe hongkong

North Korea would be really bad. Imagine this, we bomb North Korea. China gets pissed and gets involved cause it is way too close to home. We set up a trade embargo on non-essential goods from China. China retaliates and the stop exporting other goods to us. Wal-Mart would go out of business, and we couldn't build anything from computers to airplanes because China now builds a majority of the vital components for those items. Not a good idea Deamon!

[Deamon]

Hrmm... Damn capitalism and their limited amount of countries providing components for computers.

I will be buying them in stock and will sell each computer for $10,000,000 a piece if you want them :D Go bomb North Korea! Its good business and also makes the evil japanese with their crappy rap music and cartoons dissappear from the face of the earth!

[Eddy's Geist]

LOL! Daemon's got a point. No more fruity japanes teenagers will be walking around downtown tokyo dressed as a Sailer Moon character, real estate prices in Hawaii will drop as half of the land owners will be resemble double deep fried tempura, and future calamities like that Karaoke poison will be halted from making their way on to US shores.

[micron]

If you are going to bomb Canada could you wait till February.I'll be back from Whistler then.In fact if you wait till I've been there you may not need to bomb the place.:hehe:

[JBMoney]

After some of the comments over the last week, I think Canada could become the new France. :cry:

[Mando]

Originally posted by JBMoney
After some of the comments over the last week, I think Canada could become the new France. :cry:

Or at least Ontario!:D

[Band Camp Productions]

Originally posted by Mando
Wal-Mart would go out of business

That's the best argument I've heard for war all day.

Daemon wa baka. Kare ga tabi-tabi shigeki suru kare-jishin no de kaiin wa chisaii. Daemon no chosaku ga Bressler.org ni osoroshii byoki. Bressler.org no jimmin dochira no Band Camp Productions no kaku koto ga itchi shinai wa bakajin desu.

[Butterlugs]

I want to go on the record that I voted to bomb France next.

However, as much derision, and acclaim as my plan for Canada received on these pages, with Osama's Fatwa against the united states Canada is a serious strategic problem. The immigration laws are lax, the border bigger and less patrolled than ours and there is a general lack of awareness of their own susceptibility not to mention ours.

While bombig Canada next has an ineluctable charm to it, France is the real problem and it needs to be dealt with posthaste, or at least before the superbowl.

I invite the Alqueda to attack across the Mexican border. Any of you who have been to Brownsville know we are better off without it and Bayonne. Any western infiltration will have as its target Hollywood and that is acceptable collateral damage to clarify our foriegn policy.

But i did not vote for Canada. I fish there too often.

thank you for your support

[JDub]

Here's another good reason to go after Canada...and then Mexico...as if we needed another good reason.;):D

Link (http://www.msnbc.com/comics/nw.asp?vts=12320021417)
Alberta (Canada) judge Shelagh Creagh ruled in October that prison inmate Shane Arthur Wilson could not be punished for carrying around a homemade plastic knife since Wilson said the knife was only for defending himself against prison gangs. This, and a similar decision currently being appealed by another Alberta judge have predictably outraged prison guards across Canada. And a November Washington Post dispatch from Mexico reports that escaping from prison is not a crime in that country (nor is running away from police or lying about guilt) because, as one Supreme Court justice put it, Mexico respects the individual's "basic desire for freedom." [National Post, 11-4-02] [Washington Post, 11-15-02]

[BCP]

Well he's gone now.

So who's next? Iran?

[cuda]

Finland's (http://bushwhacked.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7778) looking pretty good right now. :rolleyes:

[RicardoHead]

Why isn't Israel on the list. My personal belief is we should arm both sides there to the teeth and let them take care of each other. It's the non-Chinese version of MAO: Mutually Assured Oil.

[BCP]

DPNK.

Lebanon, than Syria, than Iran might just all occur naturally...