JTF2 & AFG (merged)

[1feral1]

Excellent!

I am sure Canada's elite will show these cowards what Canadians are truly made of!



May they all have a speedy, and successful tour, and return safely.


Regards,

Wes

 

[MikeM]

Good on him, read the article in the Canex, excellent read.

 

[Slim]

Go Rick go!!

We aughta get Mike B to send the CDS an honourary membership to Army.ca! ;D

I wonder if he'd post...

Either way he's finally showing the rest of this country that the CF has got some teeth to it!

 

[couchcommander]

Kubelwagen! (for some reason it always makes me laugh).

Believe it or not us Liberal-NDP types are actually quite pleased with the CF's new "aggressiveness", and by that I don't mean just me, but many of my non-military oriented colleagues as well. We are more than happy to see our Armed Forces doing what they are supposed to be doing, fighting and winning wars!

Liberal-NDP types usually only get upset about things when it seems that the war is being fought for less than a good reason. Afghanistan, IMO, and in the opinion of most of the country last I checked, is has many good reasons. We are denying terrorists use of this nation for their purposes, we are actively hunting down and destroying terrorists and their organizations, and at the same time we are helping some of the world's poorest people rebuilt their war torn country. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, Happy Hunting!

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Believe it or not us Liberal-NDP types are actually quite pleased with the CF's new "aggressiveness", and by that I don't mean just me, but many of my non-military oriented colleagues as well. We are more than happy to see our Armed Forces doing what they are supposed to be doing, fighting and winning wars!

You might believe that couchcommander, yet its the Liberal-NDP types who are the first ones to cut the CF to the bone when and if given the opportunity. I think you are in the minority....

 

[Acorn]

I am sure Canada's elite will show these cowards what Canadians are truly made of!

Won't happen Wes. They're cowards, so finding them will be hard. And if our guys do find them, they're cowards, so they'll just surrender right away.

Our guys' aggressive, soldierly appearance will scare them away. 'Cause they're cowards.

Right?

Acorn

 

[KevinB]

I doubt they will come willingly...

But the first thing that popped into my mind was a scene from SPR -Q:what did he say A: Look I washed my hands for breakfast  ;D

*KevinB does not espouse shooting surrendering soliders or vermin.  He just wants people to know after you kicked in their door when they where shooting at you prior to entry is about 3.8 seconds to late to have second thoughts...

 

[McG]

General Hillier is speaking over the heads of DND officials and the national commentariat and directly to sailors, soldiers and aviators and their families

It is rather impressive the way he uses the media as conduit for his leadership.  He does a better job of getting his message out and inspiering troops (even if we don't agree with the whole message) than any CDS that I recall.

 

[P-Free]

You are sorely mistaken if you think the "terrorists" are cowards. They are fighters with no regard to their personal safety and totally devoted to their mission. They aren't preoccupired with the 'I' or 'me'.

Know thy enemy. And this one sure isn't a bunch of pussies. That's why they stand and fight and dozens of them die on a daily basis...

 

[KevinB]

The enemy couldn't give a flying rats arse about media stories, all they want is to inflict mass casualties on innocent women and children. Canada is a prime target and it is only a matter of time.

???

Yet they are now heroic knights?


Dont get me wrong I don't see them lining up to surrender, and I know not all think Allah is willing their bullets.  But I have ZERO respect for how they conduct themselves.

BUT IF they where all so dedicated why do the top leaders get taken in and they give up and sing like canaries...

 

[48Highlander]

yeah.  I dunno, it seems to me it'd be much easier going into enemy territory to try and kill people when you've already decided that you're going to die and be rewarded with 70 virgins in the afterlife, and you know you'll have a quick and painless death.  Doesn't take much courage to do that.  It's deffinitely a heck of a lot easier than walking through a crowded market, clearly marked as a target by the uniform you're wearing, while having no clue as to where the next attack may come from, and worrying about your wife and kids back home and what will happen to them if you get yourself killed, or worse, captured by the "insurgents".

 

[Richard]

As one of those " ill-informed 'ordinary Canadians' ", I would just like to say that I was extremely pleased to read Hillier's statements. This is a wake up call to this nation and I hope that my country will increase defence spending and commit even more resources to the fight against terror than it has to date. Hillier is right, we're a target for these nutcases and hiding under the bed won't help one bit.

I wish all of you who are going to Afghanistan all the best and I hope you come home safely. Canada more than pulled her weight in two world wars and Korea (Vimy, Ortona, Kapyong) and we will do so again!

You might be surprised at just how many of "us" support "you".

Thank you for what you do,
A Canadian Citizen,
Richard
Toronto

 

[The_Falcon]

You are sorely mistaken if you think the "terrorists" are cowards. They are fighters with no regard to their personal safety and totally devoted to their mission. They aren't preoccupired with the 'I' or 'me'.

Know thy enemy. And this one sure isn't a bunch of pussies. That's why they stand and fight and dozens of them die on a daily basis...

Hmm, says you are 17 and you are on your spaceship.  So that makes you qualified to support these yellowbellied scum?  :  I think it is time you get off that ship and come back to Earth.  Using explosives on innocent people is considered an act of cowardice by most rational people.  Why you ask? Seeing as how military personnel in various locales find it difficult to defend themselves from bombs, what would expect you to think it would be any easier for civillians with no prior warnings.  Also there are numerous accounts from people (line infantry, snipers, cops etc.) who have taken lives, and have described the experiences as something they would not want to repeat again if given the choice.  These people have to live with that every day, because 1) they saw the people  they shot, and saw their faces as they died and 2)they did not take the easy way out and kill themselves as well.

Also a very famous General once remarked "You don't win wars by dying for you country.  You win them by making the poor dumb b*stard die for his".  There are many many troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on our side who are just as devoted to their mission.  And they know they might be killed, but they  do not intentionally try and get themselves killed.

And your last comment "That's why they stand and fight and dozens of them die on a daily basis..."  really so the reason they hide in the Afghan mountains, and seek shelter in mosques and other places of worship is what exactly?

 

[Reccesoldier]

I think it would be prudent to draw a line of demarcation between the Terrorist and the Insurgent. To me these are two very different beasts.

The Terrorist is as Hatchet Man stated "Using explosives on innocent people" is a coward by my definition and quite different from an insurgent in Iraq or Afghanistan fighting what to him is an occupying force and those that support the occupation.

To broaden the Terrorist definition to include armed attack against an invading force would have made terrorists out of the Belgians, French, Dutch and countless more during WW 2.

We must be able to accept the armed attacks, including bombings of government instillation's in the occupied country and even at home by the insurgent force, that is the price of war. Who was it who said "it is a good thing that war is so terrible, lest we become too fond of it".

Terrorism on the other hand does not target the means or support of the "enemy" but the innocent in their homes, it is designed not to win the war but to spread terror, nothing more.

I am not defending terrorism, by any stretch of the imagination but the waters surrounding this issue have become muddied IMO

 

[48Highlander]

The Terrorist is as Hatchet Man stated "Using explosives on innocent people" is a coward by my definition and quite different from an insurgent in Iraq or Afghanistan fighting what to him is an occupying force and those that support the occupation.

So the guy whoflies over to England and blows up a bunch of civilians is a terrorist, while a guy who detonates himself in Baghdad and kills a bunch of civilians is an "insurgent"?  Bull.  They're one and the same.

 

[Reccesoldier]

So the guy whoflies over to England and blows up a bunch of civilians is a terrorist, while a guy who detonates himself in Baghdad and kills a bunch of civilians is an "insurgent"?   Bull.   They're one and the same.

No. Maybe I didn't make myself clear. It is the target and intent that differentiates the insurgent from the terrorist not the location.

If a bomber blows up a police or army station in Iraq or even in the "enemies nation" that IMO is an act of rebellion against occupation, the object of the attack being to strike the enemy, his government and institutions.

If a bomber blows up a bus load of ciciviliansno matter where that act occurs, that is terrorism.

 

[Armymedic]

JTF2 to hunt AQ, TB, and everyone else...

Good, the boys will be happy they haven't been practicing for nothing.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Terrorists is becomming quite the boogyman catch phrase.

Isn't a rapist or child mollestor a terrorist? They are after all inflicting terror. Schoolyard bully? Terrorist.

I'm not big on calling these guys cowards.  They bomb an american checkpoint killing soldiers and civilians and their cowards. We bomb a house full of terrorists from 5000 feet in the air killing terrorists and civilians and whats the argument? "Well you dont know that they were innocent do you?  Their cowards, it's okay"

The only saving grace we have is that were not intentionally targeting civilians.

I know the whole coward thing comes from dehumanizing the enemy, making them easier to kill (as per Grossmans on killing etc..) but i still find the word gets thrown around way too easily.

While I totally disagree with their actions and what their doing, a bunch of guys in sandles and levi jeans with AK47s are willing to fight and die for what they believe in - fighting the most powerful army in the world. 
Murderers and assholes? For sure. Cowards? If they were cowards they would do what that jeremy whoever his name is did  and fuck off to another country (canada!) to save their own ass.  These guys are using some pretty shitty tactics. Well what do you expect them to do? Play by the rules?  How did the americans win their freedom against the british?  Breaking the rules of war.
I'm not trying to support these guys at all. They should fuck off and stop killing people. But it's silly when people act all shocked and horrified that someone isn't playing by the rules. It's going to happen. We take the higher road thats all.

 

[McG]

Terrorists is becomming quite the boogyman catch phrase.

Isn't a rapist or child mollestor a terrorist? They are after all inflicting terror. Schoolyard bully? Terrorist.

While I agree that "coward" is the wrong word to describe the enemy (it only serves to de-claw the beast in the minds of the public), I think your suggestion the the title "terrorist" could be applied to rapists & child molesters is equally (if not more) foolish.  The criminals you've identified are vile and deserve our loathing, but wide spread terror is not an objective of their crimes.

 

[P-Free]

Hatchet Man, check your PMs.