November 27, 2002
THE BLOODY WOGS ARE ATTACKING; CAN I BORROW YOUR RIFLE?:
Military considers sharing heavy-lift aircraft: Germany leads consortium that would pool resources for strategic airlift (Mike Trickey, November 27, 2002, The Ottawa Citizen)Defence Minister John McCallum says Canada is looking at the possibility of entering a "time-sharing" arrangement with NATO allies as a way of obtaining heavy-lift aircraft for the group of countries who need them, but cannot afford them.Germany, which has dramatically scaled back plans to buy 70 A-400 transport planes because of economic problems, has committed to leasing several C-17 Globemaster transport planes as an interim measure and to leading a consortium of a dozen nations that would pool airlift resources.
Canada has little to offer aside from an aging fleet of smaller Hercules' transport planes. Canada was forced to rely on U.S. and British transports to get troops and equipment to Afghanistan last year, which is why, Mr. McCallum said, the German idea is attractive.
Nothing better exemplifies the precipitous decline of the West than stories like this, which reflect a conscious decision to abandon the long term defense of the state and its citizens in favor of universal social programs that "benefit" the individual. What has died in these countries is any sense of the nation as a shared enterprise, requiring sacrifice and self-denial for the sake of the common good. All that matters anymore is where everyone's next government service is coming from. But when the crunch comes, and they realize that everyone can't simply feed off the public teat and their states begin to decline into economic and social chaos, they won't even be able to defend themselves from the predators who will come to feed off of the corpses. Yet it's our leader who's a "moron?
Posted by Orrin Judd at November 27, 2002 9:37 AM
Well, if Canada really stuck to defending itself, it wouldn't need C-17's. The Hercules would do just fine to protect Canada's borders.
What you're talking about, though, is superpower projection capability, which is nigh near impossible for a small (population-wise) country like Canada. That's why they're suggesting specialization. They did it before when they were an active part of the British Empire. Now, since they have to play along with the American Empire, they're simply trying to reprise that role.
Wogs start at Windsor.
Posted by: David Cohen at November 27, 2002 10:44 AMIf it's alliteration you're after, I'm confident Canada'll come around.
Posted by: Barry Meislin at November 27, 2002 11:39 AMBarry:
Why?
This blithely ignores the fact that in military operations, you generally don't need anything until you need everything. That makes time-sharing seem like a sub-optimal strategy.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at November 27, 2002 12:38 PMfor sub-optimal nations
Posted by: oj at November 27, 2002 1:52 PMMen who will not fight, women who will not bear. Pfui.
Posted by: Lou Gots at November 27, 2002 8:39 PMCanada'll come around because a larger segment of its population than are given voice by the media recognize the current threat. They are also, generally, aware of and proud of Canada's roles in the first two World Wars.
Although its demography has changed significantly since WWII (and the Korean War, which Canada also participated in), and English Canada has been at great pains to try to distance itself from America (trying, somewhat desperately to define itself in terms of what it isn't), when push comes to shove, the values Canada shares with the US are overarching, and Canada'll make the necessary decision.