Bulking Up Pentagon North
By Linda McQuaig
With the prospect of a Harper majority hanging menacingly over the country, the mind inevitably turns to the question: Just what is the "secret agenda" lurking behind the friendly sweater?
Actually, I don't believe there is one. The truth is that Stephen Harper has already laid out an agenda that would fundamentally change this country – in ways most Canadians would oppose.
While this agenda is not "secret," my guess is few Canadians know about it. That's because Harper, realizing it would be unpopular, unveiled it when Canadians weren't paying attention – in fact, we were sleeping. Sometime in the dark of night last June 20, the Harper government posted a plan on the Department of National Defence's website – called Canada First Defence Strategy – to spend an eye-popping $490 billion over the next 20 years on the military.
Given all the recent buzz about the size of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout in the United States, it's striking to note that Ottawa quietly announced a plan to spend nearly half a trillion dollars on the military, almost in passing.
Steven Staples, a defence analyst with the Ottawa-based Rideau Institute, says that Canada's military spending is already 27 per cent higher than in 2001.
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punditman says ...
490 billion over 20 years? You caught that didn't you, folks? Damn, that's a tad bigger than the average, bloated NHL salary that Canadians complain about endlessly.
It is amazing how the opposition parties have all but ignored this boondoggle. Seems they've become so afraid to offend the military. That alone is a scary thought ... which reminds me of a certain country and a certain article below ...
(Mentarch barging in, here: should we be connecting the dots between this article herein and that other thing, along with "deep integration"? Just wondering ...)
With the prospect of a Harper majority hanging menacingly over the country, the mind inevitably turns to the question: Just what is the "secret agenda" lurking behind the friendly sweater?
Actually, I don't believe there is one. The truth is that Stephen Harper has already laid out an agenda that would fundamentally change this country – in ways most Canadians would oppose.
While this agenda is not "secret," my guess is few Canadians know about it. That's because Harper, realizing it would be unpopular, unveiled it when Canadians weren't paying attention – in fact, we were sleeping. Sometime in the dark of night last June 20, the Harper government posted a plan on the Department of National Defence's website – called Canada First Defence Strategy – to spend an eye-popping $490 billion over the next 20 years on the military.
Given all the recent buzz about the size of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout in the United States, it's striking to note that Ottawa quietly announced a plan to spend nearly half a trillion dollars on the military, almost in passing.
Steven Staples, a defence analyst with the Ottawa-based Rideau Institute, says that Canada's military spending is already 27 per cent higher than in 2001.
Keep Reading ...
punditman says ...
490 billion over 20 years? You caught that didn't you, folks? Damn, that's a tad bigger than the average, bloated NHL salary that Canadians complain about endlessly.
It is amazing how the opposition parties have all but ignored this boondoggle. Seems they've become so afraid to offend the military. That alone is a scary thought ... which reminds me of a certain country and a certain article below ...
(Mentarch barging in, here: should we be connecting the dots between this article herein and that other thing, along with "deep integration"? Just wondering ...)
Linda McQuaig, is an idiot for writing this article about military spending she probably did not even look at the strategy long enough to figure out that the strategy adds up the military budgets over a 20 year period to get 490 billion dollasr, which is a normal military spending figure for a country like Canada. Also much of our militaries equipment needs to be replaced, which is where only 40 to 60 billion of that 490 billion is going. People need to understand that a country is notghing without a strong military, peace is good but it, there will never be world peace and we need a strong military to fight off threats to our, safety and way of life.
ReplyDeleteThe actualy idiocy here lies with this: "People need to understand that a country is notghing without a strong military, peace is good but it, there will never be world peace and we need a strong military to fight off threats to our, safety and way of life."
ReplyDeleteAre you then saying that attempts at achieving peace, any peace, constitutes a worhtless waste of time, effort and resources?
That in itself is stupidity on your part. Furthermore, history contradicts you. It is possible to achieve lasting peace - but it requires desire, commitment and will to do so.
I would also add the following obvious truism: Canada is not empire, fool.
And it is obvious that such an argument as offered by you serves only to excuse the imperialistic tendencies of our neighbor to the south, but furthermore an obvious attempt to support us Canadians to actually play fodder along with such catastrophic adventurism.
Are you saying we need the military to patrol inside Canada to catch (shirek!) them terrorists?
Who is going to attack us, anyway?
Russia? China? Martians?
You are ignorance- and fear-driven neocon dittohead personnified indeed ...