Posted on 03/23/2003 11:32:07 PM PST by freeasinbeer
Chrétiens Legacy written by James Daly |
As the war against the butcher of Baghdad continues, Canada finds itself, as is usual these days, on the outside looking in. Welcome to the wonderful world of Jean Chrétien and his blessed legacy. To put it in broader international terms, Canada has been relegated to a third rate nation, ranking with or below such heavyweights as Poland, Slovakia and Mexico. This is all thanks to our embarrassingly emaciated armed forces and our blatantly anti-American Prime Minister. More alarmingly however, is that we have been reduced to little more than an annoyance to our once close American friends, which, without a major turnaround in our leadership, will come beck to haunt us in the future. I have to ask myself, do Canadians still wonder why our nation was not even mentioned in President Bush's momentous speech following September 11th? President Bush, a man of action whether you agree with him or not, looked north for a friend but instead found a blithering, dithering fence sitter named Jean. Was it too much for George to ask that the government of Canada support America in its time of need? Ask yourself this; if the tables were turned and Commerce Court in Toronto had been leveled, what do you suppose the response would have been from America? Would our American friends have acted so weakly, so pathetically? Would they have abandoned us in our struggle as we have them? And abandoned them we have. The Prime Minister has yet to ban many terrorist groups, and refuses to tighten immigration and border security. As of this writing, Jean has refused to ban the radical Jemaah Islamiyah group that has repeatedly claimed responsibility for the bombings in Bali that killed over 200. Sure, we ended up sending a few troops who not surprisingly, performed admirably, but this was after months of wavering and confusing rhetoric by Chrétien and his trained seals. Our poor soldiers, dressed in forest green battle dress, had to rely on America to fly them into and out of theatre. Is this what it has come to? We can't even manage to transport 750 troops without American help? I am not alone in my embarrassment and outrage at the dereliction of duty that has led Chrétien to single-handedly destroy the armed forces. God help us if we ever need them. But wait, some say, "we are a nation of peace." On a recent tour of Ottawa I was proudly displayed the only peacekeeping memorial in the world. The clueless tour guide spouted, "Canada is about peacekeepers, not warriors." Living in such ignorant bliss must truly be wonderful, and easily explains the impossibly high support that Chrétien and his Liberals continue to enjoy. Fact: Canada, once the world leader in peacekeeping, now ranks 32nd in actual peacekeepers abroad, trailing such miniscule nations as Ireland (pop ~3 500 000) and Fiji (pop ~750 000). In 1994 we had over 5000 peacekeepers working with the much-praised UN, yet today we have only 295. Prime Minister Chrétien has argued for international involvement and responsibility, yet we offer none. If we are to expect the UN to solve all the worlds' issues peacefully, including Iraq, how come we don't offer more than token support? This is Chrétien's legacy, which could easily be described as "watch what we say, not what we do." Chrétien has cast his lot with the do-nothing nations of France and Russia, and in doing so has burned a vital bridge to the south. This legacy is one that threatens to last long beyond his dubious career has ended. But lets not focus simply on the impotency of Chrétien's foreign policy and his destruction of Canada's once proud armed forces. Let's ignore his anti-American behavior that has cast a pall over our future that depends ever so much on mutual respect and friendship with the United States. Let's look at other key issues facing Canada. Are we any closer today to being a truly united nation, with Quebec and all provinces being treated equally? Hardly. As the upcoming Quebec elections will reveal, the separatist movement is as strong as ever. Western alienation continues to grow and Canadians in general don't seem to care. Are we any closer to creating a viable health-care system that can respond to and incorporate new technologies and advances? Chrétien's own mother, whom waited for almost eight hours in an emergency room before receiving treatment, would argue otherwise. What about the national gun registry, now a billion dollar debacle, or the Kyoto protocol, which Jean seems to forget, many have rejected? What about the fact that as of today only two provinces, Alberta and Ontario, are actually contributing money to the national coffers, while the rest have become little more than welfare recipients? Is this the vibrant Canada that was promised back in 1993? Loggers in British Columbia and fishermen in Newfoundland would disagree. A legacy is not built by taking politically popular stances and easy choices of inaction; it is built through deeds and results. Bill Clinton tried desperately to build his legacy in the exact same way during the 90's and failed utterly. By refusing to take a strong stand against North Korea, Iraq and Al Qaeda, he will forever be remembered as "Slick Willie" the philanderer rather than the distinguished William Jefferson Clinton. It seems that Prime Minister Chrétien has learned nothing from his close friend about creating a legacy. He will forever be remembered as the Prime Minister who did more to increase North American tensions, alienate Western Canada and disenchant the Canadian people than any other in history. He will be remembered as the skipper of a nation that lost its way, abandoning it's true friends to support the morally bankrupt French and Russians, whom never seem to need UN cover to invade Chechnya or the Cote D'Ivoire. Welcome to your legacy Mr. Chrétien, it couldn't have happened to a weaker more indecisive man.
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Things can git turnt around real fast.
When's the next election?
In the short-term, the only way to oust the Liberals would be a uniting of the right, which looks unlikely, so we may have another four years of limp-wristed Liberal leadership. PUKE!!!
In the end.... Only the strong survives
Meanwhile, Canada has at least paid us the high compliment of disbanding its army, thus admitting that they know he United States will never invade them again.
Actually , No. Recent indications are that, based on advanced bookings and inquires for travel and accommodation information, the Canadian Maritimes, Ontario, and parts of Alberta and BC will benefit from a reluctance to go overseas for vacations.
I think that you are exactly right! Nothing like being hit in the pocketbook to grab your attention.
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