Canada's New Chief Of Defence Reading From Bush Playbook

http://www.freewillblog.com/ Well, He's Fired The head of Canada's military, who's been living with the consequences of Liberal rule for some time, has apparently shocked Canadians. Terrorists must not be allowed to feed on the instability of countries like Afghanistan lest that instability be allowed to "come home to roost here," Gen. Rick Hillier said Thursday. "The London attack actually tells us once more: we can't let up," Hillier told a media luncheon at National Defense Headquarters. "There are those who might say that by doing that we make ourselves a target in Canada here for terrorists. I would come at it this way. . . . We need to take a stand." "We're not going to let those radical murderers and killers rob from others and certainly we're not going to let them rob from Canada," said Hillier, appointed chief of defense staff earlier this year. "These are detestable murderers and scumbags," Hillier said. "They detest our freedoms, they detest our society, they detest our liberties." As a member of the G8, and as a highly rated Western society that values rights and individual freedoms, Canada already represents "the exact opposite of what people like Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and those others want." The usual people are pissed. The terrorist bombings in London underscore the need to take the fight to the enemy in failed states where they have room to thrive, said Hillier. It's time for Canada to take a stand, he said, just as it did 66 years ago when it joined the Second World War against the Nazis, whom he described as "those despicable, murderous bastards." The Polaris Institute, a left-leaning think tank based in Ottawa, said Friday the defense minister needs to "clarify" Hillier's "very alarming" comments. If they weren't thinking in French, they'd realize his comments were perfectly clear. On the other hand, the co-founder of the Iraq Anti-Occupation Forum has an entirely different view. Don't give me the nonsense about why do they hate us. They don't. No, they do it out of love. Update: I like this Hillier guy: No "clarification" will be forthcoming, said spokesman Steven Jurgutis. Defense analysts and soldiers alike lauded Hillier's appointment as chief of defense staff earlier this year as a fundamental shift in the Canadian military. Known as a soldier's soldier, Hillier is the most operationally experienced commander to take the top post in many years, breaking the bureaucratic mould that seemed to dictate many appointments since the Cold War. Born in the outport of Campbellton on Newfoundland's north coast, Hillier doesn't attempt to cover a Scottish-Irish lilt that turns "Afghanistan" into "haffghanistan" and "horse" into "orse." A defense policy statement released in April charted a whole new course for defense - much of it adhering to Hillier's direction. Reporters familiar with Hillier's style barely flinched when he said all elements of the Canadian Forces need to be revamped, including the part where "you go out and bayonet somebody." This, too: He has an enormous amount of operational experience, having served in Europe, the United States and across Canada. His Defense Department biography says he's spent so much time with UN and NATO forces in the former Yugoslavia that "he is eligible to vote there." In 2004, he said he was working on a plan to train Canadian troops in jungle warfare, saying he wanted them to be ready to fight in any environment. Hillier previously commanded the NATO force in Afghanistan. Leftist groups have apparently accused Hillier of being "too American" or something. And, here’s another story – this guy is sounding more like the Bush/Rumsfeld cartel every time he opens his mouth. Note Martin's imprimatur on Hillier's language. We need to get off a letter-writing campaign to Martin and get Jack Layton to talk this up in question period. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2005/07/15/1133695-cp.html PM defends blunt general By STEPHEN THORNE OTTAWA (CP) - If Canadians were shocked that the head of their military called his enemy "detestable murderers and scumbags," they better get used to it. Gen. Rick Hillier has never minced words, nor is he likely to start any time soon. His blunt assessment of terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere this week has the wholehearted backing of the prime minister. "General Hillier is not only a top soldier, he is a soldier who has served in Afghanistan," Paul Martin said Friday in Nova Scotia. "The point he is simply making is we are at war with terrorism and we're not going to let them win." Defense Minister Bill Graham's office refused Friday to soften or explain the comments of its top soldier. No "clarification" will be forthcoming, said spokesman Steven Jurgutis. "I can certainly understand that there may be people who are concerned with the tone of his statements," said Jurgutis. But he said Hillier "has certainly been a fairly straight-talking individual throughout his career. "I wouldn't say this represents a change in attitude." Defense analysts and soldiers alike lauded Hillier's appointment as chief of defense staff earlier this year as a fundamental shift in the Canadian military. Known as a soldier's soldier, Hillier is the most operationally experienced commander to take the top post in many years, breaking the bureaucratic mould that seemed to dictate many appointments since the Cold War. Born in the outport of Campbellton on Newfoundland's north coast, Hillier doesn't attempt to cover a Scottish-Irish lilt that turns "Afghanistan" into "haffghanistan" and "horse" into "orse." One factor in Hillier's promotion was his fearlessness and penchant for calling things as he sees them. The defense minister was looking for a new vision for the Canadian Forces and, in Hillier, he got it. A defense policy statement released in April charted a whole new course for defense - much of it adhering to Hillier's direction. His current list of requests for interviews is at about 50, so this week the general with the reddish-blond moustache held an informal, on-the-record media luncheon. Audiotapes were OK, cameras were banned. Reporters familiar with Hillier's style barely flinched when he said all elements of the Canadian Forces need to be revamped, including the part where "you go out and bayonet somebody." "We are not the Public Service of Canada," he declared. "We are not just another department. We are the Canadian Forces and our job is to be able to kill people." The terrorist bombings in London underscore the need to take the fight to the enemy in failed states where they have room to thrive, said Hillier. As a Western society that values rights and freedoms, Canada is already in conflict with "what people like Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and those others want." "These are detestable murderers and scumbags," Hillier said. "They detest our freedoms, they detest our society, they detest our liberties." It's time for Canada to take a stand, he said, just as it did 66 years ago when it joined the Second World War against the Nazis, whom he described as "those despicable, murderous bastards." The Polaris Institute, a left-leaning think tank based in Ottawa, said Friday the defense minister needs to "clarify" Hillier's "very alarming" comments. "His use of epithets such as 'scumbags' and 'killers' is reminiscent of language used by (U.S.) President (George W.) Bush and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld," said project director Steven Staples. Taken alongside recent defense policy changes and an increase in the defense budget, Staples said they "show an unmistakable trend toward the Americanization of the Canadian Forces." Jurgutis noted that Canada was already listed as a terrorist target and he doubted Hillier's comments would change matters. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden declared Canada a "legitimate target" in March 2004. Adrian Gordon, executive director of the Centre for Emergency Preparedness, gave a qualified endorsement of Hillier's blunt talk. "Part of me agrees with that, part of me says that's true," Gordon said in an interview from Burlington, Ont. "But at the same time, if we're really going to deal with this problem and have a hope of putting an end to terrorism, then we have to work towards understanding the root causes, which go much deeper than current events in Iraq and Afghanistan."

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