Happy North America Day?

We were not a nation of peacekeepers. That is a stigma that we fell into when Lester Person cameup a standing force to help stop the war in the middle east. By the way PKs get kill also. That damn Blue Beret does not stop bullets. That stigma has killed/wounded more soldiers than in Afghanistan. For you walk around with an unloaded weapon,20 rds in your pocket. And cannot shot back unless they shoot or kill you.
People get into YOUR history books.

Even in so-called peacekeeping, by and large, in the Baltics especially for us, more than being the purists we like to cover up our motives with, we were just there serving the US Empire global cause per usual. In this case, the real cause of the US, who doesn't give a real rat's ass about "genocide" in a far off place, depending upon whose side is delivering the dirty deed of course, (check out their support for the Israeli genocide in Palestine), was to further chip away at and exercise hegemony over the former Soviet Empire states of the Baltic. (Same, same motive as displayed in the Ukraine and later in Georgia. Though by the time of Georgia, the Russians were ready again to act, to the shock of the US and Georgians, and the closeness of the US Empire influence to their borders was immediate and serious enough to a reaction absolutely necessary... from the perspective of their "national interest".)

Of course you don't prudently say that up front, you find a "noble cause" excuse, in this case the state of vicious civil war, carried out by all sides, that was part of the breakup of the old Yugoslavia that lay to ready hand. (Which is not to excuse anyone's actions there. They were all killers of each other. Same as in the US Civil War. And all other "civil" wars, internal to a nation.)

And when you move militarily to achieve what the US sought to do there in the post Yugoslavia, you put a noble face on the cause by bringing in your flunky "allies" like Canada to help you cover the real ulterior motive dirty work. It's what the US has been doing since the end of WW2, as part of their "occupying a special place" in the world, and being the self-appointed nuclear armed and with weapons of mass destruction global policeman. It is part of their own perceived "Divine Right" to rule the world, as they work at doing, or attempt to do-, with our bootlicking assistance, in one or another overt or covert way

Our military, as it currently stands, and I saw it evolve, during my own time in the military, out of the collapse of our earlier "serving the cause" of the old British Empire, is little more than a colonial army extension of the current US Empire... which is now on its own long slow demise into collapse, as all Empire's do in the fullness of time.

Time for us to cut loose from these apron strings and finally stand fully on our own two feet, and to get a military that will finally think and act likewise, and stop being any body's ass kisser.

Indeed, "Vive le Canada".

And not as the current pathetic excuse for a real country, but a real "independent" and sovereign country.

Coyote

"Fortunately", most Canucks are inured to our rapidly eroding independence, preferring instead to man the BBQ this Julyt 1st, and (if there is any thought at all regarding this)hoping that our leaders will do the right thing (without giving much thought to what the "right thing" is).

I suspect you are correct, Rick, but fortunately in this instance, life is not that simple. For in my experience and read of history, it is less important event what the great "majority" do, that is the driver of history, but what a "significant" minority does to neutralize the ruling will and passive majority effect, or "apparent" majority, and/or to at least convince the majority not to act on behalf of a status quo.

Nearly as many Canadians, for example, do not already vote in rigged "system elections". (Around 40+ percent.) So, in fact, all ruling consensus are in fact already... a minority, divided amongst many parties. They do not in any way, in fact, reflect a national "majority will." Folks, in their "majority", in fact, are just passively going along with the ruling minority will or are opposed to it.

That number that does not participate, and/or which actively "opposes" ALL PARTIES to the status quo ruling system needs to grow and become a "majority". When that happens, and as folks become aware of it, and the significance of it, the "moral authority" of "the system" begins to become seriously eroded. While it would be nice, it is not absolutely necessary that the absolute majority population appear on the streets... though massive numbers are still indeed required.

It is only necessary that the majority aid "us" in one way or another, even passively, by not supporting or aiding "the system" and/or actively aiding the cause of social, economic and political change in the country. It is a fairly complex formula of passive "disengagement" that does not at least aid the system, and active "engagement" that has to be arrived at in the country, to move it in an entirely new direction. It is likely we will only know it when, it has been arrived at.

I will be at the grill myself, in all likelihood,this Canada Day-, celebrating the country in my own modest and geographically isolated way. I will, however, certainly not be participating in any of the "official" bullshit events, that are but a feel good cover for the betrayal of the country already underway and well advanced. Which does not mean that when and as the opportunity presents itself, I will not be there and ready to act... when it counts.

Coyote

I wonder how far along things have to deteriorate before we become "motivated" to become "activated", even if the odds seem overwhelming (and here I thnk of such events as Tiananmen Square and the current protest in Iran, as well as the more historical On-To-Ottawa Trek)?

More Pavlovian pain clearly needed yet.

And your reference to the On To Ottawa Trek, in all the current self-righteous blather from the "official" media and politicians about Iran using violence against its own people, made me think of the Winnipeg General Strike as well, where "the State" played not a dissimilar role to the Iranian "Cleric State". Indeed, the history of both Canada and the US, including the fight for the eight hour work day and the Haymarket massacre of workers by "the state" in Chicago, and the execution of Joe Hill, is rife with "the state" using violence against its own people... when it feels it has to protect the ruling class interest. (And who doesn't remember the Kent State University "state executions" of the Vietnam War period in the US.)

Total self-righteous blather. Which is not in the least to excuse Iranian State violence against its own citizens, anymore than the above can be excused.

There is no doubt however, that we do need masses of our citizenry in motion, on the streets of all our major Canadian cities, to save the country and protect the interests of its citizenry from the betrayal and predations of its US Empire Loyalist ruling class, and its anti-democratic economic system and its carefully "controlled" political system.

There are periods where one can only keep going on a near empty tank of hope. More rage needed though. That we really need to learn from the citizens of Iran.

Coyote

Coyote

I suspect that the likes of Harper et al, are privately a bit envious of the way dissent is being handled in Iran right now............

I still believe, that if enough of us speak out, resist, and ultimately, harrass our politicians and take to the streets, we can save our wonderful country!

Yes guys, but look at the borderless shopping opportunities ! How could people say "No" to such great, wealth creating opportunity?

Ed Deak.

As an aside (but related), I heard Rafe Mair say today on the radio that privatized health care may well be the way to go, as public healthcare is becoming far too costly. This implies that privatized healthcare is less costly. Now I have to ask, "How so?" Will doctors charges less for their services? Will the pharmaceutical companies charges less for their products? Will the nurses and support staff charge less?

The "shopping opportunity" here would be the eyes that are currently cast to the south, and the American way to doing healthcare -- where about 15% of the population isn't covered by any healthcare plan at all. So I suppose that privatized healthcare will work if we hive off one person in seven of the population. Now just who should these unlucky persons be......?

But wait! What's this then:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_car ... ted_States


So it appears that this is no shopping opportunity at all -- at least not for the average Canuck. Could this mean that other "shopping opportunites" are not so opportune after all?

Health care as it was designed by the Canadian saint if there ever was one he was one Tommy Douglas it was never meant to make money or even break even. But most people are under the misconception that the doctors were for it this was not the case hundreds of people died because the doctors went on strike against its implementation and refused treatment of the sick and injured. But remember one thing as long as universal health care exists they cannot bring in a paid for system and when they do and they will if we allow them too then you will die on the hospital steps if you do not have the money or credit to pay and if you think you have enough money to pay try a thousand dollars a day to an American Corporation because thas who will own it and see how long your money lasts I met MR. Douglas when I was a child and I do believe he would weep at what they are doing to his great country P.S I worked on every hospital renovation in the lower mainland and there was Americans looking at them then.

Good posts guys and well said on all fronts, you all raise some interesting points. I gotta wonder though what happens to us when your minority no voting public becomes the majority and Canadians take to the streets to demand changs, what happens then?
Where is the ground work and foundation for a better system? Are we to let the masses dictate what happens to us (lets face it, there are people out there I wouldn't let watch my cat for a day let alone my country).
You all rail against whats currently going on and on whats happened in the past, wheres your solution? What replaces what we now have, are we to become socialists? Are we to become a dictatorship with the strongest of our marcher as a leader?

It is great to question and even doubt your government, it's a right you have thanks to our ancestors. It's a noble ideal to try and foster change.
But directionless change in the face of self interest leaves the door open for tragedy.