Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
...If Canada feels it has no obligation to arm itself to provide for its own defense, then so be it, but I am of the opinion that if Canadians despise the US, then we should allow you to go it on your own. We really don't need you to conduct war games.

If it comforts your hedonistic attitude to conclude that because Canada does not bend to your demands that we hate the US, then let me be the fiirst to state that I enjoy living in this country and would prefer to live in no other. I enjoy my rights, my freedoms, our standard of living, our incomparable diversity, our non-racist attitudes, our social structure, our peace loving nature, our respect by the world, and especially our sovereignty which ensures that Canadians speak for Canada and not anyone else. If that is defined by you as being a hater of America, then what can I say except that I derive my definitions from the Oxford English dictionary and fortunately not from the GradyPhilpot dictionary of distortion.

How sad it is that you represent your country so poorly in that you present a minority American view that all countries who dare to disagree with your political climate hate you. That in essence declares those countries as your enemies. The majority of Americans are not in agreement with you, and from where I sit they never will be, because the majority do not foster such animosity.

Excellent post Otts, as always.

Originally posted by SomewhereinBetween
How sad it is that you represent your country so poorly in that you present a minority American view that all countries who dare to disagree with your political climate hate you. That in essence declares those countries as your enemies. The majority of Americans are not in agreement with you, and from where I sit they never will be, because the majority do not foster such animosity.

Disagreement is one thing. What I see here is contmept and that is another and this is not the only place that I see it. Thus, my developing conclusions. How sad that you represent such a lack of respect for a diversity of opionion and have to stoop to personal assault when others disagree with you.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Disagreement is one thing. What I see here is contmept and that is another and this is not the only place that I see it. Thus, my developing conclusions. How sad that you represent such a lack of respect for a diversity of opionion and have to stoop to personal assault when others disagree with you.

This is YOUR bloody thread Grady. You called us out. Did you think that Canadians would just take this #? You've got the wrong nation in mind then. If you percieve any anamosity it's because it is a response to your bigotry towards Canadians. So don't play the martyr, you went on the offensive here.

Personally I am heartened by your fellow countrymen NOT getting behind you. Shows me that Americans CAN see an embarassment and show class by avoiding it.

[edit on 10-10-2004 by intrepid]

Originally posted by intrepid
This is YOUR bloody thread Grady. You called us out. Did you think that Canadians would just take this #? You've got the wrong nation in mind then. If you percieve any anamosity it's because it is a response to your bigotry towards Canadians. So don't play the martyr, you went on the offensive here.

Personally I am heartened by your fellow countrymen NOT getting behind you. Shows me that Americans CAN see an embarassment and show class by avoiding it.

There we go intrepid, a little fire in the belly, if we could only get your Government to follow the lead of some of it's citizens, I think we could put this thread to rest.

I'll gladly chair your campaign for PM intrepid (think how good "The Right Honorable intrepid" would sound). We could use DE’s help in staying up all night plotting and planning.

Meddling Monkeys, not just for foreign affairs anymore...

SLeep? Where? When? How? VOTE INTREPID, MAGGOTS!

I forget.

I have a question for you, Grady. Well, it's a general question for everyone in light of this article.

Waht should teh exact perameters of the CFs be? Should it be a peacekeeping force, a relief force, more like the national guard, less like the national guard, what?

Right now, the problem is that we've got an underfunded mass of people with no clue what they're doing. I have several friends who were stationed in afganistan, and they both feel more like police than an army. My cousins are in the army, and one of them is dropping out to go into civilian police in Montreal, last I heard. Other people served as construction and demining crews. I don't think any of them saw much of anything that would qualify as extended combat.

That's one example. Look at Haiti, police and reconstruction again.

The Great Ice Storm.

Floods.

All examples of what our military is doing. The only real example I can think of with the CFs in a combat role is in the Balkans, which was a horrible mess. However, that seems to be the exception, not the rule.

So, how do YOU see the Canadian Forces?

DE

And to add to that, I have another question... do the posters criticizing us think we should we roll back our social programs and invest massively in defence? I mean, who cares about health care, disabled people, fishermen who need UI six months out of every year because they're seasonal workers, government-funded daycare for children, etc... It's all communism! As long as you look tough and have a strong army, that's all that matters!

you know, grady, one way to bolster your country's defence, is by NOT PISSING OFF THE WHOLE WORLD.
there would have been no excuse for the 'terrorist attacks' if america would stop going and shooting up, or providing arms to, every third world country and tin pot dictator.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
That statement from that individual taken in concert with all the other posts I have read here and based on what I have seen in the media lead me to believe that Canada is no ally.

My question is this:

Why concern yourself enough with one Canadian individual's political statement to write a 12 mile post? Who was that individual you quoted, and why is their statement so important? Are they going to rule the world because of their statement? Moreover, why are we worried about any Canadian individual's statement when statements more eloquent and pressing made by American individuals are going un-heard?

Originally posted by DeltaChaos

Why concern yourself enough with one Canadian individual's political statement to write a 12 mile post?

I don't expect much from you chaos, but I explained every question you ask in my original and follow-up posts.

Originally posted by intrepid

This is YOUR bloody thread Grady. You called us out. Did you think that Canadians would just take this #? You've got the wrong nation in mind then. If you percieve any anamosity it's because it is a response to your bigotry towards Canadians. So don't play the martyr, you went on the offensive here.

Personally I am heartened by your fellow countrymen NOT getting behind you. Shows me that Americans CAN see an embarassment and show class by avoiding it.

I have seen more than a few individuals here who claim to be American, but reveal their deception in multiple ways. Frankly, I'm getting more than a little tired of hearing everyone on this board trash America and so now that the shoe is on the other foot, how does it feel.

It saddens me that I am one of the few who will stand up for America on this board and all your ranting affects me not at all.

I still wonder why I am the topic of discussion and not the topic of the thread.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I have seen more than a few individuals here who claim to be American, but reveal their deception in multiple ways.

Claim to be American? As in are American, yet don't share your views? Or are American, yet aren't patriotic enough? Because I haven't met a person who doesn't honestly say where they're from.

There is more to everything than fighting, friend. How's about we get back on topic, and resume the discussion of the CF, okay?

DE

Originally posted by DeusEx
So, how do YOU see the Canadian Forces?

Until very recently, I had never given Canada's military a second thought. I have always considered Canada to be a friendly nation and was more than happy that Canada should benefit from it's friendly neighbor to the south. I have never heard any American ever bash Canada or Canadians. We had two Canadians come to work at my former employment and I welcomed them with open arms. One of my best friends in the Marine Corps is Canadian and we still correspond.

Imagine my disappointment to come here and see Canadians speak of Americans as though we are your worst enemy. To deride our culture and our President. To presume to tell us, the defenders of freedom for over two centuries, how we should govern ourselves.

I have no opinion about Canada's military, at all, but based on the attitudes I see here, I just did a little research and came up with a few questions to discuss. And what do I get?

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

Originally posted by DeltaChaos

Why concern yourself enough with one Canadian individual's political statement to write a 12 mile post?

I don't expect much from you chaos, but I explained every question you ask in my original and follow-up posts.

No, actually the question wasn't answered in the follow up posts, because if it had, there would be no follow up posts. Are you genuinely afraid of or put off by something a Canadian says, marine? Sure, get angry with the Canadian. Is that Canadian going to vote on November 2nd? No, he's not. So what the hell difference does it make?

Start a thread about what the people in countries like Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Afghanistan, Khazakstan, are saying. Pay attention to our enemies' mouth for war. I might be able to understand this if Canada were planning an invasion on American soil, but they're not.

Prioritize.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

I have seen more than a few individuals here who claim to be American, but reveal their deception in multiple ways. Frankly, I'm getting more than a little tired of hearing everyone on this board trash America and so now that the shoe is on the other foot, how does it feel.

It saddens me that I am one of the few who will stand up for America on this board and all your ranting affects me not at all.

i don't believe in countries. only demographs. i love americans. and america. i care. which means i love iraqis, also. PEACEFUL americans and PEACEFUL iraqis. farmers. artists. healers. scientists. whatnot. we are humanity on spaceship earth. or a steaming pile of fetid dung and offal. our choice.

thou shalt not make doo doo in the kitchen. it's a good rule to live by.

Originally posted by DeltaChaos
No, actually the question wasn't answered in the follow up posts, because if it had, there would be no follow up posts. Are you genuinely afraid of or put off by something a Canadian says, marine? Prioritize.

Marine, when speaking of The United States Marines, is always capitalized and don't patronize me. If you knew how to read you wouldn't bother me with blather.

[edit on 04/10/10 by GradyPhilpott]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

Until very recently, I had never given Canada's military a second thought. I have always considered Canada to be a friendly nation and was more than happy that Canada should benefit from it's friendly neighbor to the south. I have never heard any American ever bash Canada or Canadians. We had two Canadians come to work at my former employment and I welcomed them with open arms. One of my best friends in the Marine Corps is Canadian and we still correspond.

Imagine my disappointment to come here and see Canadians speak of Americans as though we are your worst enemy. To deride our culture and our President. To presume to tell us, the defenders of freedom for over two centuries, how we should govern ourselves.

I have no opinion about Canada's military, at all, but based on the attitudes I see here, I just did a little research and came up with a few questions to discuss. And what do I get?

You get loaded answers to your loaded questions. Now, I've travelled through the states quite a bit, and most people seemed right friendly. But that isn't the point.

You say you have no opinion, yet you come on here and start aggravating a problem. you implicate us as moochers off of NORAD and lazy about our own defence.

Now, as for American culture, foreign policy and presidents, let's make MY opinions very clear. I'm not impressed by any of the above. Americans have delivered blow after blow to the Canadian economy. Your current selections of electees is less than encouraging, and you folks deliver plenty of hostility everywhere when people don't act like they owe you something.

As for being our worst enemy... well, so far Americans have done more damage to us by proxy than the terrorists have.

DE

Originally posted by DeusEx
As for being our worst enemy... well, so far Americans have done more damage to us by proxy than the terrorists have.

Thank you, DE. There was a time when I would have been horrified by such a prospect, but now, it only seems fair.

Could we get back on topic? Is there a moderator here? Oh yeah! That would be intrepid.

[edit on 04/10/10 by GradyPhilpott]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Imagine my disappointment to come here and see Canadians speak of Americans as though we are your worst enemy.

You're not. And I don't know about the other Canadian posters on this thread - I'll have to ask them to say what they think on that topic - but I've never acted as though you're our worst enemy. However, being a rather small country North of the giant that America is, a lot of Canadians have a certain wariness regarding the intentions of the U.S. - most of the 19th and 20th century, a number of Canadians wondered whether the U.S. wanted to annex us as the 51st state. But wariness doesn't mean scorn or hate.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpottTo deride our culture and our President.

In a good measure, American culture is also Canadian culture. We watch a lot of the same TV shows you guys watch, and listen to the same music. As for your President... a good number of Americans also deride him.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpottTo presume to tell us, the defenders of freedom for over two centuries, how we should govern ourselves.

We're expressing an opinion. As I've said in another thread, in a good part, American politics will have an impact on the rest of the world, since America has a lot of influence in the world. It's normal that we have an opinion.

The reverse could also be said - that Americans saying our health and social system is socialist are presuming to tell us how to run our country. I haven't said that, and I won't. Everyone has a right to his or her opinion.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

Look, Grady. I know you like to be angry, and I know you like to argue, but I wouldn't feel the need to patronize weren't you being such a baby. Why don't I see the correlation being drawn between this Canadian and the many Americans that are saying the same things? You've lost your military bearing. More concerned with what damage some liberal Canadian's words might do to us rather than the words and deeds of those who actually want to kill us.

I'm actually happy to have Canada on our side. They may have deferred to the 'coalition of the willing', but as far as I'm concerned the Canadians are assets on standby, should any more problems well up.

The only question point I read in your post was, "Why is Canada our ally?" By extension of your own logic, it would seem you would rather they be our enemy. Why don't you stay out of the politics, remember your training, and concert your efforts where they would be best utilized. In the WAR!

This thread, and the sentiment contained within it is as ineffectual as the very words your Canadian target wrote, and ultimately is of zero consequence. You're not aiding to the cause with this.

I would very much like to respond to you DE, but apparently you have not understood a word I have said, so I won't waste anymore time on you. Thanks.