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The spectacularly stupid and offensive Fox News show Red Eye with host Greg Gufeld sunk to new depths this week by belittling a neighbor and ally in the so-called war on terrorism. Although Canada opted out of involvement in Iraq, they have been in Afghanistan since 2002. Originally slated to leave in 2009, the Canadian government has extended the Afghan mission to 2011. At least one of the guests claimed he didn't know Canadian forces were in Afghanistan, which is typical of the expertise on the show. An ill-considered and ill-timed bit of idiocy it was too, as yesterday four Canadian soldiers were killed and eight wounded near Kandahar. If you have the stomach for it you can view a clip of the aftermath of the explosion, here.
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Sun, 03/22/2009 - 12:41 — BetteB
The idiocy of the FOX people is just too much to even respond to. Instead, I'd ask all our allies, American, Brits and others the world over who are reading here, to watch what happens when we bring a fallen soldier home. This clip shows it.
There are 50 bridges over the Highway of Heroes, between Trenton and Toronto. And every one of them is crowded with people when our fallen soldiers pass by -- cops, firefighters, old veterans and folks of all ages standing silently and waving flags -- we salute our guys and honor their service and their passing. They paid the price for all of us. Four more will be coming home tomorrow. The bridges will be jammed with people. That makes about 116 or so since this war started that have taken the final trek on the Highway of Heroes.
We got into this war on behalf of Americans - when they were threatened and attacked on 9-11. We are allies of the US. We stayed in Afghanistan after the US pulled most of their troops out to concentrate on Iraq, and we're still there doing the dirtiest of work. And dying too.
Those people at FOX should be ashamed.
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Sun, 03/22/2009 - 15:54 — Pericles Here are some facts that we all might find helpful:
On 9/11 an attack organized from inside Afghanistan was launched against the United States. In keeping with their NATO committment, Canada went to Afghanistan to fight in defense of their (sometimes ungrateful) ally, the United States.
Population of Canada: 30 million. Canadian casualties in Afghanistan: 116. Casualties per million population: 3.9
Population of the United States: 300 million. U.S. Casualties in Afghanistan: 667. Casualties per million population: 2.2
Ratio of Canadian casualties to U.S. casualties in Afghanistan: Nearly two to one.
Nuff said. Panjwaii, Hellmand and Kandahar provinces, where the Canadians are stationed, have seen the heaviest on the ground fighting throughout the seven years.
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Sun, 03/22/2009 - 13:48 — not the gipper
As a former active duty army officer, and a current army reserve officer who has served with Canadian military personnel in a combat theater, I am absolutely disgusted by these clowns. Not a one of them has spent a day in the military, nor knows anything about the military, and especially the Canadian military. The Canadian military is small (I believe about 30,000 altogether) but highly, highly professional. In many ways they put the US defense establishment to shame. Even if you are a conservative, you should be offended by these asshats. If this panel of morons had done any research, they would know that a Canadian sniper team in Afghanistan holds the world record for the longest confirmed kill (2310 meters, over a mile). They would know that the optempo for the Canadian military matches or surpasses ours - and doing it with less resources, and less personnel). Sometimes I think the description of items posted here get a little on the hyperbolic side, and I thought so maybe this time too, but I was wrong. Revolting.
Every so often I just cannot let something like this pass without comment.
Apart from the comments about the military... the RCMP are scary *****. No one wants to mess with them.
Fun fact: our banks don't need bailouts; in fact their profits are still in the 20-30% range. Other countries on the planet that can make the same claim: 0.
A co-worker of my son lost his oldest son on July 4th, 2007, along with five other Canadian servicemen; they bled red blood, just as all soldiers everywhere have always done.
Trash talk an ally with boots still on the ground who is losing more servicemen that you on a per capita basis?
Sometimes it seems to us "foreigners" that you have collectively gone insane.
"And death is welcome, and death comes - and death is a quiet step into a sweet clean midnight." - Marshall Davila, circa 1963
You have to remember the source...FOX isn't known as "Faux News" for no reason. And since they are owned by the same Australian that brought us the National Enquirer, why should we be surprised?
Fox is despicable, but I have come to expect nothing less. Like the GOP, they seem intent on destroying themselves.
milk and Girl Scout cookies ;-)
Save your breath-You may need it to blow up your date.
I still enjoy occasionally reading Fox News Hounds for laughs, but also keeping in mind that about 20% of my fellow citizens think that kool-aid is truth serum.
FOX News' Greg Gutfeld has never put his own fanny on the line for his country but that didn't stop him and a similarly non-serving Red Eye panel from mocking the Canadian military as a bunch of slackers while overlooking the extremely heavy casualties it has received assisting the United States in the war in Afghanistan.
Great minds think alike, eh?
Steve
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect and be kind to one another, so that we may grow with peace in mind. (Native American prayer)
I had one as a boyfriend from 01-1991 to 01-1993. He was supposedly the "accountant" at the San Francisco Canadian Consulate on Mission Street, which is now just a Canadian trade office. When Princess Dianna came to San Francisco, he had to meet her plane, I was all: Why does an accountant need to meet Princess Dianna's plane?
Hey, I was young and dumb.
...anyway, when I found the gun and the fake travel IDs that he traveled under (I thought he was cheating on me because he had a United Airlines frequent flyer card with some guy's name on it - it was his travel name) he came clean. I was pissed. I don't allow guns in my home - which was "ours" at the time and certainly not happy with someone that hid who he really was from me.
I knew his dad was RCMP in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, but I never knew he was 'til near the end.
I had one as a boyfriend from 01-1991 to 01-1993. He was supposedly the "accountant" at the San Francisco Canadian Consulate on Mission Street, which is now just a Canadian trade office.
I knew his dad was RCMP in Kuala Lumpur....
Ouch, Rick!! Slippery MFs.
Have you noticed in recent years if it is an organized crime, major drugs, people-smuggling, or pornography bust in SE Asia, the "Horsemen" are there, front and center?
Also, Canadian comedians - shall we ask Jim Carey, Mike Meyers or Seth Rogan - do not make fun of your military or quasi-military ceremonial dress uniforms? Why does this bottom of the barrel, quasi-comedian think think the red serge is anything different?
Have you noticed in recent years if it is an organized crime, major drugs, people-smuggling, or pornography bust in SE Asia, the "Horsemen" are there, front and center?
"My" RCMP told me that the RCMP is equivalent to our CIA and that Canada is into the same stuff the US is into (persuading other governments to do what they want) but Canada keeps it way under the radar while the US is upfront about it.
During our time together, and after I found out, my guy met with Gary Studd who was on a US Congressional fishing committee and my RCMP guy was to persuade Congressman Studd to introduce legislation to have some US fishing laws changed for Canada's benefit. This was the summer of 1992.
I found it "interesting" that the RCMP picked a gay RCMP member stationed on the West Coast of the US to fly to the East Coast of the US to meet with a gay Congressman.
Hanky-spanky going on? I absolutely had my suspicions. That is one of the reasons I broke up with him - my gut told me that everything wasn't Kosher with him - at least in the framework of a monogamous relationship in which I live by.
Also the red is only ceremonial - else "they" look like everyone else.
"My" RCMP told me that the RCMP is equivalent to our CIA and that Canada is into the same stuff the US is into (persuading other governments to do what they want) but Canada keeps it way under the radar while the US is upfront about it.
It sounds to me like said RCMP is into fomenting the Canadian version of conspiracy theories. The CIA, at least officially, is barred from operating in the U.S.; the FBI, on the other hand, has no official operations outside our boundaries. I know that the lines get blurred sometimes, because I've enlisted FBI assistance for foreign investigations and got results. Of course, I was simultaneously told things like "this conversation never happened", and "of course we don't do that sort of thing".
In some parts of Canada, the RCMP is like the state police are in most of our states, including having their specialized special investigation units/divisions, comparable to NYST's BCI. In Ontario, the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) take over most of that role.
The real person to fear in Canada is Rick Mercer! (Stephen Harper runs a close second, but not very fast.)
"When all think as one, only one is thinking." --"Big Jim" Byrne
