Canada (Now, "Canuckistan") Refuses to Be in Missile Defense Scheme

I don’t dislike the US in general, if that’s what you’re implying. Given the nature of this forum it’s the controversial issues that get discussed here so it may come across that way, but that’s skewed view based on the fairly limited range of topics that tend to be discussed here.

 

they're not even a real country, anyway.

 

c'mon...we could, uh, well - we, we could beat you at HOCKEY!!!

 

I agree that this is cosmetic.You bet that the Canadians are participating,They have a constituency that must be catered to,but there are some things that are non negotiable and this is one of them.Of course Canada cares about world opinion too,but when push comes to shove this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as defenses in the Great White North.

 

..And Reagan DID spend the Soviets into the ground.He didn't just happen to be in office and get all the credit.Yes,the Cold War was long and one of attrition,but Pres.Reagan's handling of foreign policy and defense spending played a large factor in finally bringing it to an end.

 

It might be a valid reason. The point, however, was that your assertions of WHY they rejected this shield were incorrect. It wasn't because they don't want to be seen as allied to the US or because they didn't think it would work.

You can find a whole body of literature from Soviet officials that confirm this claim. That makes it more than spin.

 

Actually Reagan no doubt did play a part. But Gorby was already reform minded, and was busy enacting reforms left and right of his own accord. A classic example was Reagan telling Mr. Gorbachev to tear down that wall. The wall wasn't torn down because Reagan said that, but because Gorbachev was putting those type of reforms into place on his own.

I think the cold war did play some part in it. The cold war wasn't started by Reagan, nor was it solely the way Reagan carried it out that brought about the end to the Soviet Union.

 

The mountain is high
The valley is low
and you're confused on which way to go
so I've come here to give you a hand
and lead you into the promised land
so...
come on and take a free ride [free ride!]
come on and sit here by my side
come on and take a free ride!

 

BRIGHT EYES (w/ Emmylou Harris)

Landlocked Blues


If you walk away, I'll walk away
First tell me which road you will take
I don't want to risk our paths crossing some day
So you walk that way, I'll walk this way

And the future hangs over our heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls all around like a cold steady rain
Just stay in when it's looking this way

And the moon's laying low in the sky
Forcing everything metal to shine
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like the jewelry store case
They argue walk this way, now walk this way

And Laura's asleep in my bed
As I'm leaving she wakes up and says
"I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave
Baby don't go away, come here"

And there's kids playing guns in the street
And ones pointing his tree branch at me
So I put my hands up I say "enough is enough,
If you walk away, I'll walk away"
And he shot me dead

I found a liquid cure
From my landlocked blues
It'll pass away like a slow parade
It's leaving but I don't know how soon

And the world's got me dizzy again
You think after 22 years I'd be used to the spin
And it only feels worse when I stay in one place
So I'm always pacing around or walking away
I keep drinking the ink from my pen
And I'm balancing history books up on my head
But it all boils down to one quotable phrase
If you love something, give it away

A good woman will pick you apart
A box full of suggestions for your possible heart
But you may be offended and you may be afraid
But don't walk away, don't walk away

We made love on the living room floor
With the noise in background of a televised war
And in the deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say
"If we walk away, they'll walk away"

But greed is a bottomless pit
And our freedom's a joke
We're just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you're still free start running away
Cause we're coming for you!

I've grown tired of holding this post
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home
So I'm making a deal with the devils of faith
Saying "let me walk away, please"
You'll be free child once you have died
From the shackles of language and immeasurable time
And then we can trade places, play musical grace
Till then walk away, walk away

So I'm up at dawn
Putting on my shoes
I just want to make a clean escape
I'm leaving but I don't know where to
I know I'm leaving but I don't know where to

 

I don't think anyone contends SDI was the SOLE reason for the collapse of the Cold War. Not saying that. However, it played a major role in the Soviet leadership's realization that they could not continue the arms race with the US, that they would have to reform their system in general - and that predates Gorbachev. Gorbachev came to power as a result of this change in thinking. Its probably more accurate to view SDI as the straw that broke the camels back, so to speak.

 

I think it’s all of the above, actually. We don’t like it because we think it would weaponise space and start a new weapons race. We have certainly noticed that it hasn’t worked yet, but this a secondary consideration since we wouldn’t want it even if it did. And nobody wants to be seen as allied with this administration. To the question of whether we are allies in general, I think you need to think of us as brothers. We share most of a continent. We have the longest undefended boarder in the world. We are each other’s largest trading partner. These are realities that are never likely to change. However, brothers disagree and at this time we are in dramatic disagreement with this administration. And while we may be the little brother, 32 million people isn’t that little, and our land mass is bigger than yours (na na na-na-na! ), so we do carry some weight.

 

You don’t really want anything from us other than public approval, and that’s what you’re not getting from us.

 

I can almost see your beady little eyes and flapping head as I read that post.

 

I like the Audioadrenalin version, but I don’t think I’m catching your point.

 

Oh yeah, give me some of that good ole " Northest Territories" real estate.......sounds cozy..........

 

Lol! Yeah, that it. Blame Canada!

 

canada is hitching a free ride on the US for missle defense purposes. suppose NK launches a missle at seattle, but kim jong il doesn't use the best GPS technology and the missle tracks slightly north of its intended target. is not canada counting on the US to do the neighborly thing and shoot the damn thing down, even though they opted out of participating on the shield?

 

Bring a good heater, but it’s got oil and gas and …. diamonds! Canada is now one of the world’s leading diamond producers and they all come from the Northwest Territories.