My country does have the same problems, just as Amos says. To a lesser extent...but bascially the same problems. We are participating in the war in Afghanistan, and we are selling arms all over the place. There's a huge arms industry in Canada. And yes, we have suffered damage as a society because of it. A majority of Canadians would prefer we were not in Afghanistan...but our government is a corporate servant, just like yours is, Rig, so we are so far "staying the course", and losing lives steadily in the process. Our government did not join the Iraq war simply because public opposition here would have been so massive that they didn't consider it politically feasible to do that.

I expect that Obama will stay the course in Iraq and the whole region around there. I hope he surprises me, though, and withdraws American troops. I would bet three to one that that will not happen....I would even bet five to one that it won't happen.

But if it does, I'd be delighted to lose that bet.