BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays

Subject: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: gnu
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 10:29 AM

For Canucks who haven't seen this email yet....

A Friend of mine sent this to me.   


From the daughter of a Soldier..please read all the way to the end of
this email.

Last week I was in Trenton, Ontario, attending a conference. While I
was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me
beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed
one of the greatest act's of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving thru
the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camo's, as they began
heading to their gate everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to
their feet with their hands waving and cheering.

When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and
cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red blooded
Canadian who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families. Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our
service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said "hi," the
little girl then she asked him if he would give something to her daddy
for her. The young soldier, he didn't look any older than maybe 22
himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy.

Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave
him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.

The mother of the little girl, who said her daughters name
was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Corporal and had been in Afghanistan for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second.

Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military looking
walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.

After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over
to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, "I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you." He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying, "Your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon."

The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the
young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was
standing no more than 6 feet away as this entire event unfolded. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.

We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families
and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day,
it's good to be a Canadian. Red Friday Just keeping you "in the loop" so you'll know what's going on in case this takes off.

RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing
RED every Friday. The reason? Canadians who support our troops used to
be called the "silent majority". We are no longer silent, and are
voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.

We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal
media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.

Many Canadians, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to
recognize that the vast majority of Canada supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and
respect starts this Friday - and continues each and every Friday until
the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every
red-blooded Canadian who supports our men and women afar will wear
something red. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the Canada on
every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the
bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this
with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family, it will not be long before Canada is covered in RED, and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is...   "We need your support and your prayers."

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example,
and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON... IF YOU COULD CARE LESS THEN
HIT THE DELETE BUTTON.. IT IS YOUR CHOICE. THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO
WEAR RED! --- Lest we Forget.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Ernest
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 10:35 AM

May they all come home safe, gnu!

Best
Ernest

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: artbrooks
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 10:57 AM

Let us all remember, Canadians, Americans, Brits and all, that the soldiers are our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and friends and, regardless of what we think of the politicians and the war, they deserve our support. Let's not redo Vietnam, when the hatred for the war was transferred to the soldiers fighting it.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: gnu
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 11:03 AM

Well said, Art.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Bardford
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 12:33 PM

Interesting - a similar event happened in the USA.
Snopes

Don't get me wrong, my heart winces when I hear of another casualty, and I despise the damage caused to families on all sides of this dispute, but I won't get drawn in to this rah-rah patriotic chain letter propaganda, no matter how well-intentioned.

Actually, that last part is a lie - obviously by responding, I've been drawn in :-)

It is just so sad, this Afghanistan campaign. When will we know when we've won?

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: CET
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 12:37 PM

I will probably sound churlish, but I have some misgivings about a campaign to wear red every Friday "until the troops all come home." I have been a serving officer for almost 25 years, and I greatly appreciate the sentiments expressed in the message above, but I don't think there has been a year since WWII when Canadian troops have not been stationed overseas somewhere. Of course, we are now unquestionably in a shooting war, which has shocked those Canadians who believed in the peacekeeping as a reason for maintaining a standing army, but it is in the nature of soldiering to go where the government sends you, to do the government's bidding, and to accept the risks that go with that commitment. A Red Friday campaign leaves the impression that a foreign deployment is somehow extraordinary and will not be repeated.

Edmund

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: dianavan
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 01:03 PM

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: dianavan
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 01:05 PM

Ooops

I won't be wearing red on Fridays.

This is a stupid, chain mail type of e-mail.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 01:36 PM

I support the troops the best way I can think of....


I petition my govt to bring them home!

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 09:53 PM

I also think our military should stick to peacekeeping, which by most accounts they do quite well (most of the time: there was Somalia). I hope they come home safely, of course.

As for the red shirt thing: it's chainmail email glurge, it originated in the US, not Canada, and, no offense to Americans here, but I have no desire to be seen (or for Canadians to be seen) as supporting the kind of war cultishness I see in many Bush followers.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: gnu
Date: 19 Aug 06 - 06:18 AM

I asked my bro about this last night. (33 1/2 years RCAF) He said, essentially,

"Well, yeah. It's nice if people want to show their support, but, given the fact that our troops already know it and, given the possibility that it could be twisted by the "so-called enemy", I think it's a bad idea. I think it could be used to the detriment of our troops by anyone who chose to try to spin it into support for the "so-called" war. And, not just the "enemy". Worse would be by the politicians who decided that the Taliban are our enemies. The same politicians who have decided to wave the recruiting policy from weeks of physical and mental testing to a fifteen minute interview. They want a 40,000 increase in the short term. So, they are not recruiting soldiers. They are recruiting killers. They are preparing for war and this is the ramp-up... this is the undercard."

At that point, his three grandsons joined us. 14, 13 and 11 years old. I could see a tear in his eyes. I dare say he won't be wearing red on Fridays.

Good on ya Clinton.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 19 Aug 06 - 09:54 AM

Guest Bee. Our troops are involved in peace making and peace keeping.

1. Peace Keeping is helping two or more sides who desperately want to end the war by getting between them, and keeping the trouble makers appart.

2. Peace Making is taking out the bad guys who don't want anyone to have peace anywhere.

You cannot commit to one without the other, and sometimes it involves killing and being killed. If you don't like this concept, don't join the armed forces of any country. (many Canadians see it as a cheap way to get a university degree or a job, bad choice)

One other way of showing support for our military is going online and sending emails to them. I have a yellow ribbon sticker on the back of my vehicle. The other way is to exercise your political rights as Clinton does.

Yours, Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 19 Aug 06 - 01:27 PM

" I have a yellow ribbon sticker on the back of my vehicle."

That won't get you in to heaven anymore....

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 19 Aug 06 - 01:29 PM

Dave, I make no claims to understand the exact situation and history in Afghanistan: not my area of expertise, but the rhetoric I hear from the Harper government is warlike, it does not sound like peacemaking. To many Canadians, myself included, it increasingly sounds and looks like Harper is firmly in the backpocket of George Bush, and taking Canada with him. I don't trust Steven Harper to have my or the armed forces best interests at heart, and that is a sad thing for me as a Canadian to feel.

I exercise my rights as Clinton does on every possible occasion. To my sorrow and embarassment, the Minister of Foriegn Affairs holds my riding, and likely has my email address in the spam file.

I have nothing against people sporting yellow ribbons, but again, I see it as a more American sort of thing; it isn't for me. Your posts show me that your use of the ribbon is sincere, but I think some people slap the things on their cars with little thought or understanding. I believe most of our soldiers are earnest and honest and eager to do well, and I think many of them joined up not just for the benefits (many from the Maritimes, for obvious reasons), but because they saw it as an opportunity to do some good in the world. I know many vets who are proudest of their peacekeeping medals.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Slag
Date: 19 Aug 06 - 05:37 PM

You all probably know my leanings but I have to agree with Bardford et al. These tear jerker emails do make the rounds and yet it is probably a distillation of similar events that do happen all around the country plus a lot of emotional window dressing. It reminds me of the phoney "polls" that come with political solicitations. Give them six or seven underhand pitches right over the plate then stick your hand out for the pay-off. It makes me never want to contribute again if they think I'm that stupid and easily manipulated. Many years ago I made a modest one-time contribution to an organization I believed was doing some good in the world. This precipitated an endless chain of begging letters. I finally wrote to them and told them that had I known that I was going to get all my money back in the form of canceled stamps and waste paper I would never have donated in the first place. They, at least, had enough integrity to stop the letters but many places ( and parties ) never stop, no matter what.

It seems that there is always an abundance of heartbreak and greif and during times of war this is especially true. There are numerous little tableaus that play out similar (or not) to the one depicted in the email but these are personal and should be cherished by those directly involved. When they are directly used to exploit a gut reaction to bolster a political point of view, that's just propaganda no matter which side of the issue it appears on. Keep you integrity and refuse to be exploited.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 19 Aug 06 - 08:02 PM

Clinton, I don't expect to get there mate, the holy water boils when i walk into a church.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 19 Aug 06 - 11:49 PM

(Gasp!) You too? I thought it was just me.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Aug 06 - 12:40 AM

Dave, then you can make the tea.

I received a similar request from relatives who have sons, etc. in the U. S. engagements. I quit reading after a couple of lines.

Having once been there, I have all the respect in the world for Soldiers of both armies and hope they return home safely.

Now if George Bushbaby and Harper boy would go over there and engage their enemies hand to hand- and take Rummy and Crummy with them-

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 20 Aug 06 - 06:34 AM

Actually Q I don't drink tea, one of the reasons I was thrown out of England (that and the fact I ride western) LOL

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 20 Aug 06 - 08:38 AM

Bush and Rummy did a quarter of the job in Afghanistan then buggared off to Iraq. Where is Osama?

They seem to be shifting the focus to Iran with almost none of the job done in Iraq. God help us all.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 20 Aug 06 - 09:07 AM

Jack mate, The Iraqi's are responsible for sorting out Iraq not the USA. The trouble with power struggles between tribes is a never ending problem in the middle east. Internal and external forces are trying to de stabilize Iraq; and these groups are trying to establish a power base within Iraq. I have confidence that it will be sorted out, but the USA is going to be stuck there for a long time helping them with the external terrorist problems.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Aug 06 - 12:35 PM

This thread will end up digressing into many fields.

When the Ottoman Empire was split up, some ridiculous decisions were made by the powers that be. Shia, Sunni and Kurd in one country is impossible at this time. Only a dictator with a strong army could hold Iraq together, and the Americans took him out along with his power structure.
The 'terrorists' are the militias of the Sunni and Shia, internal forces, with the aid of partisans from neighboring countries.
This is not an affair that Canadians should be involved in.

Trying to sort out Afganistan's opposing forces, those following the traditional customs as represented by the Taliban and those of the evolving but embattled more liberal people of the central area, will be a problem for many years to come. British, Russians, and finally the Americans stuck their fingers into the affairs of the Afganis and have created forces that will not be reconciled easily. At least the British stayed clear of local customs and problems that did not affect their overall control.
Calling those of Taliban persuasion 'terrorists' is ludicrous.
Should Canadians be there? Or should the country be left to find its own way? I don't know.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: bobad
Date: 20 Aug 06 - 12:50 PM

"the traditional customs as represented by the Taliban"

Public executions and punishments (such as floggings) became regular events at Afghan soccer stadiums. Frivolous activities, like kite-flying, were outlawed. In order to root out "non-Islamic" influence, television, music, and the Internet were banned. Men were required to wear beards, and subjected to beatings if they didn't.

Most shocking to the West was the Taliban's treatment of women. When the Taliban took Kabul, they immediately forbade girls to go to school. Moreover, women were barred from working outside the home, precipitating a crisis in healthcare and education. Women were also prohibited from leaving their home without a male relative—those that did so risked being beaten, even shot, by officers of the "ministry for the protection of virtue and prevention of vice." A woman caught wearing fingernail polish may have had her fingertips chopped off. All this, according to the Taliban, was to safeguard women and their honor.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 20 Aug 06 - 12:54 PM

Well the problem with the Taliban is that they were supporting Al Queda, and they needed replacing for security against the type of 911 attacks that threaten world peace. We are not against Islam just against extremists who declared they want to destroy us.
Saddam Hussein should have been replaced during the first Gulf War and of course wasn't. Calling the Taliban a reasonable government is ludicrous. Yes Canada should be helping as we do. Canada is not in Iraq at this time.

Subject: RE: BS: For CANUCKS re Red Fridays
From: GUEST,Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 06 Sep 06 - 10:10 AM

QUOTE
I will probably sound churlish, but I have some misgivings about a campaign to wear red every Friday "until the troops all come home." I have been a serving officer for almost 25 years, and I greatly appreciate the sentiments expressed in the message above, but I don't think there has been a year since WWII when Canadian troops have not been stationed overseas somewhere. Of course, we are now unquestionably in a shooting war, which has shocked those Canadians who believed in the peacekeeping as a reason for maintaining a standing army, but it is in the nature of soldiering to go where the government sends you, to do the government's bidding, and to accept the risks that go with that commitment. A Red Friday campaign leaves the impression that a foreign deployment is somehow extraordinary and will not be repeated.
UNQUOTE

Beyond what my brother-in-law said above, if the job that has been handed to the troops is worth doing -- and I woujld argue that the job in Afghanistan is -- one must not leave until the work is done and not one moment sooner.

Many people are griping because there seems to be no set of exit conditions or measures of success. They do not seem to have hoisted in that we cannot leave Afghanistan until there is a stable, legitimate government *acceptable to the wider world* with a functioning security apparatus that will prevent the hosting of movements or organizations that pose a threat to our way of life.

That said, we have to look at ourselves and our way of life. We consider Afghani-grown drugs a threat. Would they be if we lifted the prohibition on drugs and undermined the illegal trade in them? Turkey has a near monopoly on the cultivation of opium poppy for medical use. Why should they be guaranteed that monopoly? There are economic options available to us as means to press those who would interfere with the stabilization of Afghanistan. They may look nettle-ish, but they can be grasped if we also prepare for the pain they will cause on the home front.