Tag Archives: Afghanistan
The Costs of War
Time to take a look back with a post from this date in 2015. I figure you either haven’t read it becasue you weren’t a subscriber back then, or have forgotten it. When we toured the First World War battlefields in the Ypres area of Belgium last summer, the enormity of the human toll was […]
A Matter of Responsibility
The Dutch defence minister resigned Friday after being censured by her country’s parliament over her handling of the evacuation of those who had helped Dutch forces in Afghanistan. The foreign minister had already resigned over the same issue. For this Caandian it was shocking to see a cabinet minister accept blame and resign over anything. […]
Musings on Afghan Democracy
The last Canadian evacuation flight left Kabul earlier today. Twenty years of foreign policy initiatives have vanished almost overnight. That the Taliban so swiftly conquered Afghanistan came as no surprise to me. If we learn nothing from the history of Afghanistan ,it is that foreign interventions are not successful in the long run. So now we […]
Who Is In Charge?
I always thought Canada was a democracy and Parliament, the maker of laws, was supreme. Apparently the governing Liberal Party and the Prime Minister don’t think so. They are suing the Speaker of the House of Commons, an MP from their own party, over the release of doocuments that Parliament has asked for and the […]
A Dwindling Generation
There are 30,000 of them left. Ten years from now there may be 5,000. In twenty years time, none. Canada’s Second Word War veterans are dwindling as age catches up with them. The European portion of the war ended 75 years ago today. It is a milestone anniversary, but there aren’t the big public celebrations […]
Free At Last
I wish him well. Even more, I hope he meets Jesus. A Canadian court Monday determined that Omar Khadr had served his full sentence and was no longer subject to any legal restrictions. He and I now have equal standing before the law. He can apply for a passport, travel and associate with his family. […]
Dinner Time (Cultural Differences XV)
Came across another cultural difference , but not one between Germany and Canada as I have been documenting here from time to time. This one surprised me. We were invited to dinner in a village about a 40-minute drive from our home in Sulzburg. Our hosts were celebrating their new apartment. They came here as […]
More Reflections on Omar
There has been continued discussion in Canada of the $10.5 million payment made by the federal government to former child soldier Omar Khadr. According to polling, 71% of Canadians are opposed to the deal. Of those who support the governing Liberals, 61% are opposed. Most of the reaction I’ve seen has been emotional, no matter […]
A Matter of Justice?
I had a post planned for today. I was just checking the spelling when the rumour became reality: The Government of Canada has apologized to Omar Khadr and is handing him a cheque for $10,500,000 for his suffering. I think it is fair to describe this as a cowardly act on the part of the […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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