$0.02 (response to an RM post)

I've weighed in on this topic before, though I 'm not going to wade through the search function and find what I've said I will make an effort to throw out a Readers Digest Version of my thoughts.
Please forgive me, I am writing this after an extended time from home, after an extended time awake, with 40 hours before I leave to do it again. (That was not a sympathy/empathy ploy, those are facts, those of us who will be in Afghanistan in the new year for six months are already up to our necks living and breathing the training and prepartation to get there.) Not supporting "the war" is a personal and political decision, based on whatever factors make up your character and make you Canadian. And as a voter you can have a say. (as a soldier with 27 years in said to me recently "Don't like it, vote Liberal in a couple of months, they'll bring us home and remind everyone why it was a mistake, though everyone will have forgotten it was they who sent us...")
But supporting the Troops is also a personal decision based on whatever factors make up your character and make you Canadian. It can be as simple as not spitting on a Canadian soldier in an airport, or as simple as helping line the road leading to the base with yellow ribbons as they come home.

some one on RM wrote:
Personally, and maybe this is due to a lack of understanding, I don't support the 'war' in Afghanistan (surprised?). I remember hearing that more Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan now than in any other war since WWII. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Why are we fighting insurgency in Afghanistan? What good are we accomplishing there? What cause are Canadians dying for? Who benefits from winning this war? Is it even possible to win?

The mission statement of the Candian Troops in Afghanistan has never wavered, we are there to add credibility and stability to the governing authority in the country of Afghanistan. Not warfighting. Yes we are trained to kick ass, and take names. And in the Wild West environment of Afghanistan that is a necessary thing, and it is a damn good thing that we are good at it.
But we are also damn good at building schools, building infrastructure. We are not just fighting "an insurgency" (a little anti-US/IRAQ shading there) We are fighting an established terrorist regime, with skewed views of Islamic Law, and we are also fighting entrenched criminals and war lords who have profitted from the civil turmoil that has plagued Afghanistan for decades and who have kept the majority of the population dirt poor. We as a respected and established HAVE country are providing opportunity for impoverished have-nots. We, as soldiers, believe in these ideals as it is one thing we cherish about Canada, and I don't think we have the morale high ground to let some casulaites take that away from others.

Who benefits? The 6 year old girl who goes to school for the first time and learns how to read. The fifty year old woman who will get to vote for the first time in her life and be treated as a human. The thrity year old mechanic who gets to do what he is trained to do because for so long there was no way for him to do, and he can finally support his family. Who benefits? Canadians, we can say once Afghanistan takes fledgling steps as a recovering nation and we can say, yeah, we did that...

They wrote:
It seems counterproductive to fight religious fundamentalism with violence. Attacking the insurgents just seems to create a martyr complex which breeds more violence. Do Afghanis even want a democracy? I can think of 10 African countries who'd be better served by a peacekeeping force, or an installation of democracy.

Peacekeeping is dead. We are no longer in between equally strong sides and keeping them apart. We are peacemakers, by whatever means necessary. We are popluar in Afghanistan, average joe Afghan likes us and wants us there beacuse of what we mean. I don't know if Afghanistan wants democracy. They want freedom to pray the way they want and feed their children.
And you don't stop religious fanaticism by asking nice. You do whatever necessary to stop, interdict, and disrupt their operations, physically, and ideologically. As leaders we do not want to send our troops out into sustained combat because it is destructive not constructive, and there is more chance for body bags coming home. But sometimes you have to call a spade a spade and throat punch someone.

they wrote:
That said, I don't support our troops because our troops are enacting a mission I can't support. I empathize with the families and the soldiers themselves. I pray for the safe return of every soldier overseas. I wish Canadians weren't dying (seemingly) in vain. If there's a good reason that we're at war in Afghanistan, fill me in.

We are in Afghanistan because I believe we have a morale obligation to assist an impoverished society that has asked for our support. And because we can. I don't care if you support us, though I'd like you to. Just as long as you remember that politicians and the public choose our missions, we freely choose the lifestyle. /steps off soapbox/

zen moment

Religion is not just some dry intellectual idea but rather your basic philosophy of life: you hear a teaching that makes sense to you, find through experience that it relates positively with your psychological makeup, get a real taste of it through practice, and adopt it as your spiritual path. That's the right way to enter the spiritual path.

We are not compelled to meditate by some outside agent, by other people, or by God.Rather, just as we are responsible for our own suffering, so are we solely responsible for our own cure. We have created the situation in which we find ourselves, and it is up to us to create the circumstances for our release.

Lama Yeshe

Please comment.

The photo of Buddha with View by Sean Duggan was found on the following website, which contains a heck of a lot of other interesting, and amazing photos. http://www.f1point4.com/f1point4/toy_camera/index.html

The day before I go away.

Hey faithful readers...

It's Saturday and it is the day before I go away for two weeks to be involved in two separate, yet related exercises as part of TF1-07, (Task Force 1-07). As always I am excited, yet that is tempered by the fact that I will be away. It is excellent to be a part of a training scenario where shortfalls and lack thereofs are not things to be accounted for and accepted, but are attacked and if the exact thing is not readily available SOMETHING is made available. Really weird because the whole previous time with any training, whether as trainee or trainer we went without.

The fact that I am plugging into 2RCR Battle Group HQ and being useful is really good and has become quite real.


Recently, asI mentioned it in a previous post, I bought a bike. It is a KHS Westwood 19inch. Here: http://www.khscanada.com/v2/bikeview.php?id=335

The good news/ bad news/ and the no-so-bad-I-can-live-with-it..

Good news, I got it for less than the MSRP (taxes in) and I got a kickstand and water bottle/holder too. It is a nice comfortable bike, and it is very lightweight and mechanically seems pretty good. It will be the ideal bike for commuting to and from work...When I am in Moncton to do that...Ha-ha- *sigh*

Bad news, I was originally looking for bike that I could participate (comPLete, not coMPete) in a duathlon or two once I got home and had some time in the saddle. And I knew that beginners often used whatever they had. I had nothing, So I stayed away from the Mountain Bike side of the House and got something with "big thin tires" I know that may sound stupid, but I've ridden nothing but a unicycle for the last five years. So I got what I thought would be an ideal starter bike. Well, I do have a friend who was a semipro racer who scolded me saying that the bike is totally inadequate.

The result... I have decided to live with this bike, which is cool because it is still a work out for my legs and it is comfortable to ride on. Both good things to re-initiate me to two wheeled self-powered transportation. Also, the handlebars and seat are fully adjustable. So I was able to lower my grips forward and elevate my seat to make the riding position a bit more "aggressive" and "workout like".

As I said this bike is a really nice commuter bike, and Moncton seems to be pretty bicycle friendly, and I could likely get to just about anywhere in the city relatively easily and relatively quick, I like that. Especially with gas prices, and the fact that Nathaniel is getting better on his bike and is harder to keep up with now. So hopefully, upon my return we could bike together.

The ultimate plan (right now) is to make due with what I have (and I am not complaining I like what I have) and then upon my return I'll give some Du's a tri...*groan* and then maybe spend a couple grand on an entry level triathlon bike.

Til next time....(see you ina couple weeks)...


OH, and for those who usually email me at work or those who want to email me, I lost my entire contacts list recently so I have none of your email addys...so please please, lang.sm@forces.gc.ca... I want to keep in touch with you all at home and abroad...

UPDATE

Well, it has been a heckuva long time since I updated anything…so as quick cheat sheet/ Readers’ Digest version of the last month: here goes…

Conveniently broken down into bite size chucks, divided into categories.

THE MOVE-

For all intents and purposes the move is complete, and it was a moderate to genuine success.

Kara and I got in to paint and bring some life to the institutional white walls. Decorating took a little time to get things the way we wanted it. Good thing we discussed a lot of it in advance.

We have recently added a new (enormous) desk to our office, and a new armoire. Specifics may follow if I get time.

THE NEIGHBOUHOOD-

Is outstanding, those of you who have been privy to the stories know that for the past four years our immediate neighbors in Gagetown were an absolute pain in the ass. I would have rathered been living next to a sewage treatment facility full of vipers.

The kids (and Kara) have definitely assimilated themselves into the area…and though the street out front is busy by local standards it is like an rarely traveled footpath compared to the ol’ neck o’ the woods.

All is good.

MY TRAINING-

Sadly, I have abandoned my ‘marathon is ‘06’ thoughts. Workup training for TF 1-07 is too demanding and unpredictable (even in it’s micro managed planning status) to allow me to dedicate the time required to meet such a goal…

However, my running continues, and I am trying to sustain runs and a ‘training schedule’ that would still leave me able to compete in a 10km race with little prep time, or a Half marathon (21km) on short notice. This includes one long run a week 9-13 km, whatever I can swing. Plus two shorter higher intensity runs, either speed work or tempo style runs…

Also I bought a bike yesterday, is a hybrid style bike. It is not a road bike, not a mountain bike. It has fairly big thin wheels and a lightweight frame. My primary intent is to commute to work, but also go out and pound the roads a couple times a week when I can… Start my Duathalon training as quick as I can.

MY OTHER TRAINING

I started officially training with the 2RCR Battle Group last week. It was the first time all the players had come together to for the command element that will be deploying in ’07.. It was a great experience, many lessons learned and I look forward to the coming months…

MY WRITING

Yeah, my writing, while on leave I wrote about five short stories and sketched out some more. I’m letting them sit before I go back and review them…Any one interested in giving them a read….?


That’s all for know. Specifics will come as I think of them.