How Many Hero Highways Do We Need?

Today, the mayor of Canada’s largest city is renaming parts of a major highway to honor fallen Canadian soldiers – their bodies are brought back home on these parts of the road.

Toronto Mayor David Miller will officially rename parts of the Don Valley Parkway and some local connecting side streets the “Route of Heroes.”

Previously, the province of Ontario renamed a section of Highway 401 from Trenton to the Don Valley Parkway the “Highway of Heroes.”

Both are part of the route the Canadian flag-draped caskets containing the bodies of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan take, to the coroner’s office, before being released to their families for burial.

The sacrifices men and women make for their country at times of war should be honored, respected, and as many a war memorial says “never forgotten.”
However, Canada is not at war.

SO, why are so many bodies traveling down Canadian roads – enough to prompt petty politicians to use the highways as a promotional vehicle for their own slimy images, by cutting ribbons and making declarations about heroic routes?

As of today, 147 Canadian Forces personal have been killed since their first deployment to Afghanistan in 2002 – just over the weekend another solider had died, which was not even two-weeks after the last solider was killed in the line of duty.

Yet, again – we aren’t at war.

Originally, when then-American President George W. Bush announced his shock and awe bomb attack, in response to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the United Nations Security Council didn’t agree.

The UN wanted to find a peaceful solution first, and barring that, a planned and well-thought out approach to using military muscle.

But in keeping with his “you are either with us, or you are with the terrorists,” narrow-minded approach, President Bush went ahead and destroyed most of the infrastructure of Afghanistan and Iraq, all under the guise of getting their alleged ring leader – Bin Ladden.

Whatever happened to Bin Ladden? We never hear about him, other than the occasional poorly recorded audio or video of him ranting like a crazed lunatic.
You’d probably go crazy too if you had a redneck American president making threatening statements about having your head on a platter.

Not that Bin Ladden wasn’t crazy before all this – he may have been – we’ll never know.

President Bush failed in his attempts to nail the blame squarely on Bin Ladden, so he went after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and eventually did get his head on a platter – sort of. Hussein was hung quite publicly for the world to see on YouTube – probably the first world leader to be executed live, on the Internet.

Regardless of whether or not Bin Ladden, Saddam Hussein, or anyone else the Americans have labeled “terrorists” – Canada really has no part in their so-called “war on terror.”

Yes, we are allies of the States, and should support them in peace and in war.

But in typically Canadian fashion, our politicians have sat directly in the middle of the fence on the issue and that is what is killing our soldiers.

Canada isn’t officially at war, and being the backbone of the United Nations peace keeping forces for so long, we have a reputation of supporting the UN at all costs.

Yet the UN hasn’t stepped into the American’s so-called “war on terror” because they never supported the poorly planned vengeful attacks by their redneck leader, President Bush.

So our government sends thousands of Canadian soldiers to bolster up the Americans war efforts, with little planning – because the Canadian politicians don’t want to alienate the UN – and we end up with a never-ending parade of flag-draped caskets traveling our renamed highways.

Maybe our politicians should spend more time planning military strategies and tactics, instead of how to creatively rename a highway to get a photo op.

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Sometimes Being the Host Sucks

Canada is playing host this year to both the G8 and the G20 Summits – where the world’s eight and twenty most powerful leaders meet to discuss global issues.

One would think it a great honor to be the host country for such an event.
It is, in that it will once again put Canada front and center on the world stage – just like when we hosted the 2010 Olympic Winter Games this past February.

However, security concerns taint the pleasure of the local host – unless you are a VIP.

Security organizers have already begun dividing up Canada’s largest city – Toronto – into color coded security grids, based on the proximity the area is to where the world leaders will be.

If you live or work in one of the high security areas, you have to undergo a background security check – if you fail it, you may not be allowed in the area where you live or work during the summit.

Imagine being told to go away from the place you’ve lived or worked for over a decade without any incidents, simply because some government rubber-stamper found out that you or your family might pose a risk to the summit?

Granted, there are risks, there are groups already boasting of their protests of the events. And wherever there are protesters in great numbers, there are bound to be a few nut cases that go too far – like the people who toss pies at politicians. Though I must say, it was hilarious to watch an angry journalist throw his shoe at former American President George Bush – too bad he missed.

Even if you have been granted the great honor of being able to go to your home in the high security area, if you run to the local store and forget your security papers, you’ll probably be taken down by police at gun point.

A simple mistake – all your life you’ve been able to run to the corner store without anything proving who you are, but those security papers mean you’re clean – safe – someone who poses no risk to anyone.

Like most peaceful Canadians.

Welcome to Canada, show me your papers or we’ll lock you up. So much for living in a peaceful country – and security will be everywhere, even the air.

Over the next few days, Canadian Forces CF-18 Hornet Fighter Jets, and other military aircraft will be seen over the skies of Toronto and Muskoka (cottage country just north of Toronto), as the North American Aerospace Defence (NORAD) run through security drills.

Makes living and working in the host city seem like a war zone.

The G8 Summit takes place in Muskoka on June 25 and 26 and the G20 is being held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on June 26 and 27.

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A Visit to the White House – What a Nice Distraction

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper took a joy ride south of the border last Wed. – or at least that’s probably how it seemed to him.

He met with American President Barack Obama for an hour-long meeting in the White House’s Oval Office. The two leaders discussed the economy, just ahead of the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh starting today and running through the weekend.

They also discussed each country’s roles in the mission to Afghanistan. Canada has had soldiers in the battle-whipped country for over eight-years, but there are plans to pull all Canadian Forces troops out in 2010.

President Obama on the other hand is pushing for more American soldiers to be sent to Afghanistan this year and next year.

Canadian Soldiers should never have gone to Afghanistan in the first place – and will most likely end up in another place they should never be sent – Iraq in 2010 or 2011.

Afghanistan and Iraq are strictly American conflicts, begun by then-American President George W. Bush. Bush, the sly scoundrel he is, used the intense emotions stirred in his citizens by the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001 to launch attacks on these two relatively innocent countries.

President Bush originally launched air strikes in Afghanistan in what he called his “shock and awe” military attack, to get Bin Ladden and those responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on American soil.

Almost a decade later, Bin Ladden (who boldly boasts of his success in his involvement of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but no one anywhere has actually provided proof of his involvement) is still running free, occasionally popping up to in grainy videos to taunt the Americans.

As the hunt for Bin Ladden dragged on, the American political machine needed a new scapegoat to distract the public’s attention from their failing mission in Afghanistan (the goal was to get Bin Ladden).

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

That’s when President Bush and the rest of the executive branch of the White House launched their smear campaign against Saddam Hussein and Iraq.

They claimed Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and urged the United Nations (UN) to take actions against Iraq. Despite all the doctored images – which looked real at the time but have since been proved tampered with – the UN didn’t budge and would not support an outright attack against Iraq.

The UN did begin sanctions against Iraq, and sent over their own inspectors, to look for these weapons of mass destruction.

None were ever found, and the UN was satisfied Iraq and its leader were in the clear.

But trigger-happy American President Bush still launched an attack against Saddam Hussein, and in the process destroyed all the infrastructure of the tiny Middle Eastern country in the process.

Canadian soldiers are dying in great numbers in Afghanistan, as American soldiers are dying also in great numbers in Iraq.

But both these missions were unnecessary, and mismanaged from the get-go. American President Bush didn’t really care about bring those responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to justice, he just used that event to go after the countries in the Middle East with the richest oil reserves, to secure oil for his country, and his former colleagues in the oil industry from where he originally came.

Image via Wikipedia

Now America’s current leader, President Obama has to deal with the massive cost, lost lives, and lack of any signs of real victory in two wars. He’s also struggling with his push to launch universal, government-funded healthcare across all 50 States, similar to our Canadian healthcare system.

Here on his home turf, the Canada’s top politician is being made to jump over massive hurdles, just to do his job. Some of the heat is due in part because he’s only got a minority government, the other part is due to the childish antics of the opposition parties.

Prime Minister Harper is always facing threats of election calls for his head, by the Bloc, the Liberals, the New Democratic Party, or a combination of them. Currently, the Liberal Party is threatening to call a non-confidence vote to end the Prime Minister’s rule, and lead Canadians into yet another federal election – has it even been a year since the last election?

With the intense pressures both the current American and Canadian leaders are facing, their meeting must have been a nice distraction from the horrors of their worlds. Let’s just hope that distraction was short lived, and they can both get back to the business of running their respective countries.

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Nothin’ More Canadian than Tim’s

Image by luismontanez via Flickr

Stand-up comics often make real-life observations funny – and one of those real-life observations is the predominance of donut shops in Canada.

“They are like McDonald’s in the States,” I remember hearing one say years ago. “There has to be a donut shop on just about every corner up here.”

Many of us Canadians would agree, often telling co-workers we’re heading off to “Tim’s” and asking if we can get them anything. Or you may hear someone saying they are taking a “Tim’s break.”

Former Toronto Maple Leaf hockey star Tim Horton’s has become a name known more for coffee, donuts and “Timbits” than for his stick handling. “Timbits,” are tiny donut-like treats, usually round, with a donut filling of some kind, for those outside of Canada.

See, for as long as most can remember, Tim Hortons has been their local donut shop. They really are everywhere, even on many Canadian military bases, including one on the Canadian base in Afghanistan.

There are other donut and coffee shops all across Canada as well, but Tim Hortons is the only chain to really become part of the Canadian experience.

Maybe it’s because it is named after a former hockey legend, or maybe it is because of their Canadian maple donuts, or maybe it is just good marketing, but if there is one company which has managed to sneak into the symbolism of our country, that company would be Tim Hortons.

That’s why there wasn’t a donut shop more Canadian than Tim’s – at least until 2007 when American burger joint Wendy’s bought the company.

Guess American’s don’t love donuts as much as us Canucks – because Tim’s is becoming Canadian once again due to poor sales in the States. Tim’s has always been in Canada, but when Wendy’s bought the company, they became an American subsidiary. Tim Hortons announced today that they would be forming a completely separate Canadian company for them to merge the American one into again. The company will still operate under the Tim Horton shame on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges, so investors have nothing to worry about.

As Americanized as the world becomes, with McDonald’s popping up everywhere, American celebrities outshining local ones, and even American political interest growing with the so-called Obama-mania spreading outside of the American borders, there are still some things in all countries which will remain unique, and let you know you aren’t in the U.S.A.

In the United Kingdom, symbols such as the old-style British architecture, fish and chips wrapped in newsprint, and round-abouts which are bound to make North American driver’s dizzy differ Brit’s from Americans. In many Asian countries, the roads are filled with bicycle traffic, instead of cars, letting you know you aren’t in Kansas anymore.

For us Canadians, it is donut shops on every corner, being excessively polite, and our passion for hockey and strong Canadian beer which differs us from our American neighbours to the south.

Oh, that and our inclusion of a former hockey player’s name into our lexicon which has come to mean a coffee break of sorts.

Only in Canada, eh?

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