MetaFilter posts tagged with military and Canada

LOL116DEADCANADIANSOLDIERS

spoobnooble — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:13:53 -0800

Fox News, keeping it classy, recently aired a comedy segment ridiculing the Canadian military's efforts in Afghanistan. On the overnight programme, host Greg Gutfeld and friends joked about Canada's plan to pull out troops in 2011 to "do some yoga, paint landscapes, run on the beach in gorgeous white Capri pants." He also suggested invading Canada seeing as how they "have no real army", and mocked the last name of one of the Canadian generals as being unmasculine. The Fox segment has been one of the leading news stories in Canada for the past 48 hours. There is also some discussion States-side, although MSNBC decided to lead off with the glib title "Fox News sorry for dissing Canadian army, eh?" Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Mackay has stated "it is insensitive and it is, in fact, disgusting given the timing (on the day of his statement, four more dead Canadian soldiers were being brought back to Canada for burial). Meanwhile, Gutfeld has issued a statement of apology, claiming that the program is meant as "a satirical take on the news, in which all topics are addressed in a lighthearted, humorous and ridiculous manner." He also posted on Twitter: "My apologies to the Canadian military, they probably could at least beat the Belgians." Meanwhile comedian Doug Benson, who appeared with the Red Eye discussion panel and claimed during the segment that he didn't even know Canada was involved in the war in Afghanistan, has had comedy dates in Alberta canceled. Watch the complete segment, if you care to, at the usual YouTube link.

CDN military to gays: Join us!

SSinVan — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:47:17 -0800

Canadian military to gays: Join us! They're even setting up recruiting booths at Gay Pride events (when they are allowed) Note that CBC moderators deleted some of the comments on that first link, but you get a hunch on what they said from the other comments. You may also have heard about two gay soldiers who wed on a military base.

The shot not heard around the world.

stinkycheese — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:22:41 -0800

Did you know that two weeks ago - last Valentine's Day - a pact was signed in Texas allowing cross-border military activity between Canada and the US? I'd supply more links but there's not much out there.

US Sgt enlists Canadian hackers to take down weblog?

Coop — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 14:43:17 -0800

US Sgt enlists Canadian hackers to take down weblog? Apparently a US chaplain posted some information about visiting a base that doesn't exist. Some networking people are concerned and since Canada's hockey team was out early in the Olympics, thought some Canadian hackers may be able to help...

For young deserters, refuge is hard to find

Postroad — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 15:53:37 -0800

For young deserters, refuge is hard to find It seemed like a drastic but simple solution: a step over the border into a country that had offered sanctuary before to Americans fleeing their homeland. Instead, the growing band of US soldiers who have sought political refuge in Canada after defying orders to serve in Iraq have found themselves in a political limbo.

No justice for the families.

Dipsomaniac — Wed, 18 Jun 2003 19:22:40 -0800

Friendly fire pilots cleared. Even though a joint US-Canada investigation found that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with court-martial proceedings against the two pilots, no military charges will be filed.

Now, while charging these two pilots will not bring the dead Canadians back, I don't think that it's too much to ask that these two hotshots be required to face the consequences of their lethal actions.

Frankly, a court-martial is not too much to expect, in the face of the fact that these officers disobeyed a direct order.

Canada's forgotten weapons of mass destruction.

Caffine_Fiend — Mon, 13 Jan 2003 10:47:48 -0800

Canada's forgotten weapons of mass destruction. Shortly after the end of World War II, the Canadian navy began to dispose of its surplus chemical weapons by dumping them off the shore of Atlantic Canada. Large quantities of chemical agents, including mustard gas, were loaded onto barges and scuttled at undisclosed locations. Over 50 years later, some of these military dumpsites have become lost due to poor record keeping. With increasing offshore oil exploration and a commercially successful shellfish industry, there's a possibility that these forgotten chemical agents could return to the coasts of "Canada's Ocean Playground".

revbrian — Tue, 26 Jun 2001 18:34:17 -0800

Commander Porn, at your service! "...one of Canada's top naval commanders has been suspended from duty and humiliated in front-page headlines for accessing ''Penthouse-like sites'' on a portable computer provided to him by the military. "

Commodore Eric Lerhe, the 52-year-old chief of Canada's Pacific fleet, acknowledged to higher brass that he had on occasions downloaded images of naked women while off-duty and alone in officers' quarters during an assignment in the United States.

Isn't this overkill? A reprimand I could see, but does it make sense to punish this to this degree?