Canadians: "Let's get out of Afghanistan"

Poll results released yesterday show that 49 per cent of Canadians now oppose our participation in the war in Afghanistan. Canada was 62 per cent in favour of it in December 2001 and approval numbers were still around the 50 per cent mark earlier this year.

Toronto Star story about poll results

While the decline in support may be slowed if the mission can go several weeks without new casualties, (pollster Frank) Graves doubts that public backing will turn around.

Especially considering we lost four more soldiers today, after the poll results were released. A bomber on a bicycle targetted some soldiers who were apparently doing horrible, horrible things to the local kids, like giving them candy and other gifts.

News of latest deaths

This follows a U.S. congressional report that says the U.S., Britain and Canada are doing most of the dangerous stuff in Afghanistan while the vast majority of the European "participants" are ducking combat duty and hiding out.

Are they cowards or are they just smarter than the rest of us? You Be The Judge

I join the ranks of those who say we have no business there and we should get the hell out. At least five more years, our government says. Bullshit, I say. We're not accomplishing anything, the locals don't want us there and our soldiers are dying for nothing.

Let the rest of the world worry about the rest of the world's problems and maybe we can focus instead on what's wrong in our own country.

 

On the other hand, you should be comforted by the notion that Your Neighbors To The South a) have stopped accidentally killing your soldiers, and b) have decided that OBL was no big deal after all.
WPE

 

Well, we haven't lost anyone to a friendly fire incident this week but, remember, it is only Monday.

 

Is there a French translation for the occupied citizens of Quebec?

 

We didn't realise that Fredo was going to take a little detour into Iraq when we signed up.

 

There you go - "focus on what's wrong in your own country" - could not agree more.

 

The people of Quebec have had two referendums in the last 30 years on whether or not they wanted to leave Canada. They voted "Non" both times. So that'll be enough of that "occupied" bullshit, thanks.

As for you, Boom, my suggestion is that the U.S. also pull out of the Middle East and get to work on solving ITS own problems. Lord knows there's enough to keep various federal and state administrations busy for the next hundred or so years.

 

OK - I'm listening - What are the US problems that we as a country need to focus on when we pull out of the Middle East?

 

Well, a federal budget deficit in the hundreds of billions of dollars and a national debt of $8.5 trillion and rising might be good places to start, considering public infrastructure like roads, sewers, bridges, schools and other buildings always needs to be repaired or replaced and the money to do that work will have to come from somewhere. And you can only borrow so much from the Chinese before you get to the point where you might as well start signing things over to them outright.

 

Exactly - look at France - oh wait