On August 2nd, people in Gorlovka celebrated the Russian Airborne Forces Day
Russian airborne forces VDV have traditionally worn a blue beret and blue-striped long-sleeved shirt or telnyashka and are called “desant” (Ru: Десант) from the French “Descente”.
Celebration of the Russian Airborne Troops Day in Gorlovka Donetsk People’s republic, Donbass
Oleg Gasmanov: No one, but us
Олег Газманов – Никто, кроме нас! (новый клип 2015)
> Gorlovka celebrates the Russian Airborne Forces Day
Where were they two years ago when this happened in Gorlovka?
And where, sir, were you when the horrendous bombardments were extant in Novorossiya….as they are again today? Where were you, sir, when we were digging refugees out of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk in June, July, August and September of that perilous year of 2014?
I can tell you where those desantniki were at that time, they were in training in Rostov and other areas. When Tovarich Polkovnik Strelkov was constantly lamenting of his lack of young men to fight alongside the grey beards, miners and tractor drivers in spring and summer of ’14 in Novorossiya he was being a bit disingenuous, he knew where they were because he sent them to be trained and trained well. He kept those who were a bit older and had prior service and sent the younger men to be well trained and organized as he should have done. The older men fought all spring, summer and early fall until the first of the younger men were ready. Who do you think did the fall cauldrons along the borders with Russia, the fairy godmother?
And where were you, sir, when this was going on. I know where we were and what we were doing.
Evacuees Speak
‘I was in school when the first attack came. We had heard shooting before, lots of shooting. We had gone to the protests in city square when Kiev said we could not speak Russian any more. Russian is the only language I know. I go to internet and I read the rule of European Union and United Nations. They say we can speak Russian language. Why will not the politicals in Kiev allow us to speak? I was born in Ukraine, why do they tell me I have to leave? I do not understand.
There was a very loud noise, we all ran out from school to see what it was. There was a hole in the street, not a big hole. The air smelled of ammonium and sulfur. I know this smell from chemical class. There was a woman in the grass. She was not moving, her packet of food was on the ground. She had some potatoes and carrots and a packet of milk. The milk packet was broken, milk was on the ground. Our teacher yelled at us to go back to school, told us not to look. I saw the woman, her back had blood. I hoped she was OK. I know now she was dead. Why did they kill her? My mother knew her. Now she is dead. Why? My mother cried.
Our flat is on the top floor. We can see the mountain from our flat. It is not a mountain. I and my mother have been there, from there you can see all our city and the near villages and towns and the railroad and bridges and the big roads. When the big guns started to shoot I could see the flame as they shoot. My girlfriends and I would sit in our flat after school and watch them. We are clever, we learned fast how to know what was shooting. We could see explosions in distant areas, there was smoke and fire in the factories. Soon there was fires in flats houses. The shooting came closer to our house (flats building).
My mother said we had no money. She said her work did not give her money. She said father’s work did not give him money. It is hard to find food now, almost all shops and magazines are closed, the shooting is to us now. Our самобороны told us it is Ukraine Army shooting at us. Why are they doing this? We are Ukrainian! I do not understand.
My last day at school my friends told me Aellona was dead. Her mother sent her out to find bread. She went to shops. All were closed. She was walking home. A bomb fell right beside her. My friends say she was in pieces. I liked her, she was my friend. Now she is dead. Why? What did she do? I miss her. She was very nice.
Father came one night and said we have to leave. Father would not come with us. I asked mother why father was not coming with us, she said she would tell me later. There was an old car (van) waiting, there was another woman and a child in the car. Father kissed us. We left. We drove all night on mud roads. A door on the car was missing, it was very cold and wet. The driver said he was lost. The other woman yelled at him, she told him mat (obscenities). She took his map and read it with her light. She told us to get out of the car, she would take us. The driver asked for money, the woman told him more mat. He left. We walked for a long time until we came to a river.
My (sibling) could not walk anymore, —- is small. I carried and my mother carried —-. The other woman told us to be strong, soon we would be safe. She carried her child. We came to a road and we walked along the road. We came to a block post, I saw the Ukraine flag. I was afraid. My mother told me to be silent. Young soldiers stopped us, they all had guns. I looked and I saw the Russian flag on the other side of the water. A soldier took the other woman’s passport and started to yell at her with mat. She kicked him and he fell. She told us to run to the other side. There was a lot of cars going across the bridge. Why were the soldiers yelling at us with mat? I did not understand but we all ran.
The soldiers on the other side shouted to us to come, they pushed us through their line, yelling at us to hurry. I was not afraid of these soldiers.
Women came to us. The women took us to a tent and gave us tea. It was warm in the tent, there was a stove in one side. It was raining and cold. My (sibling) was shivering. The women wrapped —- in a blanket and put —- beside the stove and they gave us all blankets. They spoke a different Russian than we speak.
A officer came in to tent. He asked the other woman who we were. She told him where we are from. He spoke to a soldier and told us to be calm, someone would come for us. We waited. After a long time a big white car (van) arrived. Two women and two men came to us, they had uniforms and all had automats, even the women. One woman spoke to my mother and the other woman. When my mother and the other woman spoke the woman spoke to one of the men. She spoke to the man in a language I do not understand. I was afraid. We got in the car. It was warm. We went for a long time. We came to a strange looking Church. Women were waiting for us. We were taken to warm rooms with beds. We were given tea and small breads. My mother and the other woman cried. A Priest came to us. He told us we were safe. I can not sleep. I am afraid.’
Early teenage child. Late summer 2014
Auslander
Author
Never The Last One https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGCY8KK#nav-subnav
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Great comment,thank you. I’m curious about how people in Crimea (and Novorossiya,and Russia in general),consider Stepan Bandera. Do they consider him as “just a nationalist”,or as a fascist or nazi nationalist. That “might” be considered a stupid question. Since I think it would be hard to not see him anyway but ,at the “least” ,a fascist. But somehow the 5th column supporters that infest RT have managed to do that. It seems the Kiev junta has decided to rename Moscow Avenue in KIev to Stepan Bandera Avenue. And in the report of that on RT it says,” Kiev mayor approves city council decision to rename Moscow Avenue after nationalist Bandera”. Even in the actual story there is a quote from a Russian official that uses the term nazi. But the “headline” approved by “someone” at RT thought he was “just a nationalist”.So am I wrong. Do people in the Russian World consider him “just a nationalist”,along with RT.
Uncle Bob, no one here particularly cares what small foolishnesses that herd of worthies in Kiev and Lemberg do, one could expect not much more from them than basic idiocy which they provide in abundance.
Bandera himself is regarded here exactly as he was, a ruthless war criminal, he and all his minions. Kiev honoring him and RT and others not calling them out on that honor means nothing. In the end things will return to relative normal in Kiev and all of Orcland. For the moment we have to put up with the foolishness emanating from that hole. We basically ignore them such as we would ignore the screams from the monkey house in a zoo.
Auslander
Everybody seems to have a crystal ball today so – I wonder if Putin already knew then that he would release Savchenko or stitch-up the holiday trade with Turkey not so long after the shoot-down?
In 2014, when NATO and Ukraine foreign legion bombed Gorlovka, Russian troops were where they supposed to be, in their barracks.
Russia is not responsible for war crimes committed by NATO.
Of course this is not going to be published, so just in short for the Saker and the mods:
In my first post I had asked a simple question which was referring to the title of the original article: Where were the Russian Airborne Forces (or more generally speaking the Russian military) in 2014 when the Ukrainian artillery was deliberately and indiscriminately shelling residential areas, inflicting unspeakable suffering on Novorossiya’s civilian population?
I know this has been debated here over and over in the past, and unlike the Saker I am not at all versed in military matters (though I’ve learned a bit reading this blog), but I still maintain that it would have been perfectly possible for the Russian military to keep Ukrainian artillery and katyushas at a safe distance from the big cities and other residential areas without ‘boots on the ground’ and without planes in Ukrainian airspace by using and threatening to use iskander missiles from RF territory and by officially supplying Novorossiya’s militias instead of secretly dumping stuff. Thanks to the fabrications and lies of the western msm Russia’s reputation was already in tatters. So, I’m wondering what it was that held back the planners in Moscow? The illusionary and vain hope that they would eventually be accepted as equals at the western table? I don’t get it. Inna Kukuruza and thousands of Novorossiyan civilians could still be alive, Kristina and cute little Kira (now 3 or 4 years old) could still be strolling in the park if the Russian military had taken timely and appropriate action. I have just looked at all these images again. It rips my heart out and chokes me with grief and anger …
P.S.
This was my first comment on this blog after almost 2 years but I will refrain from further postings because I don’t want to be the reason for discord. Of course I’ll continue to read the Saker’s articles on Unz and some of the stuff that’s published here, like Paul Matthews’ excellent piece some days ago.
As you will see, I have deleted all those comments rude and insulting to anyone, be they fellow commentator, moderator, or Saker.
I understand your frustration and despair at what appears to be lack of Russian military support in Donbass. We do know that the financial support there is huge. We also know Russia is obliged to make sure she gives the enemy no excuse for a full scale invasion.
However, your frustration and heart ache – for which I comment you may I say – don’t allow you to speak to others here as the deleted lines did.
However, I’m happy to let the rest go through. mod-on-duty.
Do come back, Lumpy Gravy. You’ve picked a hero’s name for yourself, that speaks a lot. You got off on the wrong foot. Ease gently back into these threads. We all feel the emotion you feel, and we know that Russia feels the same emotion. But Russia has chosen to win this contest, for the sake of its people. Our task is to study how and why, and to discuss ways and means – not to think that we know better than the dedicated professional in charge of Russia’s global defensive war with the US and its masters.
Softly this game is won.
/foreign-minister-sergey-lavrovs-interview-to-komsomolskaya-pravda-moscow-may-31-2016/
You can read Lavrov’s reply to the journalist. Basically she asked the same question, why didn’t Russia be more proactive on the issue.
Lumpy, my post was not to denigrate you personally but perhaps to shock a little sense in to you in regards to many of us on Saker.
More than a few of us are acutely aware of the exact situation in Novorossiya from the very first days during the maidan debacle. Never think that it does not break our hearts to see and/or learn of each and every senseless death in that war. We personally have lost friends up there including one couple in Gorlovka in January of ’15 whom my wife was talking to when the Grad flew in their kitchen window, killing the husband and wife and their dogs. They had moved their teenage daughters to safe haven in Rostov the morning before. We did not know what happened until next morning, communication system my lass was using simply stopped working from the Gorlovka end which was not unusual. It took us a week to find the girls and take them under our wing. They are still under that wing as are three others although two of the five are now serving. Here you reach your majority at 16.
While it was frustrating to watch from afar, and sometimes not so afar, what was happening in Novorossiya on the other hand I for one am not privy to the informations Mr. Putin, Mr. Lavrov and General Shoigu have. They made and make their decisions as they will but suffice it to say that Novorossiya exists and will continue to exist, that is a given and the orcs and their masters in Langley are fully aware of this fact and are infuriated by this fact.
Wars are not won by emotion and emotionally driven attacks and actions, they are won by careful planning and relentless pursuit of the end goal which is victory. I have no doubts that there will be two victory parades when the war is won, one in Novorossiya and one in our Sevastopol. You see, we have a lot of our local men, and women, serving up there voluntarily, and we have buried more than one.
Calm down, my friend, calm down. Say a prayer for each and every soul lost in this senseless war and be patient, victory will be ours. The victory will not lessen the heart ache we have for our lost comrades and loved ones, not one iota, but the victory will be their victory just as much as it will be our victory.
Kindest regards,
Auslander
Auslander, many thanks for your comments on Gorlovka, and telling us what happened there.
Ever since I saw photos of Kristina and Kira 2 years ago, my heart has been with Gorlovka and the people there, as well as later with those in Donetsk (and the DPR, and not forgetting the LPR after Inna, but less so).
I would like to ask you for your help: I need the names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers of anyone (preferably senior) who can speak English, in the electricity and/or gas company, and municipality in Gorlovka, and if you can, also for Donetsk, as I can’t speak Russian.
I am trying to arrange something good for those 2 cities, details later. Many many thanks.
Ralph, please contact the moderators and ask them how to contact me off blog. We can arrange something to communicate.
I can not promise success in assisting in your endeavors but I will try.
Auslander
OK Auslander, many thanks. I will e-mail Saker to ask him to give you my e-mail address.
Auslander, Saker is very fast! He’s sent you my e-mail. Thanks Saker!
Ralph
Yup, got it. I’ll email you shortly.
Auslander
Sadly today it appears tnat the Minsk subcommittee to establish protective zones at checkpoints has ground to a halt, LNR reports any settlement discussion is blocked by ukraine ie no further negotiations it seems on constitution, elections, status and amnesty……ukr ignores all the osce and all commissions of the contact group…..more shellings, it seems ukr forces still majorly targeting infrastructure maybe I feel getting their eye in ready for increased activity in autumn so they can bed in any advances before winter though NR forces seem to be much better at coping with and using winter conditions to their advantage.Remember ukr is setting up many more factories and plant to provide military equipment, ammunition, recent deliveries of usa supplied weaponry, drones, recon and sabotage units established maybe working in conjunction with the renegade medglis ex daesh and other western volunteers for example in Kherson region currently against Crimea but hopefully not in training to be directed against NR…….I do not know what latest progress of the White Book is, but DNR were being supported in a petition to UNSC by OSCE the other day am I correct in remembering? Of ccourse no input it seems from EU Merkel and Hollande the twins of nothingness……Polish-ukraine mixed relationship in fluxus and how that influences factors especially the nato factor …..the situation in limbo it seems but ukr forces are limbering up, despite their own conditions, not wishing to recognise the new Rus ambassador, not repay debt, no IMF tranche, an american minister suports changes in law of organ transplants whatever that means……maybe Ruscan prevail on Turkey to disassociate itself from Ukraine…….wishful thinking.
I have just read that one can sign up to a doninews weekly e letter to stay in touch with “Donbass life”…, I do wish more “legal” things could be supported if not initiated against ukraine but have no idea what is possible if much is being done but I share the frustration of many in not really knowing what can be done or should be done or is being done overtly or covertly……..altnough we try to glean what we can from the limited news available from dni news ,novorossiya, etc and the various facebook groups supporting NR I do wish there was more information available. We must keep the memories of those victims present and not forgotten it is the least we that we do. I have said all the above in previous posts/comments….and realy am unable to say anything else except the usual phrase “exactly the same but much much worse”perhaps or possibly….so nothing changes….or will it?
JJ, thanks again for all the great info (“twins of nothingness”, that made me laugh for a moment).
Could something be done through Freedom of Information Act requests to at least gather info on who did what to whom and when? (eg, who was Nuland referring to specifically with her famous statement, and how was she —ing them exactly?) I was going to ask Martin about this several weeks ago, during his rage against a few German officials for their part in Ukraine’s war. Does anyone know (or have documents that show) who did what, how, when etc? Even the basic chain of events or commands? I think The Saker featured some from Serbia who are attempting something like this?
thanks for comment re T of N, sometimes I can have a moment of inspiration ie during a youtube 11 hour tibetan bowl meditation for peace and healing, onto the best mantra om in the world while I distribute typeset into relevant cases at work…………but sadly I have no idea to help with admin stuff , i I read that the whitebook was fully documentated and annotated which is hopeful.
Cheers.You’ll read a new comment re Canadian army, trainers? going to ukr…………..
Friday, August 5, 2016 – 11:13
Ottawa has started the deployment of some 200 troops to Ukraine to continue military training, Canadian Armed Forces said in a press release.
The ministry added that the deploying soldiers will relieve their counterparts already in Ukraine to continue military training activities requested by the Ukrainian government, reports Sputnik.
Starting today and continuing throughout the month of August, approximately 200 Canadian Army soldiers will be deploying to under Operation UNIFIER as part of the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the release said.
DONi News Agency
Thanks for the post, JJ. I noticed it yesterday and it sent me diving into the Canadian Forces website. Only to discover that there is some actual specific information, with some digging!
So, the previous government signed up the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for deploying up to 200 personnel to Ukraine until March 31, 2017. Continuing the same mission, Operation UNIFIER. Trudeau committed to carrying through with the commitment to Ukraine, given by the previous government.
Bunch of info about UNIFIER located here:
http://forces.gc.ca/en/operations-abroad/op-unifier.page
There is a Mission Timeline on the above webpage. An interesting trend recently:
…
13 February 2016 – A third serial of the basic counter- improvised explosive device (C-IED) training course is completed in Kamyanets-Podilsky.
11 March 2016 – Military Police complete another series of use of force and basic Investigation techniques near Kyiv, Ukraine.
12 March 2016 – A Fourth serial of the basic counter- improvised explosive device (C-IED) training course is completed in Kamyanets-Podilsky.
29 April 2016 – Military Police complete another series of use of force near Kyiv, Ukraine.
30 April 2016 – Ukrainian soldiers from the 2nd Battalion 25th Brigade Airmobile graduate from the first serial of small team training at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre.
13 May 2016 – Military Police complete another series of use of force.
27 May 2016 – Military Police complete another series of basic Investigation techniques near Kyiv, Ukraine.
15 June 2016 – Medical instructors complete a first iteration of their Combat First Aid Instructor course.
July 2016 – Since the start of the mission in September 2015, more than 1700 Ukrainian Armed Forces candidates have participated in the individual training provided by the CAF. The training is conducted in seven different lines of efforts that aim at developing specific areas such as : small team training, combat first aid, Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Improved Explosive Device Disposal, military police techniques, Logistics modernization, Flight Safety training and other training under the auspices of the Military Training and Cooperation Program (MTCP).
1 July 2016 – Medical instructors complete the first iteration of the newly created Combat First aid instructor course in Starychi Ukraine.
8 July 2016 – – A fifth serial of the basic counter- improvised explosive device (C-IED) training course is completed in Kamyanets-Podilsky.
8 July 2016 – Ukrainian soldiers from the 1st Battalion 72nd Mechanized Infantry completed the 55 day course in Starychi, Ukraine which included tactical soldier training and combat first aid training.
23 July – Medical instructors complete the second iteration of Combat First aid instructor course in Kiev, Ukraine.
There appears to be a shift towards medical training/combat first aid recently. Something we can watch for in the weeks ahead.
Big news in the CAF: Vice Chief of Defence Staff Change in Command
“Vice-Admiral Mark Norman will assume the role of VCDS, second in command of the Canadian Armed Forces, from Lieutenant-General Guy Thibault, who is retiring after 38 years of dedicated service.”
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?mthd=index&crtr.page=5&nid=1107439
This is kind of important, yet, the news release went out on Aug. 3rd… almost like you don’t want to attract much attention to it?
Looked into the bios of the two involved. The new Vice-Admiral Mark Norman is the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy. (One of the fun bits of being a former colony is we get to add “royal” to all kinds of things. :-) A specialist in Above Water Warfare, with a degree in Economics, he appears to be 100% home-grown. All Canadian education and experience.
In contrast, the outgoing VCDS, Lieutenant-General Guy Thibault:
“In 2002, he was appointed Commander, Canadian Forces Base Kingston prior to deploying in early 2004 with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Upon return from ISAF, he attended full time postgraduate studies and completed a Master’s degree of Public Administration (Management) from Dalhousie University. He is a graduate of the Land Forces Command and Staff College, the Canadian Forces Staff College and the National Security Studies Program.
As a General Officer, he has served as Commander Land Force Central Area – Joint Task Force Central Region; Deputy Commander Canadian Army – Assistant Chief of the Land Staff; as well as the Canadian Forces J6 and Chief of Staff for ADM (Information Management). In this latter capacity, he also assumed the role as Branch Leader for the Canadian Forces Communications and Electronics Branch.
Upon promotion to Lieutenant-General in 2011, he served as the first Chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) in Washington, DC. This international organization is an entity of the Organization of American States and is the oldest regional defense cooperation organization in the world. Lieutenant-General Thibault assumed the duties of Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (VCDS) in September 2013, and as such serves as the second in command of the Canadian Armed Forces, Commander of the VCDS Group and is responsible and accountable to the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Deputy Minister to coordinate and direct activities to ensure departmental defence policy and strategic objectives are achieved.”
With no evidence of any kind, I think… NATO… Communications and Electronics Branch… Washington, DC… Master’s of Public Administration… He sounds (potentially) quite Neocon-friendly. And ambitious. And like someone who I wouldn’t expect to quietly retire a bit early.
Is the CAF quietly replacing a Neocon-friendly type with a tried-and-true Canadian patriot type as Vice Chief of Defence Staff??
And speaking of Canada and NATO, in mid-July, Lieutenant-General Paul Wynnyk assumed command of the Canadian Army from Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse. (Wynnyk is transitioning from leadership of the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command.)
Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse is becoming Canada’s senior military representative to NATO. What is he like, I wondered? I found the following interview with Hainse from April:
http://espritdecorps.ca/new-blog-52/2016/5/9/looking-ahead-an-interview-with-lgen-marquis-hainse-commander-of-the-canadian-army
My initial impression is that he sounds not very hawkish/neocon, to me. Example from that interview:
“When I say I have learned to not take anything for granted, I think the best example is Operation HONOUR. I honestly thought the Army and the Canadian Armed Forces were better at preventing sexual misconduct than we are. That was until we conducted a study. We took for granted that certain training was happening. Sexual harassment and awareness training was something we were talking about, but it was just not being implemented to the extent that it should have been. We took our eyes off the ball. You need to keep nurturing what you believe in. Whatever that subject might be. We are not there yet, but we are making progress.”
Today’s Toronto Star covered Lt.-General Thibault’s retirement as Vice Chief of Defence Staff. (His retirement was held on Friday, opening day of the Olympics… I still think this tells us the govt is trying to bury this event. And the National Post, which loves war and criticising the new govt, gave a prominent spot to Thibault’s comments. This suggests that our govt is tiptoeing around the Washington war party with this move. That’s how I interpret it anyway.)
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.thestar.com/amp/news/canada/2016/08/05/lt-gen-guy-thibault-slams-level-of-bureaucratic-involvement-in-military.html?client=ms-android-google&espv=1
… And what else did Canada’s National Defence dept choose to announce on the opening day of the Olympics? When all the faithful One Percent media is devoted to tearing down Brazil?
“Joint Personnel Support Unit restructures under a new Commanding Officer”
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?mthd=index&crtr.page=2&nid=1107899
“The JPSU structure was established originally as a project, in 2008 to care for the influx of visibly ill and injured CAF members from operations in Afghanistan. Over time, the scope of programs, the delivery of services, and the nature of injuries treated has changed considerably.”
“Members of 1st Canadian Rangers Patrol Group Conduct Annual Training.”
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?mthd=index&crtr.page=1&nid=1108449
“A group of 35 members of the 1st Canadian Rangers Patrol Group and 6 Junior Canadian Rangers are taking part in annual training in their local Patrol areas of Whitehorse, Yukon and Atlin, BC from August 3 to August 10.”
“Vice Admiral Mark Norman becomes Canada’s New Vice Chief of the Defence Staff”
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?mthd=index&crtr.page=1&nid=1108179
Also, announced Aug. 4, National Defence Minister Sajjan is going to Africa, accompanied by retired Lt-General Romeo Dallaire and Justice Louise Arbour. Aug. 9-16. That should get some media coverage. Wonder what the spin will be?
Media coverage starts to roll in:
Exclusive: Liberals eye revamped West Africa special forces mission
Ottawa considers replacing special forces trainers in West Africa with regular troops
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/peacekeeping-africa-sajjan-1.3712202
An opinion piece this time:
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.thestar.com/amp/opinion/commentary/2016/08/10/canadas-return-to-un-peacekeeping-promises-little-peace-walkom.html?client=ms-android-google&espv=1
I’ve noticed a trend in the MSM coverage to portray the renewed interest in peacekeeping, as political, the new Liberal govt looking to win approval of the UN, international community.
Don’t we know yet??? The only approval Canada needs is the Washington war party’s approval!! It’s fascinating how in these opinion pieces, the ruling Liberals and the UN are assigned political motives, which are suspect…. And the US / Washington doesnt enter into the discussion. Like Washington is not involved in the use of Canada’s military. Fairly obvious use of redirection.
The unfortunate part is this removes the opportunity to have a discussion about the actual issue: should Canada become more involved in peacekeeping missions? How should that decision be made?
From Esprit de corps: (for what it’s worth, I found this opinion helpful in trying to decide my stance on Canada’s involvement in peacekeeping missions. Still undecided, myself).
http://espritdecorps.ca/on-target-does-canada-really-need-a-mission-in-africa
It seems like I can go on about this forever, so one final comment and I’m cutting myself off. Closing time. :-) (and thanks, Mods, for allowing me to extrapolate like this)
So here in U.S. North, I’m wondering if the members of Canada’s Armed Forces have enough political influence? Should some effort be made to ensure better political representation of Canada’s military? I get this vague impression of some really decent members of the Armed Forces being batted around like a toy ball by all kinds of political forces (internally and otherwise). I find it upsetting.
I really do hope that Dion is doing something about that U.S. Northern Command business. For my point of view, this govt must have more support from the Russian govt than is revealed publicly to even attempt these kinds of changes? That’s just my assumption.
(Teeny add’l comment :-) Should Canadians lobby/insist that Canada supply peacekeepers only to countries where we have no corporate interests? To avoid having our military used as a security service for Canada’s One Percent? Maybe a crazy idea. Thx again to Chossudovsky & Global Research for the education on these matters. :-)
Now I really might be fishing here, I’ll admit it. But why announce the Canadian Rangers training, which started on Aug. 3, on Aug. 5, the opening day of the Olympics? Could it have something to do with this? (Whitehorse is in the Western part of Canada’s North, right up against the border with Alaska, for those unfamiliar with this locale!!)
“Several formations and military units of the Western MD were put on highest levels of combat readiness”
http://eng.mil.ru/en/structure/okruga/west/news/more.htm?id=12091695@egNews
“Aug 4 – Large-scale command-and-staff training on troops control has started under the leadership of the Western MD Commander Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov.
Control units of tanks and combined-arms formations located in the Moscow and Voronezh Regions, formations of Air Force and Air Defence, Baltic Fleet, and several formations and military units are to practice controlling the troops (forces) while putting them on highest levels of combat readiness… Etc etc
Force grouping will include units of almost all security departments located in the territory of the Central, Privolzhsky, and North-Western federal districts. …”
Wow amazing what one can discover….
And there’s still more!! Announced today, Mon. Aug. 8 —
“Minister Dion visits NORAD” (North American Aerospace Defence Command)
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?mthd=index&crtr.page=1&nid=1108879
Dion is quoted saying, “Defense and security relations between Canada and United States are long-standing, well-entrenched and highly successful. Our NORAD partnership is a powerful symbol of the trust and confidence between Canada and the United States in the common defence of our nations and borders.
And I say, the fact that our lead diplomat is visiting Colorado today is a symbol of an absence of trust and confidence in the common defence of our nation’s and borders. If all was well, the diplomats (especially the top one) would stay out of it, and let the NORAD staff do their jobs.
Conclusion: All is not well with the defence of North America right now. Not well at all. Actually, I feel a bit queasy.
And, more than 4,000 Canadian reservists are starting summer training exercises. Just announced today too.
” Canada’s Army Reserve to conduct summer training exercises across country”
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?mthd=index&crtr.page=1&nid=1108889
your comment about a canadian saker has been forwarded to Saker … mod-hs
Thanks, Mod! It may not be suitable or whatever, but it seemed like a good idea in that moment.
So… drawing on recent inspiration from following Sajjan’s trip to Africa, reading background on Chossudovsky’s Global Research.ca, and reflecting on the imperial legacy of Canada’s One Percent corporations, I wonder:
Would it help put an end to terrorism in Africa if somehow all mineral and oil rights were designated exclusively to the possession of the people in the nation where the desirable deposit lies?? This would demand some non-corrupted international organisation to be oversee it. But it would prevent the parasitic, powerful minority from using political instability to steal natural resources. Maybe Boko Haram would be much easier to eliminate this way?
Do you suppose Canada’s FM Dion’s visit to NORAD has anything to do with the sad death, after a brief illness, of Canadian Colonel Brian Derry, who was Deputy Command Centre Director at NORAD? He died May 30, 2016.
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1078249
“Colonel Brian Derry… has been instrumental in leading decisions and actions to homeland defence missions for both Canada and the United States.” What homeland defence????
I say, with no evidence, that yes, it most definitely does. What the heck is going on in the North American continent these days???
So… freaking out here in Canada… I wonder if FM Dion’s visit to NORAD is the equivalent on having your ambassador summoned after some offending incident. Except this is Canada and the US, so it’s handled a bit differently.
All these thoughts: can the Hegemon (whoever that entails specifically) cope with losing Canada as a total subservient pawn? Although the Hegemon appears all powerful, Canada’s leaders and diplomats have provided tremendous support over the decades.
Why is our border open?? A close friend tells me from his viewpoint that trucks need to continue transporting goods between the countries. True, I suppose.
How close are we to a hostile or adversarial relationship with the US? And Canada’s relationship with Russia much be well-established for us to even attempt this move for indepe