Dr Zaius
Chief Defender of the Faith
- Joined
- May 1, 2001
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- 8,902
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- Don
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This was an interesting debate from the "No Spin Zone" of the Bill O'Reilly show on Fox News.
So what's the real deal with the Canadian military? Is it as strong as ever or is it going down the drain?BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the Factor Follow-Up segment tonight, we've been telling you about Canada's continuing criticism of America's war on terror. Now comes word that the Canadian military is falling apart.
Joining us from Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is David Harris, a member of the Council for Canadian Security. Mr. Harris was once a high-level Canadian security intelligence service official.
All right. So what's going on up there? Military doesn't have enough money? Is that what it is?
DAVID HARRIS, COUNCIL FOR CANADIAN SECURITY: Well, it's just a, really, another chapter in a long one of collapse and embarrassment for the Canadian military. We had just about 90,000 troops to our name 10 years ago in time for the Gulf. That was considered an embarrassment. Now we're down to about 55,000, and we couldn't even find the 800 people, troops, necessary to put in another rotation in our forces in Afghanistan. We had to pull out entirely just weeks ago because of that. So...
O'REILLY: All right. So you've got 55,000 military people. That includes air force, army, navy, everything.
HARRIS: That is the universe.
O'REILLY: Oh, man. See, I mean, I've been, this is, this is what I mean. What is Chretien and his government think their obligation is, not only to the people of Canada, but to the Western world? Do they think they have no obligation at all?
HARRIS: Well, you know, I guess a lot of the money for these things has been siphoned off into many of these social programs and other such things that we advertise so widely.
O'REILLY: Yes, but, I mean, with 55,000, I mean, that -- you can't defend yourself. I mean, if anything happened, and you just can't. So the United States would have to do it. And the border situation is so porous and the immigration system so lax in Canada that I don't understand why most Canadians don't feel that they're in jeopardy.
HARRIS: Well, I think, you know, a lot of us really have been asleep at the switch. We've been soothed by governments that are happy to, as I say, siphon off this money into more rewarding electorally rewarding kinds of things like Medicare and all the things that we claim make us superior, but in fact render us in the long run vulnerable. And we've seen this trend going on now, Bill, for two generations.
O'REILLY: All right. Now the question is, does Chretien and his government have any moral right to criticize the United States, which is spending billions of dollars and, you know, 299 of our military are dead, wiping out the Taliban, do you have any moral right to criticize us as Canada has continually since 9/11, when you guys don't have enough military To protect yourself, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and anybody else can go fly, you know what I mean? I mean, you're not going to help anybody else because you can't.
HARRIS: Well, Chretien has none at all and very little credibility or moral authority even here in Canada. His government has been up on all kinds of allegations and charges of the most incredible corruption. And yet here we have him posturing as a great moralist and savior of humanity. You know, I have to say that a great many thinking people in Canada have been disgusted by Mr. Chretien's recent statements and have been insisting on an apology for the United States (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'REILLY: Well, he's never going to do that. And I don't want to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) encapsulate, Chretien basically said the West was partially responsible for the 9/11 attack because they're -- we don't care about the poor and all of this other nonsense.
HARRIS: It's a troubling thing.
O'REILLY: But what really shocked me -- here's what really shy (ph) and a lot of Americans. I got tons of mail on this, Mr. Harris, was the poll that The Globe and Mail in Toronto did which showed 80 percent of Canadians feel that United States is partially responsible for that massacre on 9/11. And, you know, Americans are going, What's going on up there?
HARRIS: Yes, there's this strain of mindless small-"l" liberalism that really doesn't take into account reality, and part of that reality is that the Americans have paid for our defense and have been such good neighbors that we haven't had to be defensive.
O'REILLY: That's right. That's right.
HARRIS: We haven't, we haven't had to do...
O'REILLY: I mean, what do you need an army for when we do it all for you? And then after we do it all for you, you're telling us that we're barbarians down here. It's, it's...
HARRIS: Well, it's great, ain't it? Yes, so...
O'REILLY: No, it's not.
HARRIS: Well, this is, this is what's been going on, and those of us who've been struggling against it have been shocked by the approach of (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'REILLY: Yes. I think you're a voice in the wilderness, Mr. Harris, up there, though. I believe that somehow the Canadian people, and maybe it's because you banned satellite dishes up there, you know, you banned satellite dishes. You can't get the Fox News Channel and hear the voice of sanity (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HARRIS: There's nothing sacred, huh?
O'REILLY: Yes. Mr. Harris, thanks very. We appreciate you coming on.
HARRIS: Thanks a lot, Bill.
O'REILLY: All right. I didn't know the Canadian military had fallen apart, only 55,000 people. Almost as much, many people in New York City Police Department.