turn up the carnage

Sometimes a sudden drop in temperature catches me unprepared and I freeze during my usual lunch hour walk around the downtown city centre. Sometimes I’ll huddle into the library or a restaurant vestibule to warm up. As I throw away the day to discuss matters meaningful to some. These days, what is applicable are the pros and cons of our destruction. As expected, what is note worthy you’ll find on the back burner. That is usually the case when you take things into the perspective with occupants in the haunts and settles of a place called Ottawa.

The Conservatives are the only one of Canada's five major political parties anywhere to the right of the political spectrum in U.S. terms. Of the four other major parties, the Tories can count on support from none. Yet the Liberals can depend on the kindred New Democratic Party, the Bloc Quebecois, and the Greens for occasional support on social and environmental policy.

As many had taken it easy in anticipation last Monday, their plans of promise with hockey, friends, beer and music was all but their only Conventional Wisdom that has so far paid almost no attention to the strategic consequences of Stephen Harper's victory with the Conservative Party. These very same people the ones who brought our government down in the first place to only, in time, complain in folly. Conventional Wisdom as usual is wrong. With this particular victory it is likely to have very rapid significant consequences for the development of hemispheric BMD (ballistic missile defense), with a far greater longer-term strategic potential for Canadian-U.S. relations. Harper has admitted he admires George W. personally and has made clear that in may respects he wants to emulate his political style.

From the American side, Harper's decision has no immediate physical advantages, but its long-term diplomatic and strategic advantages may be profound. The U.S. multi-tier BMD system being developed to defend against nuclear armed ballistic missiles that could be fired by so-called "rogue states" like North Korea or Iran does not need Canadian cooperation or geographical locations to be effective. It involves a radar detection web being fashioned in Alaska, California, on U.S. Navy Aegis-class warships in the Pacific and involving orbiting space-based assets.

Also, with Britain and Australia already playing active, highly important roles in their BMD partnerships with the United States, Harper's decision goes far to making BMD cooperation a defining policy characteristic of the leading Anglosphere nations. This is especially the case since India signed off on far-reaching BMD cooperation with the United States only last year.
Martin flip-flopped on BMD. His doubt on the question as to whether or how he would accord. What Bush did to Martin when he had visited Ottawa this past year was privately lecture him, then publicly sandbag him; on our soil, no less – rough housing with principle and further perverting the words "diplomacy" and "friendship". Gee, and the U.S. news media wondered why there were anti-Bush protests in Ottawa. As Martin has now resigned, in the coming week, Harper will be pronoucned prime minister and will be far more likely to follow suit in destruction without any damaging amendments or quibbles.

In other words, in this advanced industrial so-called ‘democratic’ world there are ballistic missiles waiting to happen. It’s questionable how most could universally vote in support for a characterized victorious and resurgent conservative conformist trend.

The Iraq war was obvious, contrived, and over-marketed; we knew full-well what we were getting involved with. Or did we? For Canadians, the questions are many: But do pros outweigh cons? Keeping in mind that we must view this from an international perspective and not just a parochial one. And, most telling of all, why does the U.S. threaten us instead of convince us? We're expected to accept faith on something which, by all accounts, is a multi-billion-dollar death bringer. So, be it, a Death Star. Iraq was shoved down our throats and we gagged; now we're being fed voodoo defence and expected to swallow -- or choke on the consequences. No Canadian would be foolish enough to think that there aren't linkages, which makes any pressuring in person uncalled-for -- we already have the post-Iraq cloud of reprisal hanging over us. We’re dealing with death here. And by all means, with more momentum.