One action that Canada took which was supported by most Canadians was to send troops to Afghanistan to root out the terrorists and bring stability to the country. This was well underway until the Americans (read George Bush) started a war with Iraq which took away the resources to finish the job. Now there is chaos and predictions that the war in Afghanistan cannot be won and of course there has been huge political pressure to bring our troops home.

Now a report on the cost of the war to Canadian taxpayers was released suggesting that by 2011, the cost could reach $13 to 18 billion. This is a huge amount of money but, hey, it costs money to run a war. We need to provide the best equipment and weaponry to our soldiers or the body count would double and triple. It is hard to suggest we should not have spent so much.

The New Democrats want to pull out of Afghanistan right away and New Democrat foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar, who requested the report, is using it as a political tool in the upcoming federal election. “I think Stephen Harper and Stephane Dion need to explain to Canadians why we’re continuing with a mission that isn’t working and that Canadians cannot afford,” he said.

What does this nincompoop think they will say ‘ Oh yeah, good point, we are just wasting our money for no good reason, we will call the troops home tommorrow and ask the Afghans for a refund.’ Good Grief, I hate people that, for political purposes, criticize decisions that they probably supported personally ( at least in private) because they feared what might happen in the future if we did not take action to protect ourselves.

Regardless, this is just another example of how soon we forget what happened on 9/11and how the whiners will find a way to take us back to where we are vulnerable again. Is the war costly? Yes. Can the war be won? Maybe, maybe not. Does it matter if we just walk away to save some money? Think back to how you felt on 9/11 to answer that one.

The way McCain was scrambling to answer questions and develop policy on the spot was hard to watch. His appeal to the audience to support him by using motherhood and apple pie types of statements was  embarrassing. He was grovelling and making promises he knows he couldn’t keep.

When asked what priorities he would do first he tried to please everybody by saying he would do them all at once. His rationale was that he saw no reason why they couldn’t be done at the same time “because this is America, and we are Americans and this is what we do” What a joke.

I admire John McCains military history and give him credit for being a hero and all, but it is very evident that that is not enough to be President in today’s world. The public has become way more sophisticated and McCain has not kept up. Recruiting Sara Palin as a running mate is another sign that he is out of touch.

People don’t care about looks and what you have done in the past. They are looking for substance, leadership and performance. I see John McCain as another 4 years of George Bush type of government and we all know where that got us.

Sitting tight.

Selling.

Buying.

None of the above.

Do these people have a pulse?

Chretien and Martin

He was being critical of Prime Minister Stephen Harper for not having an economic plan, unlike the Liberals who would offer more of the budget control heroics of former Prime Ministers Paul Martin and Jean Chretien. That is when I got antsy and stopped listening.

Chretien and Martin did a great job of balancing the budget and keeping taxes down however, it was at a great cost to the country. Why don’t we have enough doctors and nurses today? Thank these two true ”politicians” for their great leadership in the 90′s when they cut back on the funding for educating doctors and nurses which has created the shortage today.

Why is the country’s infrastructure (roads, bridges etc.) in such sad shape and in need of billions of dollars of upgrades? Thank the dynamic duo again for using gas tax revenues to balance the budget rather than building and maintaining roads. Oh, and what about Walkerton and the water contamination that led to the deaths of 7 people? I guess cutting the public health department budgets which resulted in the Ontario provincial government reducing the amount of health inspectors and/or privatizing inspections was not a great tax saving idea.

Last night we had the pleasure of participating in one of the Okanagan Wine Festivals wonderful events, a winemakers dinner hosted by the Villa Rosa restaurant in Penticton BC. The great food was paired with award winning wines provided by the Dirty Laundry Winery, based in Summerland, BC.

Hush by Dirty Laundry

This seven course dinner was certainly up to Villa Rosa standards and the wines made it a meal that would be enjoyed by even the fussiest of Connosseurs. The evening started with true Italian antipasto paired with one of Dirty Laundry’s best offerings, Hush, a wonderful light, fruity tasting blush. This was followed by Insalata Villa Rosa Cappricciosa (great salad) served with Dirty Laundry Woo Woo,  made from the oldest gewurztraminer vines in the Okanagan Valley.

The palate was then tickled by crabcakes served with Pinot Gris and scallops and smoked salmon with a crisp Chardonnay. The entree was lamb shank paired with a full bodied Merlot and dessert was an incredibly tasty dark chocolate Ganache Cake which mellowed out the peppery, spiced, full bodied cabernet merlot served with it.

All in all a very enjoyable evening showcasing some of the best the Okanagan Valley has to offer.

Of course this move is not without controversey. In defending the channel, one journalist writes;

“Consider that the amount of pornography has exploded with the onset of the Internet age, and sexual assaults in Canada have plunged dramatically over the last 15 years.”

For the full story go to

http://www.eontarionow.com/national/2008/08/26/new-canadian-pornography-channel-raises-debate/

http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/TV_Shows/N/Northern_Peaks/2008/08/16/6472436-sun.html

It is a fun way to spend 3 or 4 minutes.

http://www3.thestar.com/static/election/quiz/index.html

It is interesting to see that the official spokesperson for this organization is none other than Don Cherry himself. Cherry is an outspoken patriot who often reminds us of the sacrifices made by our soldiers on his regular Hockey Night In Canada program called Coach’s Corner.

You can learn more about this funding program and what they do by going to;

http://woundedwarriors.ca/nc/home/

God Bless them all.

Although my site is supposed to focus primarily on Canada there was something going on south of the border last night that I could not avoid. It was the vice-presidential debate and I like many millions was curious to see how Sarah Palin did.

I did not watch it all but, overall I would say Palin handled herself quite well. However, her inexperience was very evident. Although she spoke well and maybe even improved her image in some ways, she was clearly out of her league. In my opinion she did nothing to bolster public confidence that she could be president if John McCain were to be incapacitated for some reason.

I think the folksy, I am just like you, hockey mom approach has worn thin. That is not what people care about when it comes to leading a country. Personally, she lost me whe she referred to the average American couple as “Joe Six-pack and a Hockey Mom”. To me these are not necessarily flattering comments. While I admire the dedication of “hockey moms”, they can also be some of the most aggressive, nasty, self serving people you could meet. The tag “Joe Six-Pack” conjours up images of the drunk who sits on the couch, burping and farting and when life isn’t exciting enough, he beats his wife.

So, now that the big event is over I can again focus on Canada.