Good morning from mentally ill headquarters located in Vancouver’s sunny Downtown Lower Eastside. Here at MI HQ we do our best to cover the day’s events from the perspective of the mentally ill prior to our mid afternoon tee-off times (and to think there was a time when I was younger that I had a 15 handicap – just ask Salros). Painting 2 Billion People With A Single Brush Sheldon Richman of The Future Of Freedom Foundation penned a piece yesterday entitled Why the Peaceful ...More »

Since the advent of the nuclear age, only two nuclear weapons have ever been employed, both in August of 1945 on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While many will argue that their use was required to avoid directly invading the Japanese islands, an effort that the government and military at the time claimed would cost the lives of upwards of a million US soldiers, the reality was that most of Japan has been decimated by conventional fire bombing, that the government of Japan ...More »

I will give one thing to the government of Jean Chrétien – on September 13th of 2002 a letter was sent by the Canadian government to the United States government regarding the detention of Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen captured at the age of fifteen in Afghanistan and charged with killing a US soldier. Despite his age, we was still classified by the United States as an ‘enemy combatant’. In the letter, which was issued from the Canadian Embassy in Washington, the Canadian government argued ...More »

In today’s Toronto Star, Eric Margolis makes some interesting points about the recent Manley Report. His first criticism I found to be particularly well put… “The report on Afghanistan delivered Monday by the Manley panel was deeply disappointing. Its totally predictable findings could have been written without the panel of instant Afghan experts wasting millions of tax dollars.” Margolis’ assertion in that paragraph should not be overlooked, no matter your position on Canada’s role in Afghanistan. The report, despite its goals, produced very little in the way ...More »

Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier addressed the United Nations today, and in a ten minute speech said that a ‘high level special envoy to Afghanistan’ is a crucial to help stabilize and reconstitute the nation, claiming further than no one nation could do it alone. I would first like to point out that no one nation is currently doing it alone. There are, at present, 26 different nations that are a part of ISAF. In his speech, Bernier said… "Democracy and political stability cannot develop in a ...More »

If you haven't heard of the 'Chaser's War On Everything', (Australian television show), you will now. They've been making waves in the media with a recent stunt in which APEC security was breached when the Chasers, posing as security, got within a stone's throw of U.S. President George Bush. I thought I'd include the below video for a couple reasons: 1) It's amazing how these people don't recognize that each of the questions is related to Nazi Germany, and 2) It includes Pork Spray, which, if ...More »

They’re all replete with the same questions and the same confusions. Papers from London to Sydney, Los Angles to Berlin, all pondering the exact same thing – what was the point of Petraeus and Crocker appearing in front of the joint committees this week? Over the summer, Petraeus’ testimony was continually pointed to as the defining moment, one that would provide clarity and, more importantly, answers. Over the last two days he has done anything but. In fact, were he not to have bothered, the outcome ...More »

Six years ago today we all know where we were and what occurred. In fact, we will never forget, and efforts will be made to ensure that. What happened six years ago today opened the flood gates, and we are, all of us, now up to our necks in it. For today, the 11th of September, is the Bush administration’s 4th of July. Does it seem timely that General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker’s testimony before Congress with regards to the supposed success of the surge in ...More »

There is an old unspoken code among commissioned officers in the military, especially among combat arms units... and those officers who deny its significance are usually either inexperienced or fools, or in the worst cases, both... this code is simple... Listen to your NCOs... (For those of you who do not understand military jargon, NCO is shorthand for non-commissioned officer, those who commonly hold the rank of sergeant. Customarily, the NCO is tasked with the training and discipline of the junior enlisted troops, and acts ...More »

The death toll in Iraq skyrocketed today, with 572 Iraqis reported killed and 412 others wounded… “Four suicide bombers, at least one driving an oil tanker truck attacked residential compounds belonging to Yazidi sect. At least 250 were killed and 350 more were wounded in three areas near Sinjar, with CNN reporting that over 500 were killed. Mortar attacks and more exposions were reported afterwards In Baghdad, 15 dumped bodies were found. A roadside bomb wounded two civilians near Yarmouk. Two people were killed and four wounded ...More »