Nice Wallpaper
The Candidate speaks – A Tory candidate blogs about . . . Nice Wallpaper.
I think she’s talking about the House of Lords and not the background to her blog site.
Still, she has some interesting things to say. Pity the Tory front bench aren’t so forthright.
Comments are off for this postHappy Chanukkah, Your Excellency!
Last night I attended a dinner organised by the Defence and Security Forum at which the speaker was Prince Turki Al Faisal, the Saudi Ambassador to the UK. The Ambassador showed obvious ease with his audience, speaking to a Eurocentric viewpoint, as opposed to an Atlanticist one.
He felt free to criticise America policy in the Middle East, stressing how counter-productive he believed it to be. In paticular he repeated the Saudi wish for the US to pull its troops out of Iraq to be replaced by a wholly Muslim peacekeeping force and his disappointment that the US is not keen to explore this possibility. (It seems the Americans are not too keen on entrusting the defence of Iraq’s fledgeling democracy to a group of countries where democratic elections are deemed superfluous.) The Saudis have a very enlightened royal family who rule by the consent of the governed. Any Saudi subject can attend one of the King’s open forums and bring any subject to the attention of the King. Presumably this includes Saudi women too. If they can get their husbands to drive them to the forum.
Read more Comments are off for this post“Are you special forces guy or something?”
During my usual trip back home from the office this evening, I was surrounded as usual by a lot of rather scruffy, grim-faced commuters who seemed remarkably cheerless considering this is, after all, a Friday evening. Suddenly a new guy got on the Tube train, smartly dressed in a green overcoat, and sporting a dark-blue baseball cap with the insignia, “U.S. Navy Seal Academy” in deep gold. Whoever the man is, kudos to him for wearing something really daring, far more brave, in fact, than sporting a T-shirt bearing the image of a dead communist mass murderer, as is considered chic on college campuses.
I want that baseball cap.
Comments are off for this postWot, me a Sceptic?
Another silly quiz, amusing that they are so often acurate though.
Read more Comments are off for this postPolitical ditties…give it yer best shot
Arthur’s seat is running a political limerick competition. I have to say some of the entries are rather amusing. Below are my attempts at it.
Read more 3 commentsHeroes And Villains
just see what youve done
stand or fall I know there
shall be peace in the valley
—beach boys
This has received limited attention in the media (unsurprisingly, CBC television didn’t find it worthy of notice in two successive [and counting] national newscasts), but it’s a significant honor for Canada’s JTF 2 commandos.
The Toronto Sun:
CANADA’S top secret commandos were awarded the prestigious U.S. Presidential Unit Citation yesterday for their heroism in rooting out Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. It’s only the second time that Canadian soldiers have received the honour.
An undisclosed number of Joint Task Force 2 members travelled to California to receive the battle honour from U.S. President George Bush.
Canadian commandos joined the front lines in the hunt for Taliban and al-Qaida agents in late 2001, scouring caves in Afghanistan’s mountains and setting the groundwork for military units such as the Princess Pats.
Steven Jurgutis, spokesman for Defence Minister Bill Graham, said the award recognizes JTF2’s courageous fight against terrorists from October 2001 to April 2002.
“They received their citation for their outstanding contribution to multinational special operation forces,” Jurgutis said.
‘HIGH-RISK MISSIONS’
The citation commends soldiers for successfully completing “high-risk missions,” which saw them destroy numerous cave and tunnel complexes as well as several al-Qaida training camps.
“They established benchmark standards of professionalism, tenacity, courage, tactical brilliance and professional excellence while demonstrating superb esprit de corps and maintaining the highest measure of combat readiness,” the citation reads.
The citation commends the 100% mission success rate “while operating under extremely difficult and constantly dangerous conditions.”
Over the past few years the military has allowed some details of the anti-terrorism unit’s accomplishments to leak out, but only after their missions were completed.
Only the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Pats have received the Presidential Unit Citation before. The Princess Pats were honoured for their stand near Kapyong, Korea, in April 1951.
Some 75 Canadian soldiers have received U.S. medals or commendations this year.
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