Re: US Threat - was re: Ideal CF Size?

[Gunner <randr1@home.com>]

The US Threat to Canada
The main threat posed by the US is indeed a cultural and economic one. 
How do you fight US Culture if we're not sure what Canadian culture is? 
Ms Copps has been wrestling with this for awhile now and, of course,
spending millions of dollars on politically correct initiatives. 
Economically, we've hitched our economy to the US through NAFTA and
we've all benefited from the growth it has produced (Jean Cretien and
Jane Stewart can't take the credit because of their jobs fund --- LOL!).
The threat to our sovereignty from the US is real.  This does not stem
from the military threat posed by Bill Clinton ordering the invasion of
Canada as a "wag the dog" to divert US attention to his dalliances. 
Rather the US threat comes from a US political agenda being pushed onto
the rest of the world and that will have indirect consequences on
Canada.  For example, the US takes over a country that produces oil and
the subsequent fallout is an increase in terrorist activity on North
American soil.  Let's be honest, Canada is seen as simple a "lessor
Great Satan" then the US is...we're all rich western countries that get
off on telling other countries how they should live their lives.
A second source of threat to our sovereignty is the repeated US
violation of our northern waters.  We have no way of patrolling it or
enforcing Canadian law.  What does it matter?  If the US doesn't
recognize our territorial sovereignty, why should any other country? 
What stops Russia from dumping nuclear waste in the Artic?  
No, there isn't a military threat from the US, however, there is a
threat to our sovereignty and how we can disassociate ourselves with US
Policy, at the same time trying to reap the economic rewards of the
close relationship we have enjoyed.
It is a political puzzle...too close a relationship vs a too distant
one.
Just my thoughts...
Michael O'Leary wrote:
> 
> At 10:23 PM 6/22/00 -0600, Gunner wrote:
> >Canada does not have a threat.  Hence we have a small military.  As I
> >have mentioned before, the major threat to Canada is the United
> >States...how do you defend your soveignty against a super power?  Lord
> >knows Ms Copps has been wrestling with that question for years.
> >
> 
> Keep in mine, however, that this is not essentially a military threat. More
> the threat of being overwhelmed in economic and cultural senses. You cannot
> defend in those arenas with a military force, no matter how strong.
> (Unless, of course your military-industrial machine is large enough to take
> over the North American market, which isn't really achievable.) Does the US
> truly threaten our physical sense of sovereignty? I don't think so. I doubt
> that any estimates were ever drafted at NDHQ on the forcible retaking of
> Argentia, which was 'occupied' by the US military from 1941 until 1997.
> 
> mike
> 
> Michael, Miriam and Roland O'Leary
> 
> Visit The Regimental Rogue at:
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> 
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