Posted by Michael A. Dorosh from Canada on January 21, 2021 at 20:49:27:
In Reply to: Scott Taylor posted by A. E. Bordeau on January 21, 2021 at 14:04:20:
It's hard to discuss Taylor without any kind of visceral responses - the tone of your post suggests your response is at least as much emotional as it is rational. I suppose people like Taylor (and I am really undecided as to whether or not he is beneficial to the Forces in general) are one of the reasons we went to war in 1939. It is great to live in a country where you are free to say what you want without fear of reprisals.
After a steady diet of the old Sentinel and various other rah-rah CF publications which portrayed us as being able to do no wrong, it is good to have someone like Taylor watching us - if only to ensure we are always doing our best. You suggest that he has crossed the line (I don't know if he has) - if that is so, then I agree with your contention that someone who deliberately mis-reports information to make us look bad is more than just a simple nuisance.
I do really like the Maple Leaf - they admit when wrongs have been committed, in addition to the rah rah stuff - and even their rah rah's have been toned down. I think Taylor would do well to adopt this more middle of the road approach, but of course, he probably wouldn't sell as many copies of Espirit de Corps (or his books) that way.
It is unfortunate sometimes that free speech is one of the rights we have deemed inalienable for ourselves (a better example is the kiddie porn decision in BC). If Scott Taylor was the worst of the Canadian Army's problems, I think we'd be lucky.
And in the end, what can be done about him? Ranting on a messageboard is about as effective as any other "solution". But sometimes ranting in itself can be quite satisfying - which is why I like the idea of messageboards in general. I just hope any general officers reading our posts are of the same mind.