Be thankful ....

[Kanada Kev]

We're coming up on Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. We should all be thankful for our safety, health, and loved ones.

I stumbled upon this series of photos taken recently in Afghanistan. The picture below was not taken there, but rather at Trenton. This one hit me like a ton of bricks and am completely choked-up here at work. You can't help but focus on the children and the wife ofSergeant Prescott Shipway. Truly sad.

Honor guard carry the casket of Sergeant Prescott Shipway to a hearse past his daughter Rowan Shipway, 4, his son, Hayden, and his wife Diana Dawn Kaczmar, at Canadian Forces Base Trenton September 10, 2008. Shipway, an infantryman with the Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was killed on September 7 when his armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the Panjwayi District of Afghanistan. (REUTERS/Fred Thornhill) #

See the other photos here:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/10/in_afghanistan_with_the_isaf.html

Edited October 9, 2008 by Guest

[nattyMatty]

THe Whole thing is just one big Sh!tty Deal. I don't even know why were even there.

[Freak By Night]

Our military is there to help open a secure corridor for a pipeline to export the oil and gas riches of the Caspian Basin of Central Asia to the West.

[timouse]

Our military is there to help open a secure corridor for a pipeline to export the oil and gas riches of the Caspian Basin of Central Asia to the West.

[d_rawk]

Our military is there to help open a secure corridor for a pipeline to export the oil and gas riches of the Caspian Basin of Central Asia to the West.

Bullshit. Our military is there because our neighbours and allies launched a vindictive, retaliatory revenge campaign and couldn't back that sh*t up. Our military is there because the consciounable decision was to excuse ourselves from another ill-conceived military effort into Iraq, and the the shallow politically expedient way of navigating that was to say 'Hmm, we won't send our soldiers into that minefield, but we'll free up your soldiers to do so. You win, we win, wink wink'.

If it was just a craven hunger for oil, it would be easier to stomach. At least it would be direct.

[Hal Johnson]

Why cant it be a little from column A, a little from column B?

[d_rawk]

Ok, I'll give you that. I'll take the blend.

[AD]

So, thankful or not?

[d_rawk]

For my health? No. For my loved ones, yes

( And KK, that was a rather clever way of politicising something neutral! )

[AD]

( And KK, that was a rather clever way of politicising something neutral! )

A photo is political? Nay. The interpretation is political.

[jayr]

Our military is there to help open a secure corridor for a pipeline to export the oil and gas riches of the Caspian Basin of Central Asia to the West.

80% of the world supply of opiates comes from Afghanistan too. Not quite as profitable as oil but profitable none the less.

[d_rawk]

A photo is political? Nay. The interpretation is political.

You're right. KK's post was actually rather sincere and touching, the rest of us politicized it. Thanks. I let myself get carried away with that and lost sight of the initial perspective.

Humbled.

[Freak By Night]

All I did was answer NattyMatty's concern.

I'm thankful I'm not the guy in the box.

[phishtaper]

kev, i have never had a teddy bear bring a tear to my eye before. painful. my heart goes out.

[d_rawk]

All I did was answer NattyMatty's concern.

Dude, you didn't do anything wrong.

I'm thankful I'm not the guy in the box.

Amen.

[Kanada Kev]

( And KK' date=' that was a rather clever way of politicising something neutral! )[/quote']

A photo is political? Nay. The interpretation is political.

Thanks AD. Honestly, i didn't post the pic to be political in any way. I simply saw it in a collection of photographs and it really got to me emotionally. For me, I guess I see my wife, my son, and my daughter (who is 4 and has long blond hair like the girl in the pic) and it tugged on my soul.

Just wanted to state that we should be thankful for what we do have, and who we have, will they're here.

[Kanada Kev]

You're right. KK's post was actually rather sincere and touching, the rest of us politicized it. Thanks. I let myself get carried away with that and lost sight of the initial perspective.

Humbled.

No worries man. I think I made the right decision by NOT posting it in the Politics Forum .

[SaggyBalls]

So where's my cheap opium now that soldiers are fighting in Afghanistan?

or do I have to buy the big pharma advil for that?

[bradm]

So where's my cheap opium now that soldiers are fighting in Afghanistan?

Good question...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2008/10/map_of_the_week_the_mystery_of.html

Aloha,

Brad

[Esau.]

I know I saw a thread (or post) by someone here a couple months back about all this. Might have been another board, I don't remember exactly.

A lot of the Afghan farmers, at least in a small portion of the country have switched to growing wheat & other crops, and considering that naan is made with wheat, for example, and is a staple food of the Afghan diet, it's probally a step in the right direction.

Although, I imagine it's tough to compete with the Taliban or al-Qaida militant's "up front" cash given to farmers to grow opium.

[color:red][edit to add]

And staying with the topic of the thread (sorta) I'm thankful my little bro has made it home (Scotland, UK) from both Afghanistan & Iraq. He's not in the Canadian military anymore, but serves in the QRAF, UK for the last 10-11 years.

Edited October 10, 2008 by Guest