Flit

NOW THIS IS INTERESTING The

NOW THIS IS INTERESTING

The two best-known Canadian generals are having a very public and significant debate in the pages of Canada's newspapers today.

In one corner we have Romeo Dallaire, arguing for a reinvention of traditional peacekeeping, in an almost neo-Pearsonian conception. In the other, you have Lewis Mackenzie, arguing for a return to the politics of force.

As I've written before, in today's army a soldier can't help but define themselves on a continuum somewhere between the two pillars these men represent, and this would be the first time I can recall them openly disagreeing with each other. This is the equivalent of the Lincoln-Douglas debates for the Canadian military today... and certainly worth watching.

Speaking of people actually trying to engage in a real debate about Canada's military, there are two excellent pieces in the latest Canadian Military Journal (summer, '02): "The Search for an Efficient, Effective Land Force Reserve," by Jack Granatstein; and "Whose Army Is It Anyway?" by Marc Milner. Both are must-reads for any serving army officer.

THE DANGERS OF OVERPROMISING Mr.

THE DANGERS OF OVERPROMISING

Mr. Suzuki, the Japanese voice expert, said that analysis of the voice on the tape suggested that the speaker was suffering from health problems in the lower body, possibly the liver or bladder. The voice also appeared tired and lacking the zeal that has marked earlier messages from Mr. bin Laden.

Globe and Mail, today.

Aw, come on. You had everyone hooked until you started into this palmistry schtick, Suzuki. All you had to say was you could prove it was Bin Laden, and you're world famous... why on earth's name wouldn't you just leave it at that? Even if you can identify bladder disease from a voice print, you just destroyed any credibility your first extraordinary claim might have had by making an even more extraordinary one at the same time. This is the kind of overclaiming error a real trained scientist almost never makes... hence, one can safely conclude Mr. Suzuki is likely not a real trained scientist... hence his analysis is discountable.

That said, other believable experts are saying this is probably Bin Laden, too, and he doesn't like Canadians. Predictably Eric Margolis, apologist for dictators, friend of OBL, and a major Canadian columnist, was on the CBC last night saying... wait for it... that if only we'd listened to him and stayed out of Afghanistan, we wouldn't have gotten Osama's notice.

Eric, from thenceforth I christen thee "Wormtongue."