They're in for a surprise
The various terrorist movements around the world are remarkably media savvy. They know how to plant stories that the Western media will breathlessly report as true. Furthermore, they know how to manipulate opinion in the West, tying their actions to their political goals. The Spanish elections were a case in point. Set off one bomb and the whole country decides to leave Iraq in a panic.
And so it would come as no surprise to us if the Taliban were aware that Canadian involvement in Afghanistan is unpopular in the province of Quebec. And surely they know a Quebecois military unit is now replacing an English-speaking Canadian military unit in Afghanistan. So this is the perfect chance to step up attacks against the Canadians, right? But if that's what the Taliban are thinking, they're in for a surprise.
Quebec typically opposes any sort of military action. Remember, conscripting Quebecois to help put down Hitler's genocidal regime caused riots in Quebec in the 1940's. But none of this has any effect on the fighting qualities of the VanDoos (a.k.a. the Royal 22nd Regiment). The VanDoos are a really tough unit with a proud history and they are spoiling for a fight. Today I was reading that the soldiers have mounted iPods on their LAV 3 armoured cars, and are debating whether "Metallica" or "Rage Against the Machine" provides the best music for killing Taliban. They're looking for a fight, and if the Taliban decide they want to attack the VanDoos, the Taliban is likely to find they've bitten off more than they can chew.
And so it would come as no surprise to us if the Taliban were aware that Canadian involvement in Afghanistan is unpopular in the province of Quebec. And surely they know a Quebecois military unit is now replacing an English-speaking Canadian military unit in Afghanistan. So this is the perfect chance to step up attacks against the Canadians, right? But if that's what the Taliban are thinking, they're in for a surprise.
Quebec typically opposes any sort of military action. Remember, conscripting Quebecois to help put down Hitler's genocidal regime caused riots in Quebec in the 1940's. But none of this has any effect on the fighting qualities of the VanDoos (a.k.a. the Royal 22nd Regiment). The VanDoos are a really tough unit with a proud history and they are spoiling for a fight. Today I was reading that the soldiers have mounted iPods on their LAV 3 armoured cars, and are debating whether "Metallica" or "Rage Against the Machine" provides the best music for killing Taliban. They're looking for a fight, and if the Taliban decide they want to attack the VanDoos, the Taliban is likely to find they've bitten off more than they can chew.
posted by Shawn Abigail at 9:21 p.m.
3 Comments:
All I have ever heard about the Vandoos from my friends who were in the military tells me that if they are anything like their predecessors, they will be very competent soldiers who will not back down. Yes, the Taliban will be in for a surprise if they think these guys are going to be a pushover.
It's not about our soldiers, it's about federal seats in Quebec. Here's a scenario for you. A federal election is called. While Harper is campaigning in Quebec the Taliban stage a series of suicide bombings against our troops. Harper is ambushed by the media asking him, in French, how he is going to justify his policies which led to the catastrophic losses of our men and women in uniform (by catastrophic I mean any number greater than or equal to two.) And why would the Taliban try this? Because it worked in Spain.
Of course the Taliban will try this. The Vandoos know this and are still spoiling for a fight. No, I don't want to see any more Canadian casualties, and I agree it would hurt the Conservatives in Quebec (even though it was the Liberals who sent the army to Afghanistan, but who said the voting population in Quebec is logical), but if the Taliban are thinking the Quebecois soldiers are pushovers, they're in for a surprise.
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