Category: Good Stuff

I usually like to put my own opinion on just about everything, but sometimes, it’s better to shut up and let something speak for itself. The following is a press release found at newswire.ca detailing the deeds of four of our soldiers serving in the Afghan theatre and the honours that they have earned. I believe no further embelishment is required.

Attention News Editors:
Governor General announces the first-ever awarding of Military Valour Decorations

OTTAWA, Oct. 27 /CNW Telbec/ – Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, announced today the awarding of the first four Military Valour Decorations to members of the Canadian Forces who have displayed gallantry and devotion to duty in combat.

The recipients will be invited to receive their decoration from the Governor General at a presentation ceremony to be held at a later date.

Military Valour Decorations are national honours awarded to recognize acts of valour, self-sacrifice or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. They consist of the Victoria Cross, the Star of Military Valour and the Medal of Military Valour. This marks the first time that these decorations, which were created in 1993, have been awarded.

Note that the rank used in this document reflects the substantive rank held by the member at the time of the incident.

<< Star of Military Valour ----------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- Name Current posting and hometown ---------------------------------------------------------- Sergeant Patrick Tower, S.M.V, C.D. Edmonton, Alta., and Victoria, B.C. ---------------------------------------------------------- Medal of Military Valour ------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------- Name Current posting and hometown ---------------------------------------------------------- Sergeant Michael Thomas Victor Edmonton, Alta. Denine, M.M.V., C.D. ---------------------------------------------------------- Master Corporal Collin Ryan Shilo, Man., and Morrisburg, Ont. Fitzgerald, M.M.V. ---------------------------------------------------------- Private Jason Lamont, M.M.V. Edmonton, Alta., and Greenwood, N.S. ---------------------------------------------------------- The citations for the recipients (Annex A), as well as additional information on the Military Valour Decorations (Annex B) are attached. Annex A ------- Sergeant Patrick Tower, S.M.V., C.D. Edmonton, Alberta, and Victoria, British Columbia Star of Military Valour Sergeant Tower is recognized for valiant actions taken on August 3, 2006, in the Pashmul region of Afghanistan. Following an enemy strike against an outlying friendly position that resulted in numerous casualties, Sergeant Tower assembled the platoon medic and a third soldier and led them across 150 metres of open terrain, under heavy enemy fire, to render assistance. On learning that the acting platoon commander had perished, Sergeant Tower assumed command and led the successful extraction of the force under continuous small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Sergeant Tower's courage and selfless devotion to duty contributed directly to the survival of the remaining platoon members. Sergeant Michael Thomas Victor Denine, M.M.V., C.D. Edmonton, Alberta Medal of Military Valour Sergeant Denine deployed with 8 Platoon, C Company, 1 PPCLI during Operation ARCHER in Afghanistan. On May 17, 2006, while sustaining concentrated rocket-propelled grenade, machine gun and small arms fire, the main cannon and the machine gun on his light armoured vehicle malfunctioned. Under intense enemy fire, he recognized the immediate need to suppress the enemy fire and exited the air sentry hatch to man the pintle-mounted machine gun. Completely exposed to enemy fire, he laid down a high volume of suppressive fire, forcing the enemy to withdraw. Sergeant Denine's valiant action ensured mission success and likely saved the lives of his crew. Master Corporal Collin Ryan Fitzgerald, M.M.V. Shilo, Manitoba, and Morrisburg, Ontario Medal of Military Valour Master Corporal Fitzgerald deployed with 5 Platoon, B Company, 1 PPCLI Battle Group in Afghanistan. He is recognized for outstanding selfless and valiant actions carried out on May 24, 2006, during an ongoing enemy ambush involving intense, accurate enemy fire. Master Corporal Fitzgerald repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire by entering and re-entering a burning platoon vehicle and successfully driving it off the roadway, permitting the remaining vehicles trapped in the enemy zone to break free. Master Corporal Fitzgerald's courageous and completely selfless actions were instrumental to his platoon's successful egress and undoubtedly contributed to saving the lives of his fellow platoon members. Private Jason Lamont, M.M.V. Edmonton, Alberta, and Greenwood, Nova Scotia Medal of Military Valour Private Lamont deployed with the Health Support Services Company, 1 PPCLI Battle Group during Operation ARCHER. On July 13, 2006, an element of the reconnaissance platoon came under heavy enemy fire from a compound located in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, and was isolated from the rest of the platoon. During the firefight, another soldier was shot while attempting to withdraw back to the firing line and was unable to continue. Without regard for his personal safety, Private Lamont, under concentrated enemy fire and with no organized suppression by friendly forces, sprinted through open terrain to administer first aid. Private Lamont's actions demonstrated tremendous courage, selflessness and devotion to duty. >>

Annex B
——-

The three Military Valour Decorations, namely the Victoria Cross, the Star of Military Valour and the Medal of Military Valour, were created by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on January 1, 1993. The Decorations may be awarded posthumously.

The Victoria Cross is awarded for the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty, in the presence of the enemy.

The Star of Military Valour is awarded for distinguished and valiant service in the presence of the enemy.

The Medal of Military Valour is awarded for an act of valour or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.

Anyone can propose a nomination for the Military Valour Decorations. If a member of our Canadian Forces meets the criteria, submission will be made through the member’s chain of command for consideration by the Military Valour Decorations Advisory Committee, and the Governor General. For all three Military Valour Decorations, recipients must be a member of the Canadian Forces or a member of an allied armed force that is serving with, or in conjunction with, the Canadian Forces, on or after January 1, 1993.

Shortly after the beginning of Canadian involvement in Afghanistan, it was established that the basic conditions for the awarding of the Decorations were met. The gallant actions of Canadian Forces members in the face of increased hostilities in recent months have provided the occasion to award them.

For further information: Media information: Lucie Brosseau, Rideau Hall Press Office, (613) 998-0287; Media Liaison Office: Department of National Defence, (613) 996-2353 or (613) 996-2354; Public information: Chancellery of Honours, 1-800-465-6890

This is good. I mean, really good. Hat’s off to Dave (again) for dropping this in my email box. I have to admit, I havent heard about “diggers” since the war stories that my uncles told me as a kid, and I’d never heard of Beccy Cole at all. For those of you as ignorant as I was, Beccy Cole is an Australian lass with quite the set of pipes (knock it off; I said pipes) who has been getting a lot of crap lately for her support of the Aussie troops in the war on terror.

Well, Beccy doesn’t seem to be the kind of girl who just sits back and takes guff like that. Although she doesn’t exactly put it the way I would (i.e.: ), she manages to get her point across pretty darned well. So turn up yer speakers, ladies and gents, and enjoy…

(Oh, yeah…  The song’s called “Poster Girl” and, gee whiz will ya look at that, it’s made the top of the CMR charts)

I really do have to hand it to Lorrie Goldstein over at the TO Sun sometimes. While I don’t agree with everything he writes (come to think of it, I don’t agree with everything that anybody says, Harper included), I do enjoy his wry observations of the assorted idiocies perpetrated against the Canadian public, whether they be by politicians, pundits, celebrities or whoever. In his column today, he takes aim at the soap-opera atmosphere that pervades the national political discourse of late. Hey, everybody needs a good chuckle every now and then, right?

On today’s episode of The Days of Our Dingbats:

Will Peter apologize to Belinda?

Will Belinda forgive Peter?

Will Peter’s dog forgive Peter and Belinda?

Will Tie confront Peter about Belinda?

Will Condoleezza confront Peter about Belinda?

Will Belinda tell Bill about Peter and Tie?

Will Jack forgive Peter if he apologizes to Belinda?

Will Canadians forgive Jack, Peter and Belinda for acting like a bunch of !@#?! idiots?

Will Garth and Stephen reconcile?

Will Garth find happiness with Elizabeth?

Will Stephen find happiness with … uh … Stephen?

Will Stephen and the Parliamentary Press Gallery eventually reconcile?

Will anyone care if Stephen and the press gallery reconcile?

Will Stephen and George continue to be friends?

Will Rona ever clear the air?

Will Michael and Bob ever be friends again?

Will Michael figure out what a “war crime” is?

Will Bob reveal his troubled past?

Will Rick and Bob ever go skinny-dipping again?

Will Bob ever play kissy-face with Rick again?

Will Canadians ever be able to look at either Rick or Bob again without losing their lunch?

Will Scott discover what happened to his leadership campaign by looking at his BlackBerry?

Will Jean and Paul reconcile at the Liberal leadership convention?

Will anyone care if Jean and Paul reconcile at the Liberal leadership convention?

Holy crap! Mind your melons, boys and girls, those pigs are flying and they’re flying low. Damnedest thing I’ve ever seen. Well, second damnedest, actually. It seems that somewhere here in nice, politically correct, lefty-loving Canada, there’s actually a celebrity with his head screwed on straight who isn’t named Stompin’ Tom. I woke up this morning and found this in my email. It seems that, unlike a lot of other celebrities, Bruce “if I had a rocket launcher, some sonofabitch would die” Cockburn isn’t falling for the peacenik propaganda from the Taliban Jack! crowd…

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (CP) — Trying to imagine Bruce Cockburn as a soldier is a bit of a stretch.

But the singer, whose songs strongly condemn war and injustice, says enlisting in the military is something he could consider.

“What would I do if the Taliban invaded Canada?” he said in an interview, staring reflectively at the ceiling of his dressing room before performing at Belleville’s Empire Theatre.

“I’d sign up. I know how to shoot,” Cockburn said with an easy shrug.

Tough words for an avowed peace-loving folkie.

The rest of the article is just as good. I have to say, it’s damned nice to see someone in the public eye without their head up their arse.

Steve Janke, over at AITGWN, has an excellent post on the recent column by James Heath in which he takes Leftists in general, and environmentalists in particular, to task for their hypocritical rantings over Conservative environmental policies. There are also some pretty good observations about the differing motivations and outlooks of the liberal vs. conservative mindsets. It’s interesting stuff.

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that, to the Leftomental crowd, no matter who does what, liberals can do no wrong and conservatives can do no right. As someone who used to volunteer for Greenpeace, I can honestly say that virtually all of what I saw in the “environmental movement” was more about bashing anything and anyone with a conservative bent than it was about “saving the planet.” It’s one of the reasons I never went back.

I’ve been following the Great Grit Grand Poohbah Of The Porkbarrel Pageant lately. Okay, you caught me; no I haven’t. While I must admit that the thought of watching the Librano$ turning on each other like a pack of starving dogs does hold a certain lurid attraction for me, I really can’t bring myself to give a damn about it. BUT, I do know who I want to win…

Special thanks to the Ottawa Sun’s Greg Weston for reminding me of all the reasons why I think Bob Rae should win the leadership race and lead the Grits in the next federal election:

1. Bob Rae made history as a man who gets things done. It took 40 years for mainly Conservative governments in Ontario to accumulate $20 billion in debt building the province’s schools, hospitals, highways and hydro dams. It took Bob’s NDP administration only four years to run up another $40 billion in red ink with little of enduring value to show for it at the end.
2. Bob Rae is a visionary in health care. It was his NDP government that implemented the ingenious plan to cut medicare costs by reducing the number of doctors graduating from medical schools. Today, his legacy endures with a physician shortage that saves taxpayers a fortune by not having to treat millions of sick Canadians who can’t find a family doctor.
3. Bob Rae is a champion of the Canadian leisure industries. For the first time since the Great Depression of the 1930s, there were fewer people employed in Ontario industries when Rae left office than when he arrived.
4. Bob Rae boldly stands up for Big Business and isn’t afraid to stick it to the Little Guy, those whining small businesses that always have it easy. In the five years before Rae came to office, about 85% of all the net new jobs created in Ontario were in companies with fewer than 100 employees. Even in the 1980s recession when big companies shed more than 100,000 jobs, small businesses in the province grew by almost twice that number.But not under Bob’s watch — a few major industries got huge bailouts, while all those mom-and-pop operations got ravaged, losing more than 100,000 jobs in the four years of NDP rule.
5. Bob Rae understands what it means to be a taxpayer — when economic times get tough, the tough get taxed, thereby ensuring the economy slows to the point where everyone gets screwed equally — although some more equally than others. For instance, by the time the NDP left office, Ontario professionals and entrepreneurs earning more than $67,000 a year had the highest marginal tax rate in North America, and were ungratefully running for the border in droves.
6. Bob Rae is a politician who never forgets his promises. The NDP pledged to introduce public auto insurance that would save car owners a fortune in premiums. Four years later, the Dippers were still promising socialist collision coverage even as they were being driven out of office.
7. Bob Rae is perhaps the only great Canadian leader of the last century to have a day named in his honour — Rae Days. Just over a decade ago, the man who would now be the next federal Liberal leader and perhaps Canada’s next prime minister looked out upon the economic landscape he had created and saw that it was ravaged by record debt, record deficits and record job losses, and he knew exactly what needed to be done.He hired 100,000 more public servants, gave them all a big raise, and ordered them to stay home and not get paid.

Can you say “Harper Majority,” boys and girls? 😉