Anti-War Vigil at Armoury

[The_Falcon]

Lovely, just in time for the start of the new training year. :  Why do I feel this will be become more frequent

Shared under fair dealings

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/09/06/1806356-sun.html

Anti-war vigil at armoury

By SARAH GREEN, TORONTO SUN

The names of the dead were planted in the grass outside Moss Park Armoury yesterday.

More than 40 markers bore the names of some fallen Canadian soldiers and civilians killed in Afghanistan -- far outnumbering the handful of activists gathered for a noon-hour vigil.

"We need to be supporting our troops by bringing them home," said Maggie Panter of Homes Not Bombs, which organized the vigil.

"It's just not right. We're wasting all this money on the war. We could be doing so much good there (in Afghanistan) and here."

The group held weekly vigils for two years in Moss Park to try to turn the armoury into affordable housing.
 

"Every day is tragic in Afghanistan," said organizer Matthew Behrens. "The fact people who are not Canadian soldiers may be killed is also tragic."

A past proposal for the armoury suggested it could house up to 350 people, complete with a rooftop garden and a community kitchen.

"People die within this city block due to lack of housing," Behrens said.

Not everyone agreed with the vigil. One man who had been sleeping on the grass outside the armoury yelled obscenities at the group as he stormed down Queen St. E.

"Why don't you go somewhere else?" he slurred.

 

[Devlin]

"It's just not right. We're wasting all this money on the war. We could be doing so much good there (in Afghanistan) and here."

Well then maybe they could get on the blower and call up Taliban HQ and request a ceasefire. :

 

[Fishbone Jones]

It has nothing to do with the war and everything to do with putting on a public show of support for Layton and Chow. It's something the NDP have never been very subtle at.

 

[cobbler]

"We need to be supporting our troops by bringing them home," said Maggie Panter of Homes Not Bombs, which organized the vigil.

Yeah, I'm sure that's where their hearts are at  : 

 

[Trinity]

   

A past proposal for the armoury suggested it could house up to 350 people, complete with a rooftop garden and a community kitchen.

What a CROCK

Anyone who has been to Moss Park Armouries knows you don't want to put 350 people in there, let alone
try to let 350 people LIVE there. 

To rebuild the space to accommodate living would be more expensive that it would be to tear it down
and build up a new place.  Which leads to the question... if its housing for the poor.... who is going
to pay for all of this???

I heard at Rockcliffe in Ottawa they gave the PMQ's for affordable housing and in one year all the
buildings were damaged or destroyed.  And the pmq's were apparently in decent shape before hand over.

Last time I checked DND was not responsible for housing the homeless despite the fact we open our doors
in the winter time to help out.  Did our own hospitality make us vulnerable. 

I love these idealist who have no money but loads of dreams.  I bet they vote NDP.

I used vote NDP... not anymore.
So the same lady who always wants MPA to be housing, now wants our soldiers home? 

 

[vonGarvin]

I used vote NDP... not anymore.

I guess there is hope for former bleeding hearts?  /ducking/

 

[The_Falcon]

What a CROCK

Last time I checked DND was not responsible for housing the homeless despite the fact we open our doors
in the winter time to help out.  Did our own hospitality make us vulnerable. 

I don't think it was our hospitality that made us vulnerable.  I think it is the general dislike of all things military, combined with MPA's geographic location in the middle of the poorest section of the city with the most # of homeless people, that just makes it an easy target.  Ever notice these protests rarely if ever take place at Fort York, HMCS York or Denison.  And that the last time they opened an armoury for the homeless, DND let them use Fort York.

 

[wotan]

"Every day is tragic in Afghanistan," said organizer Matthew Behrens. "The fact people who are not Canadian soldiers may be killed is also tragic."

Is this guy kidding or on drugs?  Would he prefer that only Canadian soldiers died?  The fact that people that are not Canadian soldiers (aka Taliban) are dying is a good thing.  It is called the path to victory.  Dolt.

*Edited for spelling - it's my third Monday this week.

 

[043]

Hey, if they are outside the armouries, recruit them! They probably don't have jobs or they wouldn't have time to do this!

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Yep take them in and when they wake up they belong to the queen for five years  ;D

Hey, It worked for Nelson and Wellington

 

[McG]

"We need to be supporting our troops by bringing them home," said Maggie Panter of Homes Not Bombs, which organized the vigil.

I cannot begin to fully emphasize how misguided this statement is (and it is one which the anti-war movement seems to love).

While I was over there doing my bit & even now back in Canada, nothing infuriates me more than these individuals and groups that will use the bodies of my dead friends & co-workers in order to move their political agenda.

As soldiers we understand the risk in doing our jobs.  We don’t want to be the poster children for a campaign to not participate in a deserving effort.  I understand that some people may not want us in Afghanistan and that we (Canada) do need some level of discourse in order to continually chart our course within that country.  However, we do not need to piss on the dead in order for that discourse to take place.  When can people keep this debate focused on the merits of what we are doing, perhaps in a context of the opportunity costs of other efforts we could be engaged in or through demonstrating our current efforts are ineffective/counter productive (I don’t believe either of these arguments, but at least they are arguments).

 

[warspite]

Interesting idea there Collin... press gang the yuppies into the armed forces... might teach them some common sense. ;D

 

[Teflon]

"Every day is tragic in Afghanistan," said organizer Matthew Behrens. "The fact people who are not Canadian soldiers may be killed is also tragic."

Is this guy kidding or on drugs?  Would he prefer that only Canadian soldiers died?  The fact that peope that are not Canadian soldiers (aka Taliban) are dying is a good thing.  It is called the path to victory.  Dolt.

I'm glad wotan said it - Surprised no one pounced on it sooner!

to you wotan

 

[warspite]

Your completely right wotan. I completely missed your post. Thank you Teflon for quoting that.
And to answer your question he is probably just ona high dose of good Ole yuppie ideology... or drugs.

 

[Teflon]

Your completely right wotan. I completely missed your post. Thank you Teflon for quoting that.
And to answer your question he is probably just ona high dose of good Ole yuppie ideology... or drugs.

good Ole yuppie ideology...or drugs,....

You mean to tell me that good Ole yuppie ideology isn't a drug?  It's not on some controlled substance list?  How can that be? It clouds the mind, affects ones beliefs, impairs ones reaction time,....

Why isn't this shit illegal?!


I'm calling my NDP MP right now to demand something be done about this!,..... errrrr,..... wait a minute,.....

Shit somebody must have slipped something in my drink!


:-X

 

[Korus]

Edit: bah, nevermind. stupid yuppies.  Just wanted to say that "hippies" are not the same as "yuppies".. Yuppies are just young profesionals, which is sorta what I am as an electrical engineer, as much as it pains me to say so.

Sigh. Too much time in front of this CAD program today.. Parade night tonight should be good.

 

[patrick666]

Is this guy kidding or on drugs?  Would he prefer that only Canadian soldiers died?  The fact that people that are not Canadian soldiers (aka Taliban) are dying is a good thing.  It is called the path to victory.  Dolt.

That's exactly the same thing I said to my friend about NDP saying Canada was in a no-win situation.

"No win situation? We just killed 200 and sent another 200 running. Seems like we're winning to me!"

All of a sudden, Afghanistan is in a tragic position as opposed to the last hundred years of war and conflict.. some people.

 

[Jarnhamar]

What if we paid homeless canadians to come to afghanistan and build houses and stuff for them.

Including roof top gardens.

Two problems solved.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

What if we paid homeless canadians to come to afghanistan and build houses and stuff for them.

Including roof top gardens.

Two problems solved.

You, sir, have a flawless plan! 

 

[career_radio-checker]

It has nothing to do with the war and everything to do with putting on a public show of support for Layton and Chow. It's something the NDP have never been very subtle at.

Indeed. As Zipperhead_Cop said in another thread,"these guys have never done anything to favour the CF, so what makes you think they want to help us now."(or something along those lines)
Homes not Bombs would probably be the outer most lefties in a socialist crowd. They have been lobbing for the transformation of MPA into affordable housing for years. They have walked into the Armouries unannounced numerous times; they call the training of cadets "child soldiers;"  desecrate the guns outside the Armouries; they even posted an eviction notice on the doors of MPA for the army, and brought in architectural designers to transform the building into a housing complex! :

I think the water tower on the Warner Bros. lot is missing a few residents.

On the bright side it must be easy to get a class A work as sentry there.