Why the Army Reserve has it’s advantages

Everyone who isn’t a self-centred twit knows by now who Major Nidal Hasan is. If you don’t know (which means you’re a self-centred twit) he’s a Major in the United States Army who went on a killing spree in Fort Hood, Texas and killed thirteen soldiers. Whilst I suspect that he’s definitely going to be charged under military law and given the death sentence, I simply do not believe this attack was connected in any way to Islamic extremism.

I think that he was a man pushed over the edge by being forced into something he objected to. The death penalty is the only just punishment for that murdering bastard, but it’s clear a lot of people won’t even understand or care why he did what he did.

According to this story on CNN, Major Nidal Hasan wanted the military to allow Muslims to refrain from participation in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq on the grounds of conscientious objection. This is by far the best suggestion I’ve ever heard and I simply cannot believe that someone with the rank of Major wasn’t listened to.

All of this could have been prevented if Major Hasan had been in the Army Reserve… because as I understand it Major Hasan then could have simply refused to go and nothing would have happened. As is demonstrated by the book ‘Fifteen Days’ by Christie Blatchford, at least in the Canadian Forces, it’s usually Reservists who are eager and willing to be deployed and so the Reservists who wanted to do a tour wouldn’t be deprived of the opportunity.

Yellowknife gets a new Canadian Forces Reserve unit

Amidst all the international nonsense going on with many nations  falsely claiming sovereignty over Canadian waters and undersea mineral/oil rights…  I’m quite pleased to find out the Canadian Forces have announced the creation of a new military unit in Yellowknife.

According to this story from CBC…

The unit is part of the federal government’s initiative “to increase the defence presence in the North, as part of the government’s strategy for Arctic defence,” said Lt.-Col. Lyle Herod, who hosted an open house in the city on Tuesday night.

For anyone who reads international news and concentrated in Geography in school, they’ll know there’s a region called the ‘Northwest Passage’ which is basically all the water ways between the islands that are in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Not surprisingly the Americans (along with the European Union) think it’s an international route giving them the right to invade Canada’s territory.

So basically this Reserve Unit is to enforce Canada’s territorial assertions.  The phrase ‘use it or lose it’ is pretty relevant.  The Canadian Rangers will probably end up being paired with the Unit whenever they are out on patrol but obviously won’t partake in combat if that need ever arises.

Yayyyy for military expansion!