The Times Advocate, 2005-02-09, Page 44
Exeter Times–Advocate
Wednesday, February 9, 2005
=CNA
Editorial Opinion
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EDITORIAL
This country
needs to get
tougher
No, we're not advocating the federal
government break the bank in an
aggressive attempt to become a mili-
taristic superpower, but something needs
to be done about our increasingly embar-
rassing armed forces and our inability to
protect ourselves.
Federal Transport Minister Jean Lapierre
admitted recently his "worst nightmare" is
the possibility of terrorists attacking the
U.S. through Canada. Should that happen,
the economic fallout for this country would
be devastating.
In a post -Sept. 11 world, the security
issue is important. Canadians, obsessed
with our health care system, have always
directed the feds to increase spending on
health care over issues like the military or
security. But why is it a case of either/or?
Why can't this country have an efficient,
high quality universal health care system
and a stronger military and security sys-
tem? The answer is we can, if we force the
government to.
There's no excuse for a country as rich as
Canada to have a military in such poor
shape and to be so vulnerable to attack.
The Canadian federal government has
failed its military personnel and its citizens
for 40 years by allowing this country to
continually rely on the United States to
protect us. While there's no doubt the U.S.
would protect us in a time of crisis, the
more we rely on them, the more we lose
our independence and our own identity.
It's well-known that most Canadians
assume the rest of the world likes us and
we'll never be on the receiving end of a
terrorist attack. The problem is, that's how
many Americans felt before Sept. 11, 2001.
Let's toughen up. Being a pushover is
nothing to brag about.
About the Times -Advocate
Was there a Super Bowl?
OK, I admit it — I've never watched a Super
Bowl, not once, never have and never will.
Oh, I've seen parts of a Super Bowl, although
those parts mostly belong to Janet Jackson. I've
never even watched a complete NFL game. Does
this get me kicked out of the "guy" club?
The NFL, you see, doesn't exist in my lit-
tle world. Same goes for the NBA, another
sports league that doesn't even register on
my radar.
You can blame this on my father, whose
basic philosophy is "if it's not hockey, it's
not a real sport." I tend to agree with this,
although I have to admit I like golf and I'll
even watch baseball during the playoffs, if
only to cheer for whoever the Yankees are
playing. I'm not a huge CFL fan, but I fol-
low the standings, watch the odd game and
make sure I'm in front of the TV during the
Grey Cup. Hey, it's every Canadian's duty
to watch the Grey Cup.
The Super Bowl, on the other hand, just doesn't
do it for me. You may have noticed the game is a
bit overhyped. The musical acts during halftime
are almost always horrible, with talentless pre-
tenders like Britney Spears or the aforementioned
Janet Jackson lip-synching their way through
mindless pap. Or you get Aerosmith, a band that
has been officially horrid since 1977. And with all
apologies to Sir Paul McCartney, a former Beatle
should have better things to do with his time than
join the Super Bowl circus.
So when it comes to professional sports
leagues, you can count me out unless it's
the NHL which, as everybody knows, has
been in decline for years and at the time
this column is being written, is on the
verge of cancelling the season. As awfully
as the NHL has been run for nearly it's
entire existence, it's the only league most
Canadians care about. It speaks for the
resilience of our love for hockey that
we've tolerated the abuse men like Gary
Bettman, Bob Goodenow, John Ziegler,
Gil Stein, Alan Eagleson and Clarence
Campbell have heaped upon our game.
The NHL has survived in spite of its leaders, not
because of them.
But it's still the only professional sports league
that matters.
SCOTT
NIXON
AND ANOTHER
THING
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