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Ok, fine. It's a bad luck issue. Whatever.
I just fail to grasp luck as the prominent factor. But ok. It's luck purely.
I just fail to grasp luck as the prominent factor. But ok. It's luck purely.
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Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.
"Hating America is something best left to Mobius. He is an expert Yank hater.
He also hates Texans and Australians, he does diversify." ~ Braindead -
The article in the OP says Canada has lost 36 soldiers. If Asher's memory is correct and 8 of them have been from "friendly fire" incidents, that represents 22% of the total. Take them out and you get 28 casualties.
Statistically speaking, 28 is a small number. A flukish event here or there can have a large impact on that number.
Further, it is possible that the Canadians really are doing the most dangerous work, or at least are deployed to the hottest spots right now (most casualties have been since May). But they could then go through a quiet stretch that will go unreported and the stats will even out again.
-Arriangrog want tank...Grog Want Tank... GROG WANT TANK!
The trick isn't to break some eggs to make an omelette, it's convincing the eggs to break themselves in order to aspire to omelettehood.Comment
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All of a sudden USA and Brits aren't encountering any of these things. It's just Canadians with bad luck.Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.
"Hating America is something best left to Mobius. He is an expert Yank hater.
He also hates Texans and Australians, he does diversify." ~ BraindeadComment
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Most Canadians are in Kandhar. which seems to be a hotspot...
Also, here's a "army news" story about training in prep for Afghanistan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J11yGeiNpIM"The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "Comment
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Tell that to the 13(?) UK soldiers who were killed in a plane crash Sept. 3rd...Originally posted by SlowwHand
All of a sudden USA and Brits aren't encountering any of these things. It's just Canadians with bad luck.
Bad luck like that is very easy to come by, and with such small figures (eg, 28 deahts...) they're very easy to skew. Particularly with transportation deaths, suicide bombers, and US bombs.
Also consider the regions that each country works in. If memory serves, Kandahar is the most violent (or one of the most violent) regions with lots of Taliban loyalists."The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "Comment
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Conclusion:
Sloww doesn't understand the concept of flukey results from statistical analysis involving a tiny sample size.
-Arriangrog want tank...Grog Want Tank... GROG WANT TANK!
The trick isn't to break some eggs to make an omelette, it's convincing the eggs to break themselves in order to aspire to omelettehood.Comment
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Anyone that gets killed has just had a stroke of bad luck, if you want to look at it that way.
My question remains, what provokes bad luck?Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.
"Hating America is something best left to Mobius. He is an expert Yank hater.
He also hates Texans and Australians, he does diversify." ~ BraindeadComment
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Proximity to inadequately trained US forces.Originally posted by SlowwHand
Anyone that gets killed has just had a stroke of bad luck, if you want to look at it that way.
My question remains, what provokes bad luck?"The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "Comment
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All of our forces are in the hottest spot in Afghanistan, and we're actively seeking out and engaging the Taliban on a daily basis. As the US found in Iraq, you tend to take casualties when you're not just sitting in a fortified compound."The French caused the war [Persian Gulf war, 1991]" - Ned
"you people who bash Bush have no appreciation for one of the great presidents in our history." - Ned
"I wish I had gay sex in the boy scouts" - DissidentComment
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When the going gets tough, the tough get Canadians. Even if they have bad luck.Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.
"Hating America is something best left to Mobius. He is an expert Yank hater.
He also hates Texans and Australians, he does diversify." ~ BraindeadComment
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Not sure if that's sarcasm, but that's largely true -- dating back to WWI/WWII the Canadian army has a very good reputation for being ballsy, accurate, and hard to stop.Originally posted by SlowwHand
When the going gets tough, the tough get Canadians. Even if they have bad luck."The issue is there are still many people out there that use religion as a crutch for bigotry and hate. Like Ben."
Ben Kenobi: "That means I'm doing something right. "Comment
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And thrown into bad situations (Dieppe).
-Arriangrog want tank...Grog Want Tank... GROG WANT TANK!
The trick isn't to break some eggs to make an omelette, it's convincing the eggs to break themselves in order to aspire to omelettehood.Comment
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Or Vimy Ridge. But we took that one when the other allies failed."The French caused the war [Persian Gulf war, 1991]" - Ned
"you people who bash Bush have no appreciation for one of the great presidents in our history." - Ned
"I wish I had gay sex in the boy scouts" - DissidentComment
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I assure you, it's not the training. Canadian troops are long service professionals who are trained to a higher standard than most American soldiers. I may be partly the equipment, although upgraded vehicles have been in use for some time.
It's mostly the mission. When Canadian forces were garrisoning the Kabul area, there were only a few casualties. Now they're in the heart of the insurrection, doing the Americans dirty work for them.
Taliban forces have grown dramatically in the last few months. It will get worse soon, as the Taliban will be able to transfer forces over the mountains now that Pakistan has made a separate peace. It's ironic that at the same time our Conservative government and the military brass are proclaiming victory in the Panjoway offensive, they are rushing over reinforcements, including Leopard II tanks.
People at home are being told that the Afghan people welcome them and that they are fighting for democracy. Both are false, imo.Last edited by techumseh; September 19, 2006, 13:02.Comment
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You Canadians never cease to amaze me.Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.
"Hating America is something best left to Mobius. He is an expert Yank hater.
He also hates Texans and Australians, he does diversify." ~ BraindeadComment
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