One man’s trash are another mans’ treasure.

Major News Story: Jet’s for sale! Jet’s for sale!

Iraq just made their first payment to America on a $3 billion deal to buy 18 F-18 fighter jets. Iraq clams that the US may need to help protect Iraq’s airspace until 2020 (Agencies). Super! That’s what this world needs, not attempts at peace, but more weapons. Bigger (and faster) guns. America has more arms than every other country combined. Don’t believe me? Go to Wolfram Alpha and see how many tanks, jets, and nuclear weapons they have compared to everybody else. So my question is, when Iraq looks at America and their colossal military, what makes them think it’s a good idea. America is failing, largely in part due to them fighting a war in every country. At least Iraq is in a worry-zone. Let’s bring things a little closer, no, a lot closer to home. Iraq buys 18 fighter jets from America? Wimps! Canada buys 65 F-35 fighter jets(Agences France-Presse)! Suck on that Iraq. Why should Canada spend $9 billion dollars on defense you may ask? Well that’s an excellent question. While Canada may never declare war, we still love going in. So when America declares war, we jump on board. It’s important to realize that America needs our help. Without Canada, America would have lost every war it has ever been in. So, why not strenghten our air force so we’ll be even more help? If we can borrow one of America’s aircraft carriers, we’re unstoppable killing machines!

Fighter jets are not really purchased for defense, or to put in Iraq’s words, ”protect air space” (Agencies). Obviously. A fighter jet’s sole purpose is offense. You destroy other offensive fighter jets. This is Mearsheimer’s thought. He says that everybody is out to get you, so stay on the offensive. So yes, they can be used to defend airspace, but don’t tell everybody you’re defending your skies. You are taking an offensive action against others doing the same. Iraq’s political ideologies are based on the realist notioin that everybody is for lack of a better word, evil. Therefore they spend money on weapons instead of educating their population. Some people have ideologies that make tham want something better for the world. Other’s, obviously do not.

Underreported News Story: Look at the poor Taliban, let’s give him a hand

What’s with you America!? I thought you were supposed to be realist? First you sell jets to Iraq to help them protect their sovereignty (probaby not the REAL reason), now you’re giving money to the taliban (Anne, Nolan)? Geepers. Just when you thought you knew somebody… Not much to be said about this story. If it’s true, well I’m sure there’s a reason. Why is is that governments are always accused of having the worst people involved, whereas conspiracy theorists, such as the one’s regailling stories of American-funded Taliban spend their days stoned and neglecting their kids? Sure the government seems bad if they don’t want to help a couple losers out, to the losers. But now we’re off topic and a little confused. America’s political ideologies involve working with all sorts of people and organizations. I don’t know if they’re funding the taliban, but if they are, that’s just stupid. If it’s true, their ideologies are convoluted and their country will not last.

Research Quest: Sisters in Spirit

Sisters in Spirit (SIS) is an organization on behalf of Aboriginal women. It deals with a variety of issues in attempt to better people’s lives:

1.) The Environment: SIS have a say in land use, management, and ownership. They are involved with the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Counsil and contribute to the Species at risk act, making policies and decisionsthat affect species and their habitats (Sisters).

2.) Human Rights: SIS works a lot with gender issues both at a national and international level. Their philosophy is that anywhere their voices can affect anothers, they’ll be there (Sisters).

3.) International Affairs: As stated in number three, SIS needs to be present on an international level. Because of cases in human rights violations, poor health, preservation of culture and language, and education challenges, it is imperative that Aboriginals work with institutions such as the UN to work worldwide (Sisters).

4.) Labour Market: Lastly and very importantly, the SIS is also concerned with the proper training and employment for (Aboriginal) women in full-time careers that pay better than others (Sisters).

The SIS is not having an easy time under the conservative government. Harper redirect money going to the SIS to security and Department of Jusice. While this money would still be used in missing-persons and other such cases, the SIS argue they have all the information they need, and could use the money for something else. Now these women have to fight for more than their ideologies, they have to fight for their research (Sterritt).

Question: I read an article about the upcoming provincial election in PEI. The Island Party wants to trade PEI potatoes for Cuban doctors! I want to know, could this work? Are we at a level where we can trade food for professionals? It seems like a great idea to me.

Works Cited:

Agences France-Presse. “Canada to buy 65 Lockheed Martin fighter jets.” Air
Force News. Defense Talk, 19 Jul 2010. Web. 29 Sep 2011.
<http://www.defencetalk.com/canada-to-buy-65-lockheed-martin-fighter-jets-27569/&gt;.

Agencies. “Iraq makes first payment for US F-16s.” Middle East. Al
Jazeera, 28 Sep 2011. Web. 29 Sep 2011.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/2011927234346775308.html.

Anne, Nolan, Cozad, Higdon. “US Funds and Supports the Taliban.” Project
Censored. Project Censored, 2010. Web. 29 Sep 2011.
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/10-us-funds-and-supports-the-taliban/.

Sisters, . “Sisters in Spirit.” Native Women’s Association of Canada.
Native Women’s Association of Canada, 29 Sep 2011. Web. 30 Sep 2011.
http://www.nwac.ca/programs/sisters-spirit.

Sterritt, Angela. “Sisters in Spirit Smothered.” The Dominion News from the
Grassroots. The Dominion , 13 Dec 2010. Web. 30 Sep 2011.
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/3764.