Will we edit out the last scene?
A Canadian serving with the KPRT recently sent back some photos from halfway around the world, and an interesting story along with them:
Don't tell me that NATO, and specifically the Canadian contingent, isn't making headway in Kandahar, because as this story shows, we are. It's just not the sort of progress Canadians are used to: Jack McCoy isn't convicting Glyn Berry's killer in an hour (forty minutes without commercials), Kandahar Governor Asadullah Khalid isn't potting an overtime goal to win the Stanley Cup so we can all go to bed satisfied, and President Karzai isn't picking "C, final answer" to take home a prize of peace and prosperity for his nation.
No, our progress is the slow and painful sort made in real life. It's just their real life, the Afghans', not ours - and that seems to make all the difference in the world in how much patience we have for it.
The recent rains and flooding took a toll on a by-pass road to the East of Kandahar City and caused severe damage. The dyke that protects the road failed and allowed fast flowing water to erode the road itself and many places along the side of the road as well. In total, a 15 metre gap was made when the water washed away a culvert and the road on top of it, and 300-400 metres of the road and its shoulders were also damaged.
The Mayor and city engineers went to inspect the site and then asked the KPRT for some help, but not with repairing the road itself. The help they were looking for is with the dyke system and the KPRT is currently assessing what it can do to help.Not long ago, the Mayor would have come to the KPRT and asked for help fixing everything. As the City will repair the road on its own, this is a good sign of progress. The Mayor and City engineers feel confident enough in their abilities and that of their staff and equipment to take on these significant road repairs by themselves.
Don't tell me that NATO, and specifically the Canadian contingent, isn't making headway in Kandahar, because as this story shows, we are. It's just not the sort of progress Canadians are used to: Jack McCoy isn't convicting Glyn Berry's killer in an hour (forty minutes without commercials), Kandahar Governor Asadullah Khalid isn't potting an overtime goal to win the Stanley Cup so we can all go to bed satisfied, and President Karzai isn't picking "C, final answer" to take home a prize of peace and prosperity for his nation.
No, our progress is the slow and painful sort made in real life. It's just their real life, the Afghans', not ours - and that seems to make all the difference in the world in how much patience we have for it.
posted by Babbling Brooks at 12:20 a.m.
4 Comments:
Good news in Afghanistan doesn't fit the MSM agenda this week, Babbling. Those guys could be walking on water and raising the dead over there and we wouldn't hear squat about it. Progress against the Taliban and self sufficiency among the locals? Well, Harper looks good doesn't he? We can't have that!
If you want to be hearing good news from the Front, we need to have a Liberal government. Then you'd hear about it every time an Afghan kid wiped his own nose. The Toronto (Red) Star wouldn't shut up about this road work for a month. You'd get shovel full by shovel full coverage from the CBC.
Verily, we are the most propagandized nation outside North Korea.
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A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.
"Verily, we are the most propagandized nation outside North Korea."
hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahaha...
I dare you to go and get a North Korean to come over here for a month, and then tell him that.
But do it on video because I'd like to watch as you got your ass kicked.
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