FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
Buzz saves the military
An armored car in every garage
By Hamish MacAulayDear Hon. Doug Young, Minister of National Defence:
Like all Canadians I have been following the trials and travails of our army boys for last few years with both sadness and disgust. I have always been proud of Canada's military past and believe that our military success has always been due to good old Canadian heart and toughness. Now I know you've got a whole bunch of smart, well-paid analysts looking at the problem of what to do with our army and how to defend the nation, but you would be wise to listen to a few words from this prairie businessman.
These days, you military-types get far too wrapped up in fancy technology and military intelligence. Most wars are still fought by brave, tough, resourceful soldiers with weapons invented before World War II. Now the boys that walk into my showroom are just hard-working types looking to make enough money to take care of their families, but I'd go to war with them any day of the week. And that is what got me to thinking about how Canada can maintain its defence capability and reduce costs at the same time.
Now you will get an earful from those urban gun-lobbyists, but I think it is time to start arming the citizens again and making them a part of the military system. I'm not just talking about a Swiss type of system where everyone is in the military and goes on training once a year - that's important, but Canada has other qualities you can take advantage of as well.
With the bumpy terrain we have here in Central Alberta, the boys that come to buy my farm equipment are some of the finest combine-jockeys around. These guys could park a John Deere on the back of a flat-bed Chevy in a Prairie blizzard. If you put some tanks and armored cars in their hands, the Canadian army would have some of the best armor brigades in the world.
These guys won't just run this equipment, they will make sure Canada has the best maintained and smoothest running weapons around. After all, most of these guys have Masseys that run smoother than the day they were built. Now I'd say that's not all that smooth, but I never was much of a Massey man.
My point here is, the Canadian government should develop a program to farm out its equipment to run-of-the-mill rural volunteers. You train these guys on how to run and maintain tanks and armored cars, hold yearly training exercises and cut them loose.
Canada will have a cheap and widespread military defence. The army will be back in touch with the heart and soul of Canada that made us so proud of our boys in the first place. And Canada will be impervious to any single-blow military knock-out. They, who ever they might be, can't go after every farmer with a tank parked in the garage.
Finally, watching local boys driving their gear down the road to the local practice range would be a stirring sight that would make every Canadian more patriotic. Doug, trust me on this one, it's all wins and no losses.
Yours in dispersed military capability,
Stanley "Buzz" Angus
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