Sovereignty has a price

I’d like to offer a few of my own comments on the subject matter covered in your Feb. 1, 2002, editorial: “Arctic Sovereignty: dead in the water.”

First of all, I feel compelled to point out a minor error regarding the establishment of the Crystal Two airfield in 1942. It was not, as stated in the editorial, built by Strategic Air Command. In fact, Crystal Two was one of several Arctic airfields — collectively known as “The Crimson Route” — established by the United States Army Air Forces for the purpose of ferrying desperately needed fighter aircraft to Great Britain, which was at the time, on the verge of being overrun by Nazi Germany.

Strategic Air Command, which did not exist until well after the end of WWII, established a base at Frobisher Bay in 1958 for the purpose of supporting their air-to-air refuelling tankers, which in turn supported their squadron of nuclear bombers. The base was operational for only a short period of time, closing down in July 1963.

The historical error notwithstanding, I wholeheartedly agree with the content and tone of the editorial.

It is refreshing to finally see the sad truth about the disgraceful state of Canada’s armed forces and the subsequent relinquishment of our sovereignty revealed in the media, which has not traditionally been kindly disposed toward the military.

It is even more refreshing to see that the editor has sagaciously acknowledged the sanctimonious and hollow posturing of the hypocritical poltroons in power, and by extension, the servile lap dogs who occupy the cheap seats in the House of Commons. For the past 40 years, successive Canadian governments, with the tacit approval of the Canadian electorate, have slowly, deliberately and maliciously suffocated our military to the point where Canada has lost the capacity to monitor and defend its borders.

It may come as a surprise to the luminaries in Ottawa that sovereignty is not maintained simply by the pretentious braying of political jackasses. Sovereignty has a price. If we are not willing to pay that price, then we must be prepared to accept the protection of those who are willing to do so on our behalf and under terms which are not necessarily going to be in our best interests.

Freeloaders have little to complain about if the service is not to their liking.

Robert Eno
Iqaluit