# Fox News show mocks soldiers in Afghanistan... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 24, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548 "2009-03-24T03:12:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/101 "2009-03-24T20:40:43Z")
I’m sure she would, if she weren’t busy furiously searching for an opportunity to intimate that President Obama is a homosexual. ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/102 "2009-03-25T00:57:49Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Heck, I’d be happy if Ann Coulter would give us a calmly appreciative “thank you” for Canada’s role in Vietnam. Story time! Story time! Quite seriously, I’m too young to have any knowledge of what role Canada played in the Vietnam War, beyond acting as a safehaven for American draft dodgers. Being Canadian, I should know more. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/103 "2009-03-25T01:13:44Z")
We didn’t have one, which is the joke. Ann Coulter was depantsed on Canadian TV for insisting that Canada took part in the military operations of the Vietnam War. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/104 "2009-03-25T01:13:54Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > My guess is that Gutfield is toast. Fox media personalities have said a lot of stupid things over the years and gotten away with it but this remark will offend their demographic. Fox will denounce and fire him. I say no, they won’t. Nationalism will win out, and nationalism says Canadians are irrelevant social-welfare statists with a Boy Scout military, whereas Americans fucking _invented_ manly military virtue. (And American manly military virtue is the secret subtext behind a lot of FNC bluster, be it from Gutless or O’Really or any of their leggy bottle-blonde commentators, Lis Wiehl perhaps excepted.) ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/105 "2009-03-25T02:54:32Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > We didn’t have one, which is the joke. Ann Coulter was depantsed on Canadian TV for insisting that Canada took part in the military operations of the Vietnam War. Ah, yes, that would explain it. There we go, I’m not as dumb as I think. ETA: or dumber, depending on how you look at it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/106 "2009-03-25T02:55:57Z")
> [@](#): > > I say no, they won’t. Nationalism will win out, and nationalism says Canadians are irrelevant social-welfare statists with a Boy Scout military, whereas Americans fucking invented manly military virtue. These are people who rely on Fox News for their knowledge of world affairs. How many of them are going to understand Canada is a foreign country? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/107 "2009-03-25T03:28:57Z")
> [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](#): > > I’m with **magellan**. It’s no big deal when comedians make fun of the military. Like remember when Bill Maher dissed the US military? That was okay, right? He what? Oh. Never mind. Was that when he said the terrorists were the brave ones, flying planes into buildings? Dude got flamed for that. (And rightly so-I hate Bill Maher-he’s an asshole and a moron to boot) Too bad Edmonton cancelled his visit. I think they should have let him come and deal with the consequences. If he thinks Canadians are such pussies, let him see for himself. (Oh, and while and while I’m American, while I have the CUTEST pair of white capris-hip huggers, lace up fly, and slightly flared hems. They’re super flattering, and I finally lost enough weight so that they fit me again. Score!) ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/108 "2009-03-25T03:45:39Z")
**Rickjay** pegged it. Canada is in Afghanistan as allies of the United States. Period. Nobody attacked Canada on 9/11. The terrorists didn’t even come through Canada. And yet most Americans don’t remember any of this \*. Incidental note about the Canadian military - Longest successful sniper shot is by a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan (and a Newfoundlander to boot), for which he received a US Bronze Star. [Rob Furlong - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Furlong) - yes, I used to be one of them Americans who knew nothing about Canada. Thanks for keeping track. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/109 "2009-03-25T04:23:54Z")
Well, if it weren’t for idiots and assholes, neither Fox News nor its audience would exist. ---
**Author:** ![FarmerChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@FarmerChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FarmerChick)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/110 "2009-03-25T15:28:33Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > With all due respect to Fabrique Nationale, Belgium is eminently conquerable. Dude, you’re already losing two wars. > [@Monster104](#): > > Are Canadians really upset by what some nobody on TV at 3:00 AM says about their military? Really? Yes. > [@Bosstone](#): > > Besides, these days the Daily Show tends only to go after people who’ve deserved a punch in the head in some way. I’m not sure the Canadian Army qualifies. > > I took another look at the quoted piece, and really, what stands out as offensive is not the “yoga, painting landscapes, running on the beaches” part. That could be said as a mild elbow in the ribs among friends, just joking with Canada. Heck, Weird Al has a mildly funny song devoted to making fun of Canadian stereotypes, and I don’t recall any uproar over that. > > But _then_ he calls Canada “this ridiculous country.” That’s where he stepped over the line, and turned what could have been a friendly jab into something a good bit nastier. It shows a lack of respect for people who did nothing to deserve it. > [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](#): > > Watching the clip, the guy comes across as an even bigger douchebag, with that dick-holding “Canadians should just be grateful they have us to hide behind!” swagger. What a total asshole. > [@RickJay](#): > > No. And it’s certainly true that some of that has to do with the louder voice of the U.S. media and and ineferiority complex your smaller neighbour has. But here’s the really critical thing, which I haven’t seen mentioned: > > Canadian soliders are fighting and dying in Afghanistan _ **to protect the United States.** _ > > We didn’t get into Afghanistan for shits and giggles; we got into it because the USA was attacked on 9/11/01, and because Canada’s government ascertained that its obligation as an ally was to go to war against those who’d attacked the United States. Of course there’s the matter of the perception of national self-interest and of course Canadians died on 9/11. But for all the blather about how the USA protects us, the truth is that what’s really happening is exactly the reverse; we’re spending billions of dollars and suffering casualties to protect you. Canada chose to fight to defend the USA; we did not elect to sort of avoid the fighting, as some NATO countries did and as we could have. And that is a situation in which an insult isn’t going to be taken well. > > Do Canadians think Greg Gutfield’s representative of American opinion? No. The most common assumption is that Americans don’t appreciate that we ran to defend the USA when the time came, and that for a variety of geopolitical reasons and events that have transpired since then, they’re starting to wonder if maybe we aren’t wasting our time helping someone too selfish to appreciate it. That’s not necessarily my point of view, but surely you can see why a lot of people would think that. > [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Oh come on. Even _France_ joined in with us on Afghanistan. It’s not all that impressive. What is impressive is the fact we are still there fighting your fucking war while you guys are making a mess of it in Iraq. Idiot. > [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Rest assured, I’m well aware of what the Canadians have done for us in Afghanistan, and what we’ve done to them, too. > > As far as I’m aware, the Canadians haven’t killed any Americans there yet. I’d say we owe them a bit more than just thanks and respect. Unlike the Americans, our first [4 KIA’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarnak_Farm_incident)were from you guys. You Americans are famous for killing your Allies now aren’t they? When the Germans fire, the British duck; When the Germans fire, the British duck; When the Italians fire, nobody ducks; And when the Americans fire, EVERYBODY ducks. [cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_fire#World_War_II) > [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > **Rickjay** pegged it. Canada is in Afghanistan as allies of the United States. Period. Nobody attacked Canada on 9/11. The terrorists didn’t even come through Canada. And yet most Americans don’t remember any of this \*. > > Incidental note about the Canadian military - Longest successful sniper shot is by a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan (and a Newfoundlander to boot), for which he received a US Bronze Star. > > [Rob Furlong - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Furlong) > > - yes, I used to be one of them Americans who knew nothing about Canada. Thanks for keeping track. As of March 25/09, 11% of the casualties in Afghanistan are Canadian soldiers. [cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_casualties_in_Afghanistan) [First to Deploy Armor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%27s_role_in_the_invasion_of_Afghanistan) Our Armor is taking a shit-kicking, we don’t have much to begin with. > [@](#): > > On 15 September 2006, the Canadian government committed a squadron of Leopard tanks from Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), and an additional 200 to 500 troops to Afghanistan. Canada was the first nation to deploy armour to Afghanistan.[4] in 2006 Canadians played a key role in Operations [Mountain Thrust,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mountain_Thrust) [Mountain Fury,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mountain_Fury) [Medusa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Medusa) and [Falcon Summit.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Falcon_Summit) A very [good article](http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/afghanistan/joint-command.html) on the fundamental differences between Canada and The US Forces. We Canadians are on target to have spend over $20 billion on Afghanistan by 2011. I know that doesn’t seem like much to the USA, but keep in mind we only have 30 million people. We have stepped up and honored our commitment in Afghanistan, hell we have done more then our share even. So when some ignorant asshole mocks our military just when we are bringing home 4 more dead soldiers, yeah, we get a little pissy. If your former Commander in Chief had stuck around and finished the job in Afghanistan instead of running off to Iraq, more then likely Afghanistan would be a done deal instead of the clusterfuck it is and probably will continue to be. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/111 "2009-03-25T15:36:03Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Oh come on. Even _France_ joined in with us on Afghanistan. It’s not all that impressive. They didn’t HAVE to. They could have stayed home too. When you stop and think that they are sending their troops to help our war, and these guys are risking their lives for us, you don’t disrespect them like this. Besides, if this assclown TV guy is such a mighty warrior that he can pass judgement, he can drag his pansy ass over there and show us ALL how it’s done. I’m not holding my breath. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/112 "2009-03-25T16:54:04Z")
> [@FarmerChick](#): > > If your former Commander in Chief had stuck around and finished the job in Afghanistan instead of running off to Iraq, more then likely Afghanistan would be a done deal instead of the clusterfuck it is and probably will continue to be. Actually, _Frontline_ has argued (in their [“Lost Year in Iraq”](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/yeariniraq/) episode) that Iraq itself could’ve been wrapped up by now if the Bush administration was less head-up-its-own-ass. So not only have the Americans diverted their attention from the main problem, they’ve done so in a way that’ll likely earn them _two_ lost wars. Anyway, I can understand Foxguy’s motivation - say something crass and insulting, your slug-brained core audience will chortle and anyone who turns away in disgust, well, who needs 'em? Afterward, when you find out it’ll cost you money, lip-service your way out of it and wait for another distraction to come along. I’d be just fine with it if every possible Canadian venue for his comedy was closed to him, now. Let him have a taste of what the Dixie Chicks got. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/113 "2009-03-25T17:31:59Z")
> [@FarmerChick](#): > > What is impressive is the fact we are still there fighting your fucking war while you guys are making a mess of it in Iraq. Idiot. > > Unlike the Americans, our first [4 KIA’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarnak_Farm_incident)were from you guys. > > You Americans are famous for killing your Allies now aren’t they? What’s impressive to me is that you can read both of those posts, and presumably the one from **xtisme** in between and _still_ be wooshed by the first one. How can you read the entirety of my post in reference to the very incident of Americans killing Canadians that you cite and not understand it. What exactly did you think I meant when I said: > [@](#): > > As far as I’m aware, the Canadians haven’t killed any Americans there yet. I’d say we owe them a bit more than just thanks and respect. I mean, really, I understand that it is possible to miss sarcasm in internet posts, but I don’t think it’s really possible to read and cite both of those posts and not get it. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/114 "2009-03-25T17:33:26Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > They didn’t HAVE to. They could have stayed home too. When you stop and think that they are sending their troops to help our war, and these guys are risking their lives for us, you don’t disrespect them like this. Besides, if this assclown TV guy is such a mighty warrior that he can pass judgement, he can drag his pansy ass over there and show us ALL how it’s done. > I’m not holding my breath. Am I new to this board or something? Jesus Christ, **SteveG1** , you oughta know my general positions well enough - we often follow the same threads. Please see my post to **Farmer Chick** above. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/115 "2009-03-25T17:33:27Z")
She might have me on ignore…presumably lots of folks do. 😛 Or, she may have taken one of those internet speed reading courses… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/116 "2009-03-25T17:39:17Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > She might have me on ignore…presumably lots of folks do. 😛 Or, she may have taken one of those internet speed reading courses… > > -XT Maybe it’s just that Canadians aren’t used to being outraged, and it’s hard to control the Genie when you let it out of the bottle. Although, mon grandpere etait un cultivateur de Quebec, and I spend a lot of time outraged, so that could be an incorrect assumption. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/117 "2009-03-25T17:48:39Z")
Well, perhaps that’s it. You will note (with some irony, to be sure) that with my own keen eyed perceptions I was able to puzzle out your intentions without much difficulty. 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/118 "2009-03-25T17:52:12Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Well, perhaps that’s it. You will note (with some irony, to be sure) that with my own keen eyed perceptions I was able to puzzle out your intentions without much difficulty. 😛 > > -XT I did, in fact take note of that. I almost wrote “even **xtisme** understood I was joking,” but I figured that might look like a slight about your perceptiveness rather than an observation that we are typically on opposing sides of issues. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Booker\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@Happy\_Booker\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Booker_1)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/119 "2009-03-25T17:53:24Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > We didn’t have one, which is the joke. Ann Coulter was depantsed on Canadian TV … Now that’s a WMD ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548/120 "2009-03-25T17:58:01Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > … > > Canadian soliders are fighting and dying in Afghanistan _ **to protect the United States.** _ > > We didn’t get into Afghanistan for shits and giggles; we got into it because the USA was attacked on 9/11/01 … Yeah; I was wondering if anyone would point that out. Those Fox News shitheads get their little stiffys over other peoples’ military action; you think they’d appreciate the help of a country that had no reason to help us other than loyalty. Frankly, I agree; we’ve got a lot of arrogant pricks in the US. And really, after Jaclyn Smith came out of Texas in the late 70s, most of the beautiful actresses and singers seem to come from … Canada. Please don’t be angry with us, and send us more pretty women and funny men. Or pretty funny women. Okay; just send us women. And thank you for sticking by us despite seeming to be treated so dismissively. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-news-show-mocks-soldiers-in-afghanistan/490548.md?page=7)