CF-18s intercepted plane on eve of Obama visit

[silentivan]

I don't know why people are getting all negative about this incident. The fact that it happens often shouldn't be a reason to take it lightly. Russia has been trying over the last few years to re-assert itself in the world and HAS made claims to portions of the arctic. Letting these things go unchallenged is NOT a way to assert our position as a soverign country. Likewise, letting these things go unpublished all the time breeds complacency amoung people who for one, feel that the Canadian Forces do nothing but eat up tax dollars and two, feel that there are no threats to us and that the CF has become irrelevant in this new age of "peace". However peace is relative since we are fortunate enough to live in this amazing country.

Enforcing our airspace is just as important as enforcing order on our streets. If we don't, next thing it'll be in our airspace, than over our territory, than a surprise visit by a naval ship through our water ways. Ask anyone who lived through the second world war. Everyone sat back and let Hitler do his thing and get bolder until it was too late. An extreme example maybe, but sadly it's the way things operate in this "peaceful" world of ours.

To our men and woman in uniform, thank you, you make us proud.

Hear, hear!

[FamilyGuy]

MAD = Mutually Assured Destruction...or the little games they play to stay sharp.

Intercepts are NOT uncommon. Cold Lake is an active scramble intercept fighter base - that's sorta why it's located where it is...well that and Primrose.

Did you happen to see the Russian Ambasdor to Canada on the news tonight? Pretty funny guy...fer a Ruskie. He doesn't see what all the fuss is about...and frankly neither do I.

Intercept = BFD or slooooow news day! (Russian Bear...get it....nevermind)

[WJflyer]

I do have to say this: McKay played the media very well... I'm having a good chuckle at how well McKay managed to create such a buzz.

[Rockie]

Intercepts are NOT uncommon. Cold Lake is an active scramble intercept fighter base - that's sorta why it's located where it is...well that and Primrose.

Cold Lake is a very poor location from which to defend Canada's airspace. It was built as a training base in 1952 on a site chosen in part for its proximity to absolutely nowhere. Air defence had nothing to do with it. It's only in recent years they've placed fighters on active alert, but that's only because they don't want to spend the money staging fighters full time out where our airspace ends and intercepts are supposed to occur.

Right now we can intercept the Russians up north on 3 hours notice, but we'll be out of gas when we get there. If they give us 4 hours notice we can land and gas up in Inuvik first (weather permitting) and then really give the Russians a run for their money.

My comments aren't meant to put down our military since I come from that world in the first place, but we should be realistic about what we can and cannot do.

[Old fella]

Who remembers that 1966 movie: "The Russians are coming, The Russians are coming..." A little spoof during the “us/them" era. It generated some laughs and acclaim from the movie press but the various Generals Hand Grenades’ and Colonel Klink’s south of the border were not amused because the Vietnam war was just starting to wind up big time. Those godless heathen communists will be hitting our shores any time soon!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hedley]

Those godless heathen communists will be hitting our shores

Isn't it weird how communism/socialism, which was all the rage
with the intelligentsia for so much of the 20th century, simply
evaporated with disappearance of the Soviet Union?

It's pretty hard to find anyone these days who will even
admit to ever being a communist/socialist.

The only true communist states left in existence are Cuba
and North Korea, and I don't think they've really done much
for their citizen's standard of living, over the past 50 years -
don't both countries have occasional famines and rationing?

[. ._]

Spoken like true bourgoisie.

But true. I consider myself a communist, but I can't find anyone around to march with me in protest. I just look like some wierdo with a sign, then the cops tase me.

C'mon folks! Ain't no party like a communist party!



-istp

[rigpiggy]

Part of the problem at least as far as YEV is concerned is that they sold the FOL to the town for 1$. Some smart accountant had the town turn off the refrigeration, the permafrost under the hangars subsided, and the slabs have cracked/sunk. Now they have to put everything in the 707 hangar which they no longer own, at abot 3k/aircraft/night. At least that is what Willard charged them 10 odd years back.

[Labour Board]

5-6 years ago they were operating out of the FOB no problem how long ago did they sell it to the town?

[Skyhunter]

Although I probably can't talk about details... I will say none of the FOL stuff mentioned is even close to true.