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I know this won't sit well with some of you right-wing wackos but I think David Frum is absolutely right.

You are missing the point and the context. Canada's military has become a joke, despite the individual sacrifice of its members. This is what prompted the satire:

Forces needs a year off to recover: Army chief AFGHANISTAN: Mission has taken its toll

" We are not growing as fast as we would have wanted," he said, noting the land forces are short 600 to 700 people. "An army needs a constant stream of young men and women who are willing to carry a rifle and go off and do the sorts of things we're doing now."

Even ex-soldiers are being courted to return and join the war in Afghanistan. The personnel shortage and equipment that requires constant maintenance have taken a heavy toll, said Leslie. "Beginning in July 2011, we will have to explore the possibility of taking a short operational break, that is well-organized and synchronized, of at least one year,'' he said

The Canadian Defense forces are today funded by approximately $19 billion annually, and are presently ranked 46th in size compared to the world's other armed forces, and 55th in terms of active personnel, standing at a population of roughly 65,000, not including the 26,000 reservists.

that's right. The total active duty military forces of Canada for all services, land, sea, and air is about 65,000!!! This is made possible because the US is footing the bill to provide the Canadian security umbrella. Canada is spending 1.1% of its GDP on defense, which places it at 132nd in the world.

No one is disrespecting the 112 Canadian soldiers, one diplomat and two aid workers who have been killed since the Canadian military deployed to Afghanistan in early 2002. But Canada is a rich nation of almost 35 million. The idea that its land forces can take a year off from operational duties to recover is ludicrous on the face of it.

What is really being made a mockery of is the disproportioinate sacrifice of US blood and treasure around the world to defend the free world. The rest of the world has been on security welfare at our expense. Unfortunately, we won't be able to afford to do it much longer as our economy slides into the ditch and the entitlement programs will force us to cut back on defense spending. We can no longer afford the guns and butter. Some hard choices will have to be made.