reed writes

Peter Mackay Redefines Canada’s Role In Afghanistan (2)

Earlier this week, our "defence minister" redefined our mission in Afghanistan. The new definition is  instructive especially in light of the six-year history of this misbegotten enterprise.

The original definition…way back when…was to assist the Afghans in forming a government and assist them to reconstruct the country after the devastating Russian occupation and the massive damage caused by American bombing raids…including the killing of many innocent civilians.

Our original committment was for six months. We were to eliminate the threat of al Qaida and fight terrorism, which our leaders told us threatened Canada.

But then some funny things happened.

The Americans lost interest in Afghanistan and invaded Iraq.

Osama bin Laden and his main supporters escaped, found safe haven in Pakistan and started to set up shop in Baghdad. There didn’t seem to be much left of the original purpose other than to support a reconstruction programme, which could have been accomplished by establishing a civilian agency under the sponsorship of The United Nations to do the work in cooperation with the Aghan government.

But wait…then NATO came along and military people like Canada’s Mr. Hillier informed us that the real purpose of the mission was to destroy "the scumbags" of Afghanistan; dutifully, the U.S. and Canadian media cheered.

They cheered especially loudly in Canada, after wolfing down a free lunch thrown by Mr. Hillier in Ottawa, at taxpayer expense. The press marvelled at his bravado and extolled his military genius.

This redefinition of the mission (which some have called "Operation Scumbag"), inspired Canadian hawks to stick yellow ribbons to their SUV’s and support Mr. Hillier’s foolhardy march into a full combat role. (It’s not clear, even now, that the Harper government knew about this).

Then after several Canadians had been killed by American bombs and strafing, scores of others killed by roadside bombs and at least one probable suicide, (that death is still "under investigation" two years later)…many Canadians came to doubt the wisdom of the operation. Some even said it was straying from its original purpose of "assistance". But the warhawks held firm and increased the decibel level. Supporting the war became a loyalty test for Canadians and some mused that the U.S. had already taken over the country.

We entered a period of national polarization. You’re "for us" or you’re "against us".

The minority government of Mr. Harper then boldy threw down the gauntlett. Support the war and be real Canadians or betray our troops like traitors and pull out. The gauntlett fell at the feet of the leader of the opposition and his rather odd deputy. The two of them rushed off to the "theatre" together and came back supporting the mission but with a few mild "reservations" about such things as Canadians enabling the Afghans to torture prisoners.

This was a tipping point.

Mr. Harper then countered the Liberal trip to the theatre, by cleverly creating his own delegation of political hacks and hangers-on, which included a big name Liberal Party man named John Manley. Manley and his crowd found that the war was winnable, if only the Canadians could get some helicopters, a couple of unmanned surveillance planes and an additional thousand troops.

Then something really amazing happened. Harper began to cozy up to Dion. There was a meeting of minds.

Mr. Harper transformed his minority Conservative government into a coalition with the Liberals,  There was a short debate which few bothered to participate in and voila! the mission was extended until at least 2011.

It was at that point that the defence minister stepped up to the freedom plate. (He may have read earlier in the week a The New York Times story about George W. Bush speaking on Iraq:

The Times reported that :"…Mr. Bush, most experts agree, has taken the American freedom agenda to an entirely new level, by trying to foster democracy in nations that have not known it before, like Iraq and Afghanistan. Some historians have called it folly, and Mr. Bush conceded in an interview with conservative commentators last year that his critics believe he is “hopelessly idealistic.”

Anyway…back in Ottawa, Some protestors sounded off in the parliamentary gallery, shouting out – "End it Don’t Extend It"!. The protesters were unaware that by opposing the war so vocally, they were actually playing into the government’s hands. The defence minister applauded as the protests died away and solemnly gave voice to the "new" mission.

No longer was it to be "operation scumbag". Now it was to bring "freedom of expression" to the Afghan people, so they could be just like us…and have protesters in their parliamentary gallery.

(Cost of this war to Canadians so far: no one seems to know the figure; but one official hinted that it was about one billion dollars over budget…with 3 years still to go).

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Just a footnote from Silent Patriot on C&L ref: Iraq

It’s really amazing how we turned a contained country with no ties to the terrorist threat against us into a breeding ground for those very same people. What a brilliant foreign policy we have.

Peter Mackay, Defence Minister in The Harper/Dion Government Re-defines Canada’s Goal in Afghanistan.

The public gallery in the House of Commons was filled with protesters, who called out, "End it! Don’t extend it". It was a reference to Canada’s war in Afghanistan. Peter Mackay, in his inimitable way, responded to the protest. He said that the vocal opposition from the public represented "expressions of a healthy, vibrant democracy".

Mackay then went on to make a quite inane statement.

With reference to the Canadian protesters, Mackay said that the government’s goal in Afghanistan is to instill the same "type of diversity and freedom of expression".

Hmmm. And here I thought it was  to "fight terror" and install a "stable" government…maybe even do a little re-building after all the damage we and the Russians caused. So it came as a surprise to see that the goal is entirely different.

After hearing and reading the remarks I began to wonder just what fictional dream world this government lives in. What movie are they playing in? What’s the name of this docu-drama?

Is this why Dion supported the government motion?

Because he agrees that we should instill a Canadian-style "diversity and freedom of expression" in Afghanistan?

This is the first I’ve heard that our goal in Afghanistan is to instill Canadian-style "diversity and freedom of expression".

If that’s really the goal then we can quite likely expect to be there – not just  a year or 2 or 3 or 4 – we can expect to be there forever.

(But of course, that’s not really the goal, now is it?. Surely they can’t be thinking about instilling "freedom of expression" in a country where a journalism student is condemned to death for promoting womens’ rights. What in God’s name are these people thinking about??

And as this government – with its Liberal Rump of Support – leads us all deeper into this war, it has made every effort to kill legislation aimed at helping our kids get a better education.

It really, really does make you wonder doesn’t it.

He really did say that honest.

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The case of Canadian Brenda Martin, jailed in Mexico is just another shocking example of just how bad the Mexican justice system really is. It’s going to be awhile before Canadians start booking trips to Mexico.

Read more here
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Not that the American justice system is a lot better than Mexico’s. Peter Mackay ought to have a closer look at how the United States dispenses its brand of justice. Maybe he could do a little "instilling" down there.

If Ignorance is bliss….
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One of the few bright spots I found this morning was this one about one of the few leaders in this country who deserves that name.
Dalton McGuinty is showing a lot of political smarts.
He has fortitude, common sense and he behaves – mostly anyway – in a rational, sensible way.

When former premier Mike Harris unexpectedly announced in December
the planned privatization of the power grid, Dalton McGuinty said he fully
supported it, along with deregulation and competition on the generation side.

His only concern, he said at the time, was his lack of confidence
in the government’s track record on privatizing effectively.
However, he was soon crusading against the sale of Hydro One, all
the while denying that he’d ever held a different position — until
he was confronted with tape of his initial comments late last week.

"I honestly believed I’d never said that (I was in favour),"
McGuinty said. "I didn’t recall at the outset that I’d said what I’d said."

However, the opposition leader said he’d learned a valuable lesson.

It takes guts to admit you were wrong.

Perhaps Dalton will take a stab at the federal leadership spot. God only knows, we need someone in Ottawa with some ability and a willingness to act on principle.
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"Our thoughts are with the family".

That’s the best that Guy Laroche could do when he announced the death of Jeremie Ouellet a Canadian soldier found dead on the Kandahar air base in Afghanistan. The death was announced 12 hours after Jeremie’s body was found.

Guy’s boss, Mr Hillier was not available for comment at the time.

A harbinger of things to come, perhaps. Jeremie’s death was not combat related, Guy said.

Mr. Rick may give his standard "scumbag speech" but unhappily it does not apply in Jeremie’s case…at least not with respect to Rick’s scumbags…this death was – apparently – not related to scumbag interaction.

Mr. Hillier’s boy Guy, said that Jeremie was found dead at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Guy could not specify just how Jeremie had died. No further details are available at this time, Ladies and Gentleman of the Canadian jury.

Guy did, however elaborate.

He said that "The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service has initiated an investigation to establish the details and circumstances of this tragic incident,"

Oh really.

I see.

Does that mean a crime was committed? Or was it just a suicide?

Mr. Hillier was not available for comment.

According to CTV, "The last incident in which a Canadian soldier died on the Kandahar base was in March 2007, when Corporal Kevin Megeney, 25, was shot in the chest. Officials are still investigating".

The question of suicide has been raised in Jeremie’s case but hasn’t been confirmed or denied.

Mr. Hillier was not available for comment.

Perhaps Mr. Harper will comment. Perhaps not. Most likely not.

I am still waiting for either Mr. Hillier or Mr. Harper to comment on the murder of the unarmed Canadian peacekeeper, Major Paeta Hess von Kreudener by the forces of Israel. The Major was murdered by the Israelis in July of 2006 in Lebanon, as he performed his duty, defending Canada’s values. (Our esteemed retired pundit general lewis mackenzie says it was just an accident).

The Major’s death was no accident. The Israelis bombed him with a precision-guided 1100 pound bomb at the end of a 7-hour attac k on a defenceless United Nations Observation Post.

The dishonesty’s too much. The hypocrisy is out of control. And truth is non-existent with these people.

I have stopped honouring Mr. Hillier with the designation of General. He is unworthy by any measure.

I have stopped honouring Stephen Harper with the title of the office he is holding temporarily. He is even less worthy.

These men are beneath contempt.

Bombardier Jeremie  Ouellet was a member of the 1st regiment of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, based in Shilo. He was born in Matane, Que. He died in Afghnistan. Not combat related.

My deepest sympathies go out to his family. He was 22.

Meanwhile as this misguided and ill-fated mission continues to unfold, the Manley crowd – including Mulroney Bumboy Derek Burney-ex Liberal Manley and Pamela Wallin, seen below, get into the massage business…a criminal activity in some circles.

Here’s the latest report from CTV about what these tired old pro-war people have to say, "Members of the  Manley panel say the government should not expect a firm deadline for the Afghanistan mission, and that an extra 1,000 NATO soldiers in Kandahar should only be seen as a bare minimum for military support".

We would say "It is to laugh". if it were not such a sad and heart-rending tragedy.

So the number 1,000 wasn’t what Manley really meant, now was it.

This morning there arrived a timely call for an end to secrecy at The Federal Court of Claims. In something as important as this issue, all documents…however sensitive they might be…must be available for scrutiny.

"It is imperative that the court for vaccine compensation unseal documents involved in this unusual case so that experts, families and their doctors can better understand exactly how Hannah Poling, now 9 years old, came to be harmed after receiving a battery of shots when she was a toddler".

You can read the rest of The New York Times editorial here.

A report just out says that there are traces of a wide variety of prescription drugs in America’s drinking water. Hmmm.

Maybe that’s the problem.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080309/ap_on_re_us/pharmawater_i

postscript

I wonder what’s in OUR water!

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Keeping Up With Current Affairs

Our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper may like the death penalty, but it seems that many Americans are beginning to shy away from it. Here at RW, we say bravo to them.

For example, federal prosecutors in the State of New York have asked juries to impose death sentences 19 times since 1988.
In only one case did a jury rule for execution.

Read more here in The New York Times