Posted by Lord Anthony
If this is good enough for prison-security in Kandahar, why don’t we have some like that here?
We have a serious problem in Canada in the false reporting of what’s happening in Afganistan, showing up bigtime in the wake of the prison-bombing in Kandahar. Our main media prefer meaningless lies about escaped prisoners turning themselves in and the neighbours being nicey-nice and helpful, that Kandahar wasn’t really something to keep an eye on.
"Kandahar is one of the key battlegrounds in the Taleban’s insurgency against President Karzai and Nato and US troops".
"Last month inmates at Kandahar jail ended a week-long hunger strike after a parliamentary delegation promised to address their demands".
"Almost 400 prisoners said they had been denied access to fair trials and some also complained of torture".
How many Canadians are aware of the horrific legacy we are building for OUR children as we alienate more and more Islamic people around the world by shamefully mimicking US foreign policy already proven a disastrous failure?
I have seen ReedWrites express support for our troops and rightly so, they are mostly decent people.
Our troops are to be supported not for what they’re doing, but because they can’t speak up. They are being abused by their line of command and unable to defend themselves.
On their watch and at the cost of many lives to say nothing of the taxpayers’ expense and our country’s fading integrity, their gross failure to keep Kandahar prison secure is worse than letting the fox in the chicken-coop.
It’s having the foxes all corralled and then leaving the gate open before moving on.
BUT: they were only following orders.
It is an egregious insult to our troops that our wretched Defence Minister Peter Mackay and self-promoting military mouthpiece Gen. Rick Hillier further insult the intelligence of Canadians by telling us it’s all under control more or less, and it’s all worthwhile.
It is NOT.
“Our troops are to be supported not for what they’re doing, but because they can’t speak up. They are being abused by their line of command and unable to defend themselves”.
I would agree with everything you say. I just wish to point out one small omission: when you mention “line of command”, let’s remember that “line of command” starts at the top in the office of the Canadian Prime Minister. Those who have done the greatest harm are indeed the wretched at the top starting with Mr. Harper. Their ignorance is profound, their knowledge of history is close to zero and their incompetence is gargantuan. The opposition is complicit. The ask the impossible and yet they give nothing.
I refer to
“…… Our troops are to be supported not for what they’re doing…”
The latest Common Dreams essay by Eric Margolis pinpoints the function of NATO troops in Afganistan, to draw Taliban into the open so USA can air-bomb them along with civilians and Canadians, how quickly we forget.
So the role of our troops in Afganistan is akin to the Victorian-era yokels who beat the pheasants (and all kinds of other wildlife) out of the bush for rich bastards to shoot at.
Is that what we are in Afghanistan? Forelock-tuggers to our US masters?
Who in their right mind would support that?
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/14/9635/
You are brilliant LA…what an apt comparison! Beating the wildlife out of the bushes…yes,