{"id":474,"date":"2006-09-06T03:25:38","date_gmt":"2006-09-06T03:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=474"},"modified":"2018-08-20T19:07:04","modified_gmt":"2018-08-20T23:07:04","slug":"wednesday-september-6-2006-harper%e2%80%99s-betrayal-of-canada%e2%80%99s-soldiers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=474","title":{"rendered":"Wednesday, September 6, 2006 \u2014 Harper\u2019s Betrayal of Canada\u2019s Soldiers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anoth\u00ader \u201cfriend\u00adly fire\u201d inci\u00addent occurred in Afghanistan, where two US<\/span> A\u201110 Thun\u00adder\u00adbolts straffed a Cana\u00addi\u00adan Forces base camp. Five Cana\u00addi\u00adan sol\u00addiers were severe\u00adly wound\u00aded, and one killed. The dead sol\u00addier, Mark Gra\u00adham, was a wide\u00adly liked Olympic track star. This fol\u00adlowed close\u00adly on four Cana\u00addi\u00adan com\u00adbat deaths over the week\u00adend. Com\u00adbat deaths are to be expect\u00aded, but yet anoth\u00ader \u201cfriend\u00adly fire\u201d deba\u00adcle involv\u00ading poor\u00adly-com\u00admand\u00aded Amer\u00adi\u00adcan forces killing Cana\u00addi\u00adan troops is re-enforc\u00ading doubts the Cana\u00addi\u00adan pub\u00adlic has about our \u201cmis\u00adsion\u201d in Afghanistan. All the more because Stephen Harper\u2019s Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive gov\u00adern\u00adment has made it obvi\u00adous that Cana\u00addi\u00adan forces are increas\u00ading\u00adly deployed as mere mer\u00adce\u00adnary forces for George W. Bush. As far as Harp\u00ader is con\u00adcerned, there is no Cana\u00addi\u00adan for\u00adeign pol\u00adi\u00adcy. There is only George W. Bush\u2019s pol\u00adi\u00adcy. How\u00adev\u00ader, the Cana\u00addi\u00adan peo\u00adple seem to have anoth\u00ader notion, that the Cana\u00addi\u00adan mil\u00adi\u00adtary is intend\u00aded to defend Cana\u00adda and the inter\u00adests of the Cana\u00addi\u00adan peo\u00adple, and to engage in com\u00adbat on for\u00adeign soil only when the moral issues are clear and unequivocal.<\/span><\/p>\n

This comes from a long expe\u00adri\u00adence of for\u00adeign wars. Dur\u00ading WW<\/span> I, being used as canon-fod\u00adder under British offi\u00adcers cre\u00adat\u00aded, in Cana\u00addi\u00adans, a con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adable touch\u00adi\u00adness about the issue of sub\u00admit\u00adting to for\u00adeign com\u00admand. Cana\u00addi\u00adan par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpa\u00adtion in World War II<\/span> was premised on avoid\u00ading this. Sub\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly, Cana\u00adda refused to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate in some wars that it was urged to by allies, when moral issues, strat\u00ade\u00adgy, or the valid\u00adi\u00adty of Cana\u00addi\u00adan inter\u00adests where ques\u00adtion\u00adable. Thus, Cana\u00adda entered the Kore\u00adan War, refused to back Britain when it want\u00aded to invade Egypt, flat\u00adly refused to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate in the Viet\u00adnam War, joined in the war to oust the Tal\u00adiban, and flat\u00adly refused to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate in the inva\u00adsion of Iraq. His\u00adto\u00adry has shown these to have been pret\u00adty much the right choic\u00ades. The quag\u00admire of fail\u00adure and dis\u00adhon\u00adour in Iraq has already val\u00adi\u00addat\u00aded judge\u00adment in that instance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fight\u00ading the Tal\u00adiban and pur\u00adsu\u00ading Al-Kai\u00adda were wide\u00adly sup\u00adport\u00aded by Cana\u00addi\u00adans. The moral issues seemed to be clear. But George W. Bush\u2019s sub\u00adse\u00adquent swin\u00addle, where these aims were under\u00admined, per\u00advert\u00aded, and betrayed to divert resources to the per\u00adson\u00adal schemes of a gang of trai\u00adtors, were not and nev\u00ader have been sup\u00adport\u00aded by most Cana\u00addi\u00adans. This con\u00adtrast is made all the more clear, today, by Bush\u2019s boast\u00adful rev\u00ade\u00adla\u00adtion of oper\u00adat\u00ading the secret prison camps that he and his mob had pre\u00advi\u00adous\u00adly denied existed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The small coterie of quis\u00adlings around Prime Min\u00adis\u00adter Stephen Harp\u00ader has been try\u00ading to use the same tac\u00adtics that their mas\u00adters in Wash\u00ading\u00adton have suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly employed. They keep claim\u00ading that any think\u00ading, dis\u00adcus\u00adsion, or con\u00adcern about the Cana\u00addi\u00adan pres\u00adence in Afghanistan is some\u00adhow under\u00admin\u00ading and betray\u00ading our sol\u00addiers. I am hap\u00adpy to say that few of my coun\u00adtry\u00admen respond to this kind of dis\u00adgust\u00ading, manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtive flum\u00admery with any\u00adthing but con\u00adtempt. What\u00adev\u00ader slimy tac\u00adtics Harp\u00ader uses, the Cana\u00addi\u00adan pub\u00adlic will not be fooled. They will exam\u00adine our pres\u00adence in Afghanistan, judge our pres\u00adence in Afghanistan, and decide if our sol\u00addiers are risk\u00ading their lives for a legit\u00adi\u00admate and moral cause. That is our right, that is our duty, and that is our pow\u00ader. Cana\u00adda is a par\u00adlia\u00admen\u00adtary democ\u00adra\u00adcy, not a pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adtial monar\u00adchy. We decide. Not Stephen Harp\u00ader. And not George W. Bush.<\/span><\/p>\n

I would not be sur\u00adprised if this is the issue that brings down the Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive gov\u00adern\u00adment, which got into pow\u00ader by hid\u00ading its agen\u00adda. The soon\u00ader that hap\u00adpens, the bet\u00adter. It is clear to me that if any\u00adone is to be just\u00adly accused of betray\u00ading and under\u00admin\u00ading our sol\u00addiers, it is Stephen Harper\u2019s gov\u00adern\u00adment, which sees them as dis\u00adpos\u00adable hunks of sala\u00admi, sold to for\u00adeign pow\u00aders by the kilo.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anoth\u00ader \u201cfriend\u00adly fire\u201d inci\u00addent occurred in Afghanistan, where two US<\/span> A\u201110 Thun\u00adder\u00adbolts straffed a Cana\u00addi\u00adan Forces base camp. Five Cana\u00addi\u00adan sol\u00addiers were severe\u00adly wound\u00aded, and one killed. The dead sol\u00addier, Mark Gra\u00adham, was a wide\u00adly liked Olympic track star. This fol\u00adlowed close\u00adly on \u2026<\/p>\n

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