In pointing out that the best way to support Canada's Armed Forces is to remove them from the Afghan killing fields, Jack Layton and the New Democrats are liberating some valuable language from Stephen Harper's war party. During the first Gulf War, "Support our Troops" became code for "shout down the peaceniks before somebody actually starts to think about what's really going on!" The second Gulf War saw "Support our Troops" retain some of its original denotative quality, but only because the families of American soldiers had to buy body armour for them.Corporate Canada considers "Support our Troops" to mean little more than a freeze-dried cup of Tim Horton's coffee and a pat on the back. Actually, make that a shove into an ill-defined combat mission that serves no purpose but to grease U.S. trade relations by positioning this country as serious about terrorism. Canada's corporate leaders have gone so far as to buy ads on the Washington D.C. Metro system showing Canadians doing their part in the "War on Terror". Is this about hunting down Osama Bin Laden, helping the Afghan people, or Bay Street and Calgary's Oilpatch showing the Bush Administration that we know how to play ball?
If you're looking for a way to support our troops yourself, this might be the best way possible.
1 comment:
I support the troops but not this war. I supported the original mission for "Peacekeeping" and "Reconstruction" but not this sham of a war.
We (and NATO) are helping the US do their dirty work, so they can free up troops for that other quagmire in Iraq and possibly Iran.
Shame on Harper for extending the mission, but as usual his orders came from the Whitehouse and now we are sending more troops and tanks? WTF?
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