I'm Sorry, BUT
In my travels around the Internet, I've become accustomed to reading rightwing blogs/columns/forums blame dissent here at home (by many Canadians - across the political spectrum, in fact) for the way the mission in Afghanistan is going - um, for the way the mission in Afghanistan is going. Which is to say - badly. Certainly, at least, for the dead and injured and their families and friends and the rest of us who can see now that there may not be an end to this attempt to save Afghanistan from, well, who knows anymore, really - the Taliban, war lords, poppies, and eventually, maybe even - Karzai.
I do, however, get it, that in spite of everything, the soldiers are there because they want to be. It is doubtful a soldier headed to Afghanistan these days is unaware of the risk s/he is taking in going. But I'm not sure what or whose purpose is served (other than the current government's) for those of us who do not support the mission and therefore do not support sending soldiers to Afghanistan to pretend that we do.
And I won't do it anyway. Although I probably would if I was an American because I'm just not that brave.
Is our country really that... fragile? I mean, this IS a democracy... riiiiight? And it's not like the history of Afghanistan isn't telling us something about its likely future - is it? Not that things can't change. We managed to unelect a bad government to elect a worse one. Maybe the Afghanis can do the reverse.
Anyway, I'm writing this entry because I am recently returned from reading this column:
I was going to leave an insightful comment that would have left The Coynester looking quite the doofus but then thought, "Screw that buttface" (I'm unnecessarily rude when I talk to myself) - "I'm going to blog my comment, instead!"
Read the whole thing (i.e. "choke it down, soldier") but this is the bit that really stuck in my craw (which is that spot on your head where crows land to caw):
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The Taliban read the western press. They are looking for the weak link in the NATO chain, and having found it, they will exploit it -- by killing as many soldiers from that country as they can. If critics of the war should not be accused of supporting the Taliban, neither should critics of the critics be accused of suppressing debate if they point out that there are consequences to their fecklessness. The Prime Minister has invited them to grow up. They should accept.
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Oh. Really. Well, I think it shows an almost unbelievable level of ignorance of what's actually going on in Afghanistan to blame dissent (by many Canadians regarding the current operation - which is quite an escalation/augmentation of the original mission) for the deaths of soldiers by random roadside bombs. I mean, do these pundits even read themselves?
And I would suggest that if the Taliban is indeed reading the Western press, they'll be getting a good kick out of our rightwing pundits' take on things. Seriously. I'm no military expert, or rather - guerilla warfare expert - but I highly doubt a rallying around the flag for the mission would reduce the number of deaths of our soldiers by civilian/Taliban/civilian Taliban planted roadside bombs one bit. Dare I say - it might even increase them. Who's to know? Certainly not some New Conservative pundit who thinks there is any reason whatsoever for a population to pretend it is in lockstep with its government on something it isn't - for the sake of appearances to the enemy.
By the way, if the Taliban is reading this? It's the rightwingers (our version of you assholes) who are calling a member of the Opposition "Taliban Jack" because I guess they want to send the message to you that you have a lot of support from people who vote NDP. Haha - well the joke's on you because you don't. They just aren't very good at homefront strategizing and are so busy pointing fingers at their fellow citizens instead of at their government - the dumbfucks actually in charge of this mess - that they aren't even useful idiots. They're just idiots.
I know, I know. You stopped reading at the link.
