They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
The Toronto Star is currently doing a series on Canadian soldiers back from Afghanistan who are suffering in ways that aren't being compensated for by the Canadian government and our healthcare system.
While there's not much to like about that situation, I'm not sure why the same media outrage woudn't apply to any Canadian citizen suffering from trauma who isn't receiving the support they need from their government and healthcare system. I mean, signing up for duty is entirely voluntary and if the result of seeing action is traumatized ex-soldiers living out their lives in Canada with inadequate professional support, I'm not sure why our media isn't waging a campaign to prevent any more young people from signing up.
And history being what it is, why is the media shocked by the inhospitable reception returning soldiers with injuries receive from their government, anyway? This story is at least as old as the country. Check out the stories of WWII vets who fought the government for compensation for injuries suffered fighting for their country. Support the troops has alway been followed by the unspoken disclaimer "until they're no good for fighting". This government has just done a better sell job on the whole dirty business of war.
