This will be a question that all Canadians will be asking themselves - eventually. It will be a question that the Opposition Parties will be asking in Question Period. It will be a big question in the minds of the Canadian Armed Forces personnel in Afghanistan.
But will it be a question on Prime Minister Harper’s mind? Does the Prime Minister have a mind? We as a nation will likely find out when and if, Harper signs anything related to the word ‘war’ with the United States.
From the sounds of the drums that beat, the United States could swing Harper over into their web of indecency, bringing with it a never ending Canadian Armed Forces presence in not only Afghanistan and Iraq, but maybe in neighbouring Iran, the country with a serious attitude problem.
The War in Afghanistan is exactly that - a war. It is not anything less and our people are in the middle of it, courtesy of George Bush and his pack-o’-lies.
The Canadian Armed Forces are known as the peacekeepers of the world, a tall order that Canada seems to be able to handle thanks to the men and women of our Armed Forces. It has not been our Government Leaders, nor you and I that have earned this title. We have not been in the many places around the world where they have served, piecing back together again a war torn and ravished country. We are fortunate to watch from afar.
If this is a peacekeeping mission, will our worldwide reputation of being the coolest people on the planet be enough to protect our Canadian Troops from being blown up? No.
Our wonderful reputation didn’t stop the axe wielding Afghanistan/Insurgent/Taliban fellow, who had also missed the memo about the new Tim Horton’s Kandahar opening!
As Canadians, how do we know if the Afghanistan people really want our help? What do we really know about our role there? Do our Canadian Soldiers go around playing a peacekeeping game when they should be playing a different one? Are they in the dark as well? The Afghanistan War is a very different situation from our other peacekeeping roles. Our trusty Canadian Armed Forces have been on many such peacekeeping missions because the world and the UN sanctioned such endeavours. Not because a President decided to play war one day.
Harpers’ recent visit to Kandahar was a photo-op, plain and simple. Strolling around the Canadian Troops like Churchill did when he inspected his Brits during the second world war, Harper did a cheerleader type ‘hooray’ for the troops and disappeared back to the safety of far away Canada.
But what is the bottom-line decision regarding the Canadian Troops in Afghanistan and just how many years will it take to put this country back in one piece? Is it really our Canadian commitment to peace? Or is it a part of the under belly of the U.S. Middle East war strategy? And just what the hell is that, anyway?
Canada could very well find itself in the middle of this American-made chaos, long after Ex-Prime Minister Steven Harper has hidden himself away in the comfort of his cozy home somewhere in Canada. Leaving the rest of us to wonder what will happen to our young men and women serving in Afghanistan.
I’ll wager that it could be Canada’s demise in the long run as we may well become another cog in the wheel of American Imperialism.
Canadians might not be the respected peacekeepers on the planet, instead joining the list of countries that are stuck following the U.S. - where ever they may go.
Image Courtesy of the CDN Prime Minister's Office
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