God, if such an entity exists, really must have a lousy sense of humour. Why else would he create a human being like Anthony Westell who “…..served without distinction in the second world war” but still had the temerity to ask “…..aren’t the news media, including this one (Globe & Mail), making far too much of a few deaths in Afghanistan?”
The local village idiot I am talking of has an article on www.globeandmail.com (ed: will provide the actual link later <Link>) where he asks the above eternally stupid question.
To even begin to answer this question is to slap the face of each young soldier who died in Afghanistan. But idiots like Anthony Westell and Coyne and the entire editorial team of The National Post keep tooting their trumpets like little kids in the playground hoping to catch attention. Invariably, one of them is too loud and needs to be told to keep it down.
The biggest beef I have with the pro-war cheering squad is how they compare this war with the world wars I & II. That comparison is wrong on so many levels that the integrity of the pro-war cheering squad breaks down right from the word go. And that’s exactly what the new buffoon on the block has done. Here’s what Westell had to say in
“……..Three months ago, we celebrated the victory at Vimy Ridge. About 3,500 Canadians died there in the span of a few days, among 60,000 who perished during the First World War. Another 42,000 died in the Second World War - and several hundred in the Korean War.”
In 2001, I created a drinking game. Each time an Armchair Warrior compares WOT (War On Terror) with the other wars, have a drink. Unfortunately, that comparison has been made so many times that I have had to join AA.
Armchair Warriors, can we sit down and please try and understand that the WOT is NOT like the wars against Germany, Korea or Japan. Those countries were the Aggressors. They wanted to gain land and resources from the opposite side and used whatever resources they had to try and achieve their goals. These goals are commonly known as Imperialist goals something the Romans did, the Tsars did, the Persians did, the Greeks did, the British did, the French did and yes what the Americans are doing right now. On each occasion the world stood up to these aggressors and were victorious. Go back to re-read history if you don’t believe it. In some cases the aggressors were beaten in a battle and in others, the aggressors lost to a culture. No matter how and when, the aggressors ALWAYS lost.
The terrorists (it’s such a loose term and I use it only in reference to the suicide bombers and religious dolts) do not have any Imperialistic goals. The terrorists have a Cause. Their cause is overtly religious and the belief that They Are Right. They cannot be aggressors in the conventional sense. They do not have armies, planes, tanks, infantry etc. to fight the western society. So they use the next best weapon. Fear. Fear is such a potent weapon. Put the fear of loss of life into a person, and that person is liable to do anything to prevent it.
They do not want to rule western society, they do not want to come and live on the Harbourfront. They do not want to ride the TTC. They do not want to study in our universities. They want to DESTROY the western civilization and turn it into their own image.
Only the dumbest of the dumbest of the dumb would actually believe what the terrorists are saying. No matter how hard they try, the CANNOT destroy western civilization. No one can. USSR tried and failed miserably so go ask them if you want to continue that discussion.
The only people who can destroy the western civilization are people LIVING in western civilization.
Why is the western society so much envied? Because of the rich mix of individual rights, freedom of expression and the clear separation of religion and government. There is accountability and transparency from the government. Which is not to say that the people running the country are not corrupt. This means that if they are caught in the act, they face the full might of the judicial system (inspire of President’s power to pardon criminals). The judicial system is the best in the world. The news media is the best in the world.
Therefore, when a news media stops repeating the government line and asks “what exactly are our young men and women dying in Afghanistan for?” the government has a responsibility in replying honestly. Instead what we get are inane lines like “….fighting for our freedoms….” or “….if we don’t fight them there then we have to fight them here….” or “…..soldiers choose to fight…..”.
Can someone from the government please explain to us why are we in Afghanistan so that our brave soldiers can feel their “sacrifices” are justified? Anyone? Hello?
I’d like to think that soldiers are not mindless robots. Yes, they do exactly what they are told but in their military minds there must be some independent thought that told then that what Hitler did was wrong hence the sacrifices at Normandy, Vimy etc. are justified. Similarly today’s soldier in Afghanistan must be wondering why exactly are we in Afghanistan? Is there some military purpose for their presence? Soldiers rarely will ask such a question aloud so it’s left up to the news media and the internet to ask these questions. And that’s exactly what a prick like Anthony Westell cannot comprehend.
Mr. Anthony Westell this is a democracy. You can ask your stupid questions all you want but be ready for honest replies which might make your simple brain explode.
So, to answer your question Mr. Anthony Weasel……each dead soldier represents the complete failure of the previous and current government’s policy of keeping our soldiers in a mission which has no clear definition and no clear end. And no, pulling out at a specified date is not “the end” as the soldiers are going to continue to die until the pullout. Without holding the government to accountability how exactly are we different from the more repressive regimes of the world. The job of us “anti-war lefties” is to demand a clear and unambiguous answer from the government and apparently your job is to toe the government line. Best of luck with it.
By the way, your bio at the end says “….served without distinction at the second world war”. Maybe we should hand you a rifle and ship you to Afghanistan to earn that distinction…..
