(Untitled)

[metalcorps]

So i turn on the TV and there is stephen harper talkin about canada's role in afghanistan, and about all the debate about when we will be leaving etc etc. long story short he put forward a motion to extend the mission to 2011, with increased focus on training the afghan army, rebuilding its infrastructure and less emphasis on security

Comments

[mattgillies]

no offense, but we were supposed to be out of afghanistan by october of 2003; we've actually been propping up the iraq war by extending our commitment, allowing the US to redeploy troops to iraq. in both cases, the security situation has been completely fucked up because we've removed the leaders from power and haded the country over to regional warlords. i mean, for all out talk of wanting to stop the opium crop in afghanistan, we've handed control over to the northern alliance, the people who actually run the druug trade! the taliban had basically put a lid on that. this is not to say the taliban were great and all, but our official reason for going to afghanistan was because of 9/11, despite nearly all the hijackers being saudi.

now why do we not give a fuck?

in 1939, we were afraid that the axis was going to sweep over the atlantic and strike at our very homes. our allies were under attack! what risk do feel feel afghanistan (and iraq) pose us? what act of war has been committed on canadian soil? how come our "war on terror," a campaign against a decentralized enemy has come down to the ham-fisted tactic of invading countries?

the truth is, security in afghanistan will NEVER significantly improve as long as there are western troops on the ground there. you want a military presence on the ground? lobby pakistan and egypt. canadian soldiers, for all their good intentions, simply aren't wanted there by the general public and they'll keep blowing our boys up until we get the message.

-matt