September 18, 2006

There are so many issues today that you could write letters about I don’t know where to start - Maher Arar’s important demand that those responsible for his torture and imprisonment be named and face the consequences of their actions (from the “accountability” government of Stephen Harper); in the face of the Montreal shootings, demand that we strengthen gun control legislation not weaken it (Harper’s claim is just wrong: how often do these events take place? There might be many more without gun control - as there are in the US).

And of course the continuing grotesque tragedy in Afghanistan.

Feel free to write a couple of sentences on any of these worthy topics.

On Afghanistan we can make good use of an excellent report done by Steve Staples and Bill Robinson for the CCPA showing that Canadian troops are 6 times more likely to be killed in Afghanistan than American soldiers are in Iraq.

See the news release from the CCPA below (and, by the way, join the CCPA if you aren’t a member already)

We need to constantly reframe the Afghan issue and Harper’s position if we are going to be successful in ending this ugly and murderous mission. Here are some of the framing efforts of Harper and his spin doctors - I am sure you have heard them many times:

“We won’t cut and run.”

Reframe...We have made a terrible mistake that is leading to the death of innocent Afghans, Canadian soldiers and the destruction of the country we are supposed to be rebuilding. We should acknowledge our mistake and leave and commit the money we save to rebuilding when that becomes possible.

“We’re going to finish the job.”

Reframe...They don’t have a clue what the job is and have no way of knowing when it would be finished. It’s the wrong job.

“We have to support our troops.”

Reframe... Stephen Harper (and the past Liberal govt) through arrogance and ignorance has put the men and women of our armed forces in an impossible situation: facing death an injury daily; completely unable to carry out their development work; becoming the hated enemy of ordinary Afghans who they want to help. Calling for the withdrawal of our troops is supporting them - misleading them and keeping them there for two more years is BETRAYING them.

“We are fighting the war on terror.”

Reframe...The Taliban, however brutal they were as a government, are fighting to throw a foreign occupying force out the country. Increasingly, that is how ordinary Afghans see all foreigners, including Canadians - no matter how hard our soldiers try to befriend them. And it will only get worse as we bring tanks onto the scene - a horrid symbol of military occupation.

To neutralize these completely misleading descriptions of what is happening in Afghan we need to reframe Stephen Harper for what he really is:

• reckless,
• incompetent,
• uninformed,
• George Bush’s prime minister,
• ignorant of the history of the region and country,
• guilty of ignoring the terrible dangers our soldiers would face in this escalating war of resistance,
• willing to risk the lives of young soldiers in order to please George Bush, and
• willing to lie to Canadians and Canadian soldiers about both the mission and the prospects for winning against the Taliban.

He is unfit to be prime minister.

See "Canada’s Fallen: Understanding Canadian Casualties in Afghanistan" the first in a new foreign policy series released September 2006 by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

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