My Letter to the Editor

Considering my military background, I obviously have strong feelings about Stephen Harper's attempts to stifle debate about the Canadian Force's deployment to Afghanistan. After reading Bill Kaufmann's column on this topic in the Calgary Sun, I was prompted to write this letter to the editor:

Editor,

Bill Kaufmann's column from Monday March 13 rings so true my ears hurt. I served for several years in the Canadian Forces, and a common refrain from my sergeant was that we 'defend democracy and not practice it', and while that may be fine for the soldier in the field, it is hardly right to practice that amongst voters, and Canadians both elected and unelected. Mister Harper was democratically elected to provide leadership, not to stifle debate on his whim. He, like any other MP is accountable to the House of Commons, and we, the Canadian people. Few Canadian's understand why our troops are in Afghanistan, and although educating the Canadian public may well begin demand to bring the troops home, that is the price to be paid for an informed electorate. I for one feel that Canadians will support the men and women in uniform just as much as we always have, and I think my friends and fellow soldiers deserve their leaders--especially the politicians--to be willing to revisit the reasons we ask them to serve, and possibly die in some god-forsaken desert. To simply place them there as some sort of show of Canada's testosterone, or worse yet to coddle up to the George Bushes of the world is criminally negligent, and certainly fits my definition of 'unpatriotic'.

Despite what Mr Harper and his Conservatives would have you think, dissent and debate is patriotic, just as Bill Kaufmann pointed out. It is people like Mr Kaufmann, and all those who actually think about the troops as people, and not symbols or props, who are the real patriots, and truly 'support the troops'.

God Bless the men and woman of the Canadian Forces, keep them safe, and return them home to their families.

Sincerely,

Sean Campbell
Calgary, AB

Now, who knows if this will be published, or if I'll even see it. Personally, I find the Sun too right-wing for my taste, and Bill Kaufmann is one of the few columnists of theirs who I don't think should be extradited to the US where they can spew their fascist propaganda to the sheeple there.... but what the hell, sometimes you need to stand up and say something.

Cheers,

Sean

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