End The Occupation of Afghanistan

'END THE OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN.'

Thats how I end every comment or letter that I send to the Globe and Mail regarding Canada's involvement in the slowly developing fiasco that is Afghanistan. Unfortunately, that is not likely to happen. This is really a two party war with the then majority Liberals [definitely not small l] getting us in it [Thank you Paul Martin], and the now minority Conservatives [sort of small c] vowing to keep us there. The recent commission led by former Deputy Prime Minister Manley of the Liberals supplied the two 'governing' parties with enough cover to allow them to con the press and the people that we should stay. For any American readers, think of your VP Dick Cheney as chairman of a committee that investigates the invasion of Iraq. Can you say 'snow job'?

I doubt that the often promised election will change anything. The parties that are adamant about ending the mission [NDP, Bloc, Green] are too small and marginalized to be able to get the popular support to elect the MPs necessary. And lets face it, the issue is just not important enough to Canadians that a majority will vote against a candidate just for his position on Afghanistan. Even though in poll after poll over 50% of Canadians want the mission ended.

Personally, I plan to continue to push through letters and emails that we must end our occupation in February 2009. I will also continue to bring up the issue in conversation with anyone, and if there is an election soon, ask the question publicly how the candidates stand on our occupation of Afghanistan.

Hopefully, I can embarrass enough voters to make this a key voting decision. I'll even use the lame reasoning about the cost in dollars to us poor downtrodden taxpayers. Forget the loss of soldiers lives, forget the loss of Afghan lives, forget the sheer immorality of forcing our 'way of life' on an independent people and occupying their land for years to ensure the survival of a corrupt, non-representative government.

So...once again...END THE OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN.