A must-read, experience-based rant on the appalling ignorance of Canadians regarding the Afghan mission, by someone who’s been there:
I’ve had enough. Consider this my rant against ignorance; my protest against agendas, half-truths, and lies. For almost two years I have been closely following the news from and about Afghanistan and it has been demoralizing to say the least. I spent a year in Kabul with the Strategic Advisory Team and watched the media only report the deaths our Forces suffered rather than the successes we (not just the SAT) achieved. I have watched “experts”, editorialists, politicians, protesters, activists and pundits mangle facts, misread situations and push agendas. Most of what I have read and seen has been flawed to one degree or another. As a result many Canadians I have spoken to are wholly unaware of what we are doing there and why we are doing it. The debate has been so muddied by poor reporting and incomplete information that most people are stunned when they hear of our successes.
At the same time I have heard only reactive, ineffective whimpers from our establishment. Our government and DND in particular has done a poor job of getting the message out. Granted things are improving but you only have to look at the News Room on the DND website to see that the majority of news releases concerning Afghanistan concern the deaths and injuries we have suffered in Kandahar. In other words we are playing into the media’s “if it bleeds, it leads” approach to coverage.
You really do need to read the whole thing.
Some excellent points from someone who’s “been there” and seen the elephant.
Many of the points he makes are salient but the over all issue at hand is that our armed forces cannot battle 2 enemies on 2 fronts…one in Afghanistan and one on the home front.
You can deal and strategize to cope with the arrows sent your way from the enemy in front of you but it’s hard to cope with the arrows coming at your back from home.
The thing laid bare in this rant for me was the fact that we have a pretentious poseur media which now claims to be an authority on military issues and strategy….frick, these insular scribbling retards can’t get the weather right most of the time, why would we trust their uninformed opinion on military matters?
Comments after article were great too. Like I’ve said before, if you’re going to criticize the mission, be factual. Otherwise, you and lending comfort and aid to our enemies (free speech though so go ahead, just don’t be surprised when I vehemently oppose your point of view).
Good read.
Criticism or media and government are spot on.
In this day and age, IMO, defeat of an insurgency is as much about the popular support for the mission at home as it about the military actions in the theatre. That is why you can’t support the military but not the mission. The road side bombs are not designed to beat us militarily, but as a negative propaganda against the Canadian civilian/political population.
If our population and politicos were to have solid support for the mission “until it is done” rather than until the arbitrary Feb 09, it could ironically make are troops safer.
What a great article! I hear there was supposed to a “Red Rally” at the CNE for the troops. Wish I had their dedication. Building a country while dodging bullets from your backside and brickbats from back home is the true definition of service.
I’d like to see THAT Essay on the Front Page of the G&M !!
My Christmas wish is for someone with deep pockets who is not on the Liberal/Power Corp payroll to propose a News Network with a right wing slant.
The viewership would be out of this world, and we could get away from goofballs like Strombolopoulus and the other recycled cast of leftie chicken-littles who invent 90% of what they report.
Okanagan – what a great idea! I agree – the viewership would be very large – people will, when they are provided with a factual analysis, respond positively to it.
What we have now – are reprehensible political games being played by the Liberals and Bloc.
Aided by the Liberal MSM.
The war in afghanistan week 33
Have to disagree with his separation of Afgan and Iraq as different theatres. We fight the same enemy in both countries and thus it is the same war.
We should have aided the allies in Iraq and not supporting the USA there is very detrimental to Canadian interests. A Democrat Congress and President in 2009, if it quits Iraq, will make our stay in Afgahnistan untenable. As well, with a free hand in the Iran/Iraq area, the enemy will quickly consolodate and grow it’s strength. Attacks on NA will come next and it would be silly to imagine that Pakistan would not fall into the enemy sphere with it’s 30+ nukes.
North Korea is part of the enemy alliance as well and has or is close to having long range missles. If it doesn’t succeed with BM’s China will make sure it does. What a great decision by PM to keep Canada out of the BM Defence Shield!
The deteriotating situation in Mexico makes that country the Ichille’s heel of NA as far as border security is concerned.
Canada’s interests are to protect the US wherever and whenever possible. If they suffer a major attack at home, a closed border for as little as 6 months would mean economic devastation to Canada. This could be brought on by mere rumors of a Canadian connection. We would not recover for years.
I know this all seems an impossible scenario to the conspiracy-theory-loving Left, but far too many of our well informed agencies have been spelling this out for years. But of course, that’s just the right wing again, isn’t it?
The problem gunney99, is that the anti-Bush crowd will never acknowledge that any good can come from Iraq. My own view is the invasion was ill-considered, but now that AQ has infiltrated Iraq, they must be rooted out and destroyed.
Because, to the pacifist crowd, no military action is good, no good can come from Iraq, and it is linked to Afghanistan, then no good will come from there either.
We can never allow the left to link up Iraq and Afghanistan, unless we wish to hear endless prattle about Bush’s war, blood for oil, et al.
I’m so proud of our troops and the good they are doing. It’s unfortunate no other nation is stepping up to take our place after Feb 09, but we will have done our part, and a lot of good in the process.
If we get out of Afghanistan, and indeed Iraq, we sentence the West to intermittent attacks from Islamists, of growing intensity, until they get their wish, a holy war. They aren’t the Red Brigade, who basically came and went on their own, and didn’t really up the ante.
Even if we accept we will be attacked periodically, we are kidding ourselves if we believe we won’t end up in a much deadlier conflict with Islamism, with the potential to suck in national players, like Iran, Pakistan, China and Russia.
I see your point Shamrock. I just think it’s dangerous to leave the field to the Loonie Left as our politicians are doing. Sooner or later the crap will hit the fan. It’s our children (teenagers now) who will be left to fight an impossible war on our turf.
I think if the “right” politicians would only speak out now, we would find the Left Loonies are not as large a factor as assumed.