The Fabric of Canada

In honour of Remembrance Day, I decided to repost this.

In an age of almost infinite information at our fingertips, you would think ignorance would be virtually eliminated. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Perhaps an over-saturation is the problem. Print publications, 24-hour news and the internet allow almost everyone a soap box to promote their message and a forum for people of all political stripes. With all this muddying of the waters, it is not surprising that the truth is often lost in the shuffle.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the discussion of the Canadian Armed Forces’ involvement in Afghanistan.

First the basics.

Canadian troops are not in Iraq!

To some this might seem self-evident but, unfortunately, experience has shown otherwise. For instance, during a recent radio discussion on what would attract young Muslims to extremist ideology, two different people stated Canadian involvement in Iraq. More worrying is these people were both students at the University of Toronto. This has also been echoed in numerous blogs.

Another point that should be self-evident, but does not appear to be, is we are Canadian not American!

So much of the online debate centres on viewing our troops as if they were from the US. The very people who fume about Canada being Americanized, and take offence at being compared to an American, do exactly that to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Is it ignorance of our Armed Forces? The effects of watching too many “war” movies? Or is it that in the rush to condemn anything Bush, they push aside everything in the quest for their ideology?

It may be a combination of them all or none.

The Canadian Armed Forces are a reflection of Canada as a whole. The men and women of the Armed Forces are your neighbours, schoolmates and relatives. They were not born in a vacuum or created by some lab bent on creating the ultimate soldier. They are not Rambo, John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.

Our soldiers are Canadians who have grown up with the same experiences as you and I. They come from all walks of life and every region in the country, from Toktoyaktuk to Windsor, St. John’s to Victoria.

Our soldiers are highly educated. Almost every officer has a university degree and not necessarily a military-oriented one. It could be a degree in History, Psychology or Arts. Captain Nicola Goddard, who died in a Taliban ambush on 17 May 06, had a degree in English and was a member of an artillery unit.

Contrary to what you see in movies, our troops are not brainwashed or sheep. The men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces are allowed to voice their opinion, debate politics and the validity of a mission. Over a beer in the mess, or having coffee in the canteen, discussions can be heard on many subjects. Their brains are not removed at the recruiter’s nor are their ethics. They are expected to react instantaneously in combat and follow the orders they are given but are also expected to uphold the principles and honour of Canada. They are the ambassadors of Canada and are expected to represent the fabric of Canada even when dealing with people who are trying to kill them.

They are Canadians with the same hopes and dreams as any other Canadian. These do not change just because they put on a uniform.

The biggest difference is the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces are willing to make sacrifices in pursuit of those hopes and dreams.

Our troops give up much to defend and protect, not just Canadians but others who are incapable of defending themselves. They live a life that most could not tolerate let alone do so willingly.

The movie image of the soldier waving gleefully while marching off to glory is just that - a movie image. It bears as much reality as that of King Kong climbing the Empire State Building.

There is no glory in deployed operations and no glee in leaving on them. Soldiers, more often than not, miss their child’s first steps, first words, first day at school and graduations. They live for months on end in dirt, dust, heat or cold. A shower once a week is a luxury and even a hot cup of coffee is not guaranteed. Hard physical labour is the order of the day, as are long hours and little sleep. They shave and bathe with cold water, both summer and winter. If it is quiet, they may get the opportunity to actually heat up their rations and a fresh egg is like filet mignon.

The majority of their time is spent fighting boredom. Standing guard duty for hours at a time in the middle of the night is not exactly exciting. Neither is the constant drudge of endless patrols in the middle of nowhere carrying 50 lbs of equipment. The typical day of a soldier is one of wearying routine coupled with sore muscles and bumps and bruises from being bounced around in an armoured vehicle. Through all this, their mind must remain sharp for that instance when danger does rear its head.

But they “soldier” on.

Why? Not because they are dupes, sheep or warmongers. They know that they are not in Afghanistan to fight a war for oil or as part of any American war of aggression.

The Canadian Armed Forces are in Afghanistan to try to bring stability and peace to the world and help a people in need.

From the moment the Taliban refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden after the American embassy bombings in 1998, it was realized something needed to be done. As supporters of terrorism, the Taliban was rapidly becoming a threat to world peace as well as a brutal, repressive government. Afghanistan was the training ground for the insurgents that were raising tensions between Pakistan and India, two countries with nuclear weapons. Al-Qaeda, and numerous other terrorist groups, freely operated in Afghanistan. Plans for going after Bin Laden were already in the works when the attacks of September 11^th, 2001 occurred. After the Taliban refused a final demand from the United Nations to hand over Bin Laden, it was realized the world could no longer afford to sit idly by.

This time was different though, this time the world finally got it - you cannot negotiate peace with people who don’t want peace. Fanatics, such as Bin Laden, want only to impose their form of order on the world. Like Adolph Hitler, nothing would appease, and they would not stop until democracy was destroyed. They wanted nothing short of Taliban-style rule worldwide.

And our soldiers are pragmatists. They realize that in order to allow peace to thrive, those bent on destruction must be subdued. They realize people who believe it is appropriate to fire rockets at children or bomb schoolrooms cannot be rationalized with. They know hospitals, schools and wells cannot be built while there is a constant threat of attack. And, most of all, they realize it will be dangerous.

So, day after day, they go out into the dust and heat, rain and cold, day and night, to seek out a threat to a suffering people. They don’t do it for fun but in the belief that they can help to bring a better life to the average Afghani.

As the grandfather of the little Afghani boy with cancer, who the Canadians attempted to help, stated “Canada is the first country to come to Afghanistan with pure intentions.”

Remembrance Day Petition

For Immediate Release

Over the past several years, discussions have been held by politicians, legion members and the general public about the value of Remembrance Day and its observance around the country. There has been the opinion that it is no longer relevant. But now, with our Canadian troops in Afghanistan and many losing their lives, Remembrance Day takes on new meaning and an online petition is calling for politicians to recognize the troops’ contribution by making Remembrance Day a statutory holiday.

The burgeoning petition website allows people to express their opinions and put issues on the table in a way not available in the past. The petition to make Remembrance Day a statutory holiday takes advantage of an petition site to make the opportunity to sign more available than ever.

“It isn’t just about having the petition online but getting people to know it is there,” said Robbin MacQueen, author of the petition. “It all started with Army.ca, a website for discussion about the military. There are constant discussions about the conflict in Afghanistan and how the Canadian public doesn’t understand. It really brought the concept of Remembrance Day front and centre, each and every time one of our soldiers died.”

Provinces each have their own rulings on whether Remembrance Day is a holiday.

“That’s one of the reasons for the petition as well,” he stated. “If the federal government made the ruling, the practice of observing Remembrance Day would be consistent across the country.”

Using online technology allows for people in remote areas to get their opinions heard. The petition has been signed by people all across the country and in all walks of life.

“But more signatures are needed,” expressed MacQueen. “The more people who believe Remembrance Day should be remembered appropriately, the more the politicians will have to listen.”

MacQueen recognizes that one of the barriers to adding a statutory holiday to our calendar is the affect on business. Business owners do not want another day where they have to close shop and their workers stay home. As well, MacQueen has been challenged that people would not actually attend ceremonies but instead use the time to relax and “hang out”.

“Sure, I’ve been challenged by people who think no one would use the holiday to actually observe Remembrance Day, to actually think about our men and women in combat and those who laid down their lives before them,” he added. “But under that philosophy we might just as well cancel Christmas and Canada Day. Not everyone celebrates them for the reasons or in the ways they historically have been intended. But for those that do, it is worthwhile.”

To view the petition, visit www.petitiononline.com/nov11th/petition.html

Robbin MacQueen

The History of Terrorism Part 1 - Canadian Armed Forces in the New Millenium (Part 3)

Terrorism has been around for centuries.

During biblical times, the first recorded acts of what we now call terrorism were perpetuated by a radical offshoot of the Zealots. This group, active at the time of Christ, was known to use daggers to assassinate Romans and any Jews who collaborated with them in broad daylight, often in public places such as crowded markets or on feast days. Like modern terrorism, the Zealots actions were intended to send a message to masses.

During the crusades, a group of Muslims called the Assassins emerged. Viewing self-sacrifice and martyrdom as a way to ascend to heaven, this group used the same methods as the Zealots in their fight against the Christian Crusaders who had invaded what is modern day Syria.

Toward the end of the French revolution (1789-1799), a new trend in terrorism began to emerge. Until this point, most terrorism had been religious based but in the 1800s nationalism, anarchism, Marxism, and other political movements started to appear. Initially antimonarchical, rebels used modern terrorism in the latter part of the French Revolution.

During the same period, a group calling themselves The People’s Will were active in Russia. Selecting targets that represented the state’s power base, the group embraced a philosophy of “propaganda by the deed”, educating the people about inequities imposed by the state and attempting to rally support for revolution. Some of their more notable targets were the governor-general of Saint Petersburg, the head of the secret police, and even Tsar Alexander II.

The assignation of the tsar inspired another group who got together to discuss how to create a worldwide revolution. Known as Black International, their goal was to coordinate and support a worldwide terrorist campaign designed to overthrow both monarchies and democratically elected government. During the first 20 or so years after their formation in 1881, the anarchists were successful in assassinating United States president McKinley, the president of France and Spain’s prime minister, Empress Elisabeth of Austria and King Humbert I of Italy. Anarchists are also accused of fomenting labour unrest in the United States in which many of the disputes turned violent.

Perhaps the greatest example of the effects terrorism can have on a modern society is the assignation of Austrian archduke Francis Ferdinand. While on a visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia he was gunned down by a Bosnian Serb radical with close ties to Serbia, Austria’s enemy. This act is credited with starting World War One.

Terrorism Evolves

Between WWI and WWII, the rise of totalitarian regimes that employed terror as a means of controlling the people overshadowed acts of terror by individuals. State sponsored death squads, beatings and torture became the norm in many countries.

After WWII, terrorism once again became a revolutionary tool. At the forefront was the use of terrorism as a weapon against colonialism. One of the deadliest attacks of the period was the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem by Irgun Zvai Le’umi (National Military Organization) in 1946. The bombing, which took place because the hotel housed the military and administration offices of the British in Palestine, killed ninety-one people and injured forty-five more. Also of note was the fact that this terrorist group was led by Menachem Begin, who would one day become the Prime Minister of Israel and would win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.

As time progressed, terrorism started to evolve from a revolutionary tool and started to assume more ideological motivations. Many groups and factions attempted to use terror as a way to draw attention to their cause.

In the mid 1960s terror took on a new and even deadlier role.

Going Global

In 1966, Cuba held a conference that would change the world. Sponsored by the Soviet Union, the Tri-Continental Conference brought together terrorist groups from all over the world. Groups from the Middle-East, Europe, Asia and Latin America formed alliances and began to work together. Organizations such as the German Red Army Faction allied with the French Action Direct, the Italian Red Army Brigade and the Palestinian Black September while the Japanese Red Army allied with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). These alliances included financial, political, operational and intelligence cooperation. Cuba also became a training ground for many of these groups.

On July 28, 1968, three men from the PFLP hijacked an Israeli airliner enroute from Rome to Tel Aviv. Commercial airplanes had been hijacked in the past but this was the first political hijacking to have occurred. This was also the first recorded terrorist act to have originated outside the country involved.

Two years later, the group staged an even more spectacular attack. Hijacking one Swiss and two American planes, the group flew them to Jordan where they proceeded to blow them up after evacuating the hostages. This was strictly a media event designed to broadcast their cause to the entire world. This was also the first time that innocent civilians from countries not involved in the particular conflict were targeted.

During the 60s and 70s, terrorist organizations quickly learned how to take advantage of the growing areas of international travel and communications. Many incidents were designed to get the maximum amount of TV and newspaper coverage to reach a wider audience.

The most infamous example of this was the killing of eleven Israeli athletes by Black September during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. The world watched in horror as the grisly events unfolded, ending in a botched rescue attempt by the German police that saw all the hostages, terrorists and one German police officer killed.

Terrorism came full circle in 1979 with the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran. Once again, religion became the driving force behind terrorist attacks. This was further hastened by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the loss of their ideological, material and financial support.

The Past Was Once The Future - Canadian Armed Forces in the New Millenium (Part 1)

Robbs Rants: The End of Peacekeeping? - Canadian Armed Forces in the New Millenium (Part 2)