CANADIANS SUPPORT FORCES, but not the task...

This is a message to our troops in Afghanistan:

Hey guys, we think about you a lot down here in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, we all bitch about this stupid war; not because it is useless, but because of the way it is being carried out, and the way you have been thrown into an impossible situation.

I had the opportunity to pass through Afghanistan in the seventies, just before the Soviets invaded.... Same old then; same old after; same old now.

Those of you who had your first view of the country as soldiers now understand the word culture shock, for nothing; all the training, the little talks or the videos can describe the enormity of the differences, the smells, the vastness and the sheer desolation of the land, the poverty, the place Afghanis fiercely love and call home.

If Command had any brains, they would have taught you all the Afghani language, and given you a tool that works better than any bullet. You would be able to hear their words for yourself, to learn from the people of their fears and foibles.

The politicians have sent you there, and we can only ask you to make us proud; do your best, and if shit happens, don't let them hide it, because if you do, you steal something from all of us.

Most of all, let the Afghanis know if you fuck up. Command is too busy trying to cover their asses and they think all is forgiven with a little cash. Personally, I think that things are too far gone for you to be of any significant use, but if you can get one kid to smile, if you can make one Afghani woman feel she is a someone, I'll personally be happy with what you've done.

So, hunker down and come home safe, we love you.

Canadian Soldiers: War Criminals?
The Canadian Military have received instructions that they are not to treat combattants captured by them by the same rules accorded to prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention, of which Canada is a signatory.
What policy will Canadian soldiers use when capturing Afghani insurgents? If they are not to be treated as prisoners of war, Canadians need to know what treatment will be used, and that it reflects Canadian values, and not those of our neighbors to the South, whose record is lamentable at best, criminal at the worse.
As it was an elected government representative who signed the Geneva Convention agreement, it should require an order from the Canadian Parliament to rescind its use, and not be left to any individual or group to make that decision for us.
The actions of our soldiers on the battlefield is a reflection of every Canadian, and we have chosen the war and declared it. If the enemy chooses to wear a uniform, then the lines of engagement are fairly drawn and the Geneva rules apply, for there is no further judicial process necessary. That the enemy chooses civilian dress and is not clearly identifiable from the population at large is all the more reason that everyone should and must be deemed innocent until proven guilty by a fair judicial proceeding. The detainees have a right to access of counsel and the public a right to know they are being detained.
It is no excuse for either Canada or their allies to hide behind the fact that these detainees are being held outside of the country of origin's judicial system. We have already set a precedent by prosecuting our citizens who commit acts of sexual indecency against children while abroad; and these rules should extend to those who are detained by our forces and to those members of our forces who commit criminal acts.