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.