More Could Die In Afghanistan

So now Afghanistan is illegal? Exactly how do you figure that? I know you don't like this war, but it was as legal as it gets. It had NATO approval, UN approval, every party in Canada approved our involvement in a vote... it even has the majority of Canadians STILL approving of it. It was legal under every international law, and under every law governing the use of our troops for foreign intervention.

So, just because you disagree with it, don't start trying to throw out red herrings. It makes me think all your other arguements are equally as invalid.

I don't willy nilly believe just because NATO approves and the UN approves that legalizes anything. Show me the proof that Afghanistan should have been attacked over 9/11. Where is the proof Michael? That same little niggly detail that you and I have about people being guilty before being proven innocent. You call that a red herring, I call that illegal.

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"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche

What? The Canadian Military just might be shot at?

There may even be wounded, or even, horrors, fatalities?

What is wrong with the world! The world loves Canada! Canadians are peace keepers, not war-mongers! Who would dare want to harm a Canadian?

It's not like Canadians are Americans, you know.

Michael,<br />
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I also wanted to connect you to this submission titled: "International Criminal Tribunal For Afghanistan At Tokyo". Canada can be charged as an accomplice for going to this war and in my mind they should be.<br />
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<a href="http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php?story=20040320221054117&query=International%2BCriminal%2BTribunal%2BFor">http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php?story=20040320221054117&query=International%2BCriminal%2BTribunal%2BFor</a><p>---<br>"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche<br />

War is stupid. Period. It is particularly stupid when a country not threatened in any way shape or form becomes involved in an overseas war started by a third-party nation for questionable motives. That, I believe is what happened in Afghanistan. Whether or not it is "legal" depends on who writes or enforces the laws and who finds the most crafty and inventive ways to interpret those laws to their advantage. "Legal" used to be equated with "right" and "just". We know that isn't true any more, even in Canada, which is a far better country than most. Arguing about the legality of war is hollow and foolish. War kills innocent people. It is monstrous and stupid.

That is not to say that I do not wish to help the Afghan people. I most certainly do. Their country is a tragic example of just how dumb war is. Worse, all those years of devastating war in Afghanistan were the direct fault of outside interests, not the Afghans themselves. But I am doubtful if sending soldiers from Canada to fight with internal Afghan factions will help anyone, Canadian or Afghan. The Afgans should be left alone to run their own country the way they choose. Armed forces from all other countries should go home immediately. If you really want to help the Afghans, send money and expertise to build hospitals. Send food and clothing for the children. Send experts to clean up the thousands of land mines planted there by the supposedly civilizing armies of the west and Russia. I would be the first to contribute. Totally embargo, to every possible degree, all weapons sales or shipments to Afghanistan,and end all weapons sales to and other trade with any country that violates the embargo, regardless of other considerations.

That might help a little bit. But calling half of their people "thugs" and "dirtbags" and spending billions of our taxpayer dollars to try and kill them will help no one. It will produce only dead kids and wrecked lives. It is just the type of intererence that has brought 30 years of endless war and suffering to that sorry country in the first place. Fighting is NOT PEACKEEPING. We're good at peacekeeping. Let's stick to it. Leave war to the savages.

Yes, legal or not, war is stupid. Surely we don't have to be stupid too.

If you have an enemy that doesn't think 'war is stupid' or some equally vacuous statement, then it's better to be prepared for it.

And it's better to take the fight to your enemies rather than stop them at your own gate, waiting for the terrorists to kill themselves here instead of killing them over there will cost a great many innocent lives.

Wars are fought to pave the way for multinational corporations to get into the countries they want to get into and steal their resources and enslave their people. Anyone who doesn't get this simple fact knows little of history or the way the world really functions. This will not end as long as there is corporate media promoting corporate agendas with the complicity of our elected corporate governments will a better, more peaceful world be created. Until more than 21% ever bother to pick up a pen, write a letter to their government, join a party that's trying to change things, join a peace movement, take up some kind of activism to make change, the status quo will prevail. Regurgitating sound bites from corporate media will not help. Reduce wars to their simplest outline, see who actually benefits from them and the big picture emerges like a hammer to the brain. It really is that simple.

What law, presicely, are you claiming was broken?

I think 4C is referring to the motivation behind invading Afghanistan. If Osama was not responsible for 9/11 then the reason to invade is invalid, and therefore the invasion is illegal.

I still think that even if Osama wasn't responsible, the Taliban needed to be stopped just on humanitarian grounds.


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"If you must kill a man, it costs you nothing to be polite about it." Winston Churchill

BUT, we can't save everyone.

> We're good at peacekeeping. Let's stick to it.

No. In fact, by stating that, you prove yourself to be a typically deluded, pre-programmed canuck.

Think Rwanda. Remember that? The Great Morally Superior Canadian Non-Military, fronted by your Chief Drunk, was going to show how great Canadians are, without bothering with the benefit of sufficient arms, personnel, or understanding of the local situation. When it was proved you dumb canuknuckleheads had no idea what was going on, the rest of the world thought: damn, you people are stupid.

Face it: Canada cannot "project" itself, even to the extent of its own borders.

Be smug. Lecture the rest of the world on how smart you are, while hiding behind American defenses.

Remember this: Your words have no meaning without an ability to back them up with force.

Your life is more valuable to who exactly?
The enemy "over there" is who exactly?
And they are your enemy why exactly?
And you think you are safe and have no enemies here because...?

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"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche

"Remember this: Your words have no meaning without an ability to back them up with force."

What would you know about the meaning of words when force is all you know how to use?

"Lecture the rest of the world on how smart you are, while hiding behind American defenses."

Through your preverted and dysfunctional viewpoint you choose to see Canada as hiding behind your defences and I've decided to see it as the most cunning and ingenious way to know all there is to know from the inside and then if we need to we have all the ammo we need to take you down with all your own weapons. The enemy IS within.

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"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche

> The enemy IS within.

Exactly.

canada is the enemy.