A Brief Commentary by NAL publisher Doug Draper
At the risk of having some of you dump on me for saying this, I have never been a big fan of the ‘Support Our Troops’ logo many of Canadians and Americans have stuck on the bumpers of their cars over the past 14 or so years.
Canada’s verson of the U.S. ‘Support Our Troops’ sicker. Well where are we now Mr. Harper, when those who have come home need our support?
To me, ‘Support Our Troops’ has been code for support our governments’ decision to send some of our young people to war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But what about supporting our troops – all of them volunteers and not drafted – when they come home. In the United States, they constitute one of the highest groups of the unemployed in that country (compared to the Second World War, when employers went out of their way to employ veterans) and are committing suicide at a rate of about 18 a day due mostly to post traumatic stress disorder from their combat experiences.
In Canada, it isn’t much different for the veterans from continuous deployments in Afghanistan. official statistics show that anywhere between about 10 and 20 veterans in Canada are now dying each year. And a recent CBC report shows that the back-up line for veterans who need help for their disorders can run as long as four to six months.
Canada’s Harper government, as you may already know, has closed offices for addressing veterans’ concerns across Canada, even though this same government is a cheerleader for going to war. Indeed, had Harper been in power following the 9/11 attacks, he would have joined George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in sending the sons and daughters of Canadians into a war in Iraq most Americans don’t support anymore.
So when is Harper and his supporters going to ‘Support Our Troops’ now that they are back home and need help to deal with their post-war traumas? Harper warmongers out there might want to ask that. Will Harper have his own kids, when they are of age, suit up and go to one of his war zones?
(Share your views on this post below. Please know that we only post comments by people who are willing to go on the line and share their real name.)
Niagara At Large 
Thank You Doug for opening this door to the disgrace that is “Harperland” a term used by Lawrence Martin to describe Harper and his dogma of wanting to be recognized. Let it be known “HE IS KNOWN AND DETESTED BY MOST CANADIANS” He wanted his own private “AIRFORCE ONE” to symbolize his stature and HE now has the Plane equiped with the dutiful serviceman Saluting as he enters or leaves.
STILL HE is literally Hated by everyone especially the Servicemen and women he used and is since throwing to the curb like so much used cannon fodder.
Lester Pearson the “Father of PEACE KEEPING” must be grimacing in Horror as he looks down from above and sees this puppet strutting around like a “THIRD WORLD” dictator and knowing that this farce is completely disengaged from any moral conduct or concern pertaining to the Canadian people and the “CHARTER OF RIGHTS”
If this person is re-elected next year then we as Canadians are totally deserving of the consequences. I know people who support this…..and I find it very difficult to comprehend their personal logic for as John Kenneth Galbraith once stated and I quote..”THE MODERN CONSERVATIVE IS ENGAGED IN ONE OF MAN’S OLDEST EXERCISES IN MORAL PHILOSOPHY; THAT IS, THE SEARCH FOR A SUPERIOR MORAL JUSTIFICATION FOR SELFISHNESS”
God Bless and Protect all those young Men and Women who took leave to wear that uniform of Honor and may they find PEACE in their SOULS for you are deserving……..WE Canadians Appreciate, SALUTE and hold you to our HEARTS.
LikeLike
You have to remember – The government (if you can call it that) only support the troops when their agenda needs to be taken care of…..after the job is done, they let them go and throw them away like used toilet paper…..
LikeLike
The treatment of Canada’s injured veteran armed services personnel amounts to nothing but hypocrisy – and presumably DVA etc. think they can get away with it based on an attitude that the people affected won’t have the time and energy to effectively fight the mis-treatment being meted out to them. Sooner or later this is liable to backfire on future efforts at recruitment for the Canadian armed forces.
LikeLike
What has Harper done for the military? He brags he supports them but his words are cheap. He sends the military to foreign lands to overthrow dictators. The result of these overthrows: civil upheaval in these so called “freed” nations. Meanwhile dictators, deemed friendly to western concepts, remain in power.
While the military are fighting in these battles, Harper determines that they are not in danger so he reduces their pay.
Harper and Company, including the Minister of Defence _ The Honourable Rob Nicholson _ ignore the veterans requiring need by forcing them out of the military. I presume Harper wants these veterans to help balance the budget by not having to care for them.
Hopefully, in the next election, the military, along with their families and friends, will treat Harper and his puppets the same way he has treated them _ ignore the conservatives at the ballot box
LikeLike
Your absolutely right, Doug. The “Support Our Troops” campaign, sticker and all, has been twisted to encompass not only their well being but ALL of their government sponsored missions as well. It really smacks of GW’s “you’re either for us or against us” garbage which, by the way, I was against from the beginning…Sorry George, hello Dixie Chicks!
Of course, Canadians “support” the brave men and women soldiers who serve us. Of course, we mourn their loss of life and limb. But we also have the right to tell their leaders that all of the horrific deaths and injuries could have been prevented by staying out of these government-propped up “Wars of Fear” to begin with.
And now we have the right as Canadians receiving our fallen and our maimed home that the government do everything to restore the families of the lost and the injured men and women as fully as possible. We have the right to tell them we did our part praying and hoping that our Forces would return home whole, now it’s your turn to look after those who lie in graves, and those who lie on gurneys missing legs and arms, and those who lie at home fighting the nightmares of mental demons!
Now it’s your turn to “Support Our Troops”!
LikeLike
Not only do we have the right we have the responsibility to care for them. Harper and Nicholson appear to have ignored the respinsibility part.
LikeLike
The “responsibility” that Bill Doyle refers to partly involves basic human rights, under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
LikeLike