letters in the toronto star: some smart people weigh in on war resisters and the liberal "leader"

In today's Star:
Re: Ignatieff did the right thing, Letter, Oct. 6

Letter writer George Pengilley mistakenly believes that U.S. war resisters deported from Canada “will get a short prison term, dishonourable discharge and they can then carry on with life.” I do not feel 15 months in prison is a just sentence for the “crime” of refusing to kill innocent civilians who were never a threat to the U.S. That's how long Robin Long, a war resister deported by the Harper government, served. Additionally, a dishonourable discharge is a life sentence, limiting one's opportunities forever: no student loans, no mortgage, no jobs.

Pengilley says that Canadians are proud of our troops who do their duty. I agree. I am proud of every veteran who recognizes their duty to refuse to participate in war crimes. Haven't we learned the price of soldiers “just following orders”? I am proud to welcome U.S. war resisters to Canada.

Laura Kaminker, Mississauga

*

Angus Reid has consistently shown that nearly two-thirds of Canadians support American soldiers who stood up to George Bush and the illegal war in Iraq. That's on top of the 82 per cent who think it was a good idea that Canada did not send our troops into Iraq. Michael Ignatieff and Stephen Harper enthusiastically supported the initial invasion, then issued very weak mea culpas after the war went bad. If politicians can change their minds on the disastrous Iraq war, why can't soldiers who see the horror of the war up close do the same thing?

David C. Fox, York

*

I was 20 years old before I figured out that wars are started by politicians, fought by soldiers, then settled by the same politicians after a sufficient number of lives have been lost, property destroyed and tears shed. I welcome deserters and wish more soldiers understood that moral responsibility always trumps their signature on a recruiting document.

James Russell, Toronto

*

George Pengilley thanked Michael Ignatieff regarding Bill C-440. He said Ignatieff finally stood up and showed some Canadian backbone.

Bill C-440 was defeated. Ignatieff and a number of Liberals absented themselves from the House during the vote. Their absence ensured the bill was defeated. I would call that an insult to democracy.

If Ignatieff was opposed to letting American Iraq war resisters stay in Canada, he should have voted against the bill. If he was in favour of having them stay, he should have voted for the bill. Ducking out is not acceptable.

Paul Copeland, Toronto

Let me repeat James Russell for emphasis: I welcome deserters and wish more soldiers understood that moral responsibility always trumps their signature on a recruiting document.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

sharia

This morning I see that Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, is banning the Muslim religious court known as sharia . This ends months of debate about whether sharia would be legal and binding in Ontario. I'm quoting at length from the story in today's Toronto Star because many US readers are likely not up on this. In a surprise announcement that caught both supporters and opponents of sharia law off guard, Premier Dalton McGuinty says he will move quickly to ban all religious arbitration in the province. McGuinty made the announcement in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press yesterday after months of debate and controversy surrounding use of Islamic sharia law in family arbitration. "I've come to the conclusion that the debate has gone on long enough," the premier told the news agency. "There will be no sharia law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians." The announcement prompted t...
Read more

can of worms

I'm opening a sticky subject here, my need to understand causing me to throw caution to the wind. It's about Alberta. Alberta vs. the rest of the Canada. The Globe And Mail runs something about Alberta's gripes every day, and I try to follow along. If it weren't for wmtc's resident Albertan , and the ensuing arguments in comments, I would've had no warning. It's not something Americans know about. As is, observing for more than a year, I have only the smallest of clues. Here's what I know. Please pardon my ignorance and oversimplification, but I have to start somewhere. The province of Alberta is rich, because it has oil. The province of Alberta is conservative, relative to the rest of Canada. Hmm. Funny how those two go together. Because of its great oil wealth, Alberta revenue helps fund services in the rest of Canada. (These are transfer payments?) Apparently many Albertans resent this. They want to keep Alberta's money in Alberta. They don't...
Read more

low confidence

I'm excited about today's no-confidence vote . Only three months after moving here, we'll get to see a government fall, a campaign, and an election, in a system very different from what we're accustomed to. Even the expression "the government will fall" strikes us as oddly dramatic and revolutionary. My sense of current Canadian politics, for what it's worth, tells me that very little will change from the upcoming election. I'd be surprised if the Liberals didn't win. So it's kind of cool to see this happening without a lot at stake. On a semi-tangential note, have I mentioned I'm completely down with "Corner Gas"? Excellent show; I love the deadpan humour. (Great website, too; check it out .) So was that really Finance Minister Ralph Goodale ragging on Brent Butt's camera last Saturday night?
Read more