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My support for our Canadian Forces is unequivocal.
My support for the war in Afghanistan is not.
That is why for the past several months, I've been disturbed by the appearance of "Support Our Troops" magnetic decals on Toronto fire and ambulance service vehicles. I think I've written before that I find that kind of token gesture the worst sort of reflexive, blind patriotism (I think the post wast titled something like 'I'll cut down the fucking old oak tree before I tie a yellow ribbon'): one I'd find troubling even if it hadn't been co-opted by the American neo-right as a bullying tactic - support our war or you're not supporting our troops being a frequent rallying cry of the Bush Administration and adherents. Frankly, even in the most politically neutral of environments, this is one custom Canada really didn't need to import from the US.
Canadian hawks and regresso-cons have embraced the "Support Our Troops" message with the fervour you would expect of the Harper set, with their frantic desire to curry favour with America's lame-duck, criminal administration and for precisely the same reason - because everybody loves a soldier (one who's not pointing a gun at you or blowing up your children). Moreover, Canada's men and women in Afghanistan are enthusiastic volunteers, which makes their service that much more commendable and consequence-free for their political masters. Would the National Citizen's Coaltion or the Toronto Firefighter's Association be so quick to post billboards and decals declaring their support for our troops if it were John and Jane 905 being drafted to serve in Afghanistan rather than volunteers from rural Ontario, the West and the Maritimes?
Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun, unsuprisingly outraged that Toronto Council would order political messaging stripped from public vehicles (one wonders how outraged he'd be if the decals read "Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home Alive" instead?), even pulls out the "like it or not, this country is at war" chestnut, as if a few hundred magnets is the deciding factor in our struggle with Islamo-fascism. Of course, he's also wrong: our country is most emphatically not at war, no more than the US is at war. If our country was at war, the burden of Canada's mission in Afghanistan would not be born by a dozen thousand or so military families across our country our 32 million. Is the US was at war, I can only assume that the Bush Administration wouldn't be trying for the fourth consecutive year to pacify Iraq with several hundred thousand fewer soldiers than the Pentagon originally estimated would be required to occupy and pacify Iraq. What's going on in Afghanistan and Iraq is imperialism on the cheap: military occupation with a side of development - missions that are in many ways designed and executed with the intention of shielding the public at home from the burdens and cost of war.
This didn't happen in 1942. This certainly didn't happen in 1918, when nearly 1 in 10 Canadian men never came home from serving in the Great War.
Whether or not it was the original intent, the "Support Our Troops" slogan has become a political rallying cry, a way of wrapping unpleasant truths up in a pretty ribbon. And one that has no place on public vehicles and especially not those providing emergency services to the public.
If there was nothing political about the slogan, why use it at all? The poppy is our national symbol of remembrance and non-partisan reminder of the triumphs and sacrifices of Canada's veterans but, then again, the people urging us to support our troops don't really want to think about what the consequences of that blind, unquestioning support may be, like more Canadian men and women, enthusiastic, dedicated and courageous volunteers, coming home covered by the flag instead of wearing it.
Bolstering military morale is not the responsibility of the Canadian public, questioning our government and demanding explanations and accountability from those governments when they order our Canadian Forces into danger is. And that is why I'll be damned if I let the Canadian government or the Toronto Fire Association or anyone else bully me into writing a blank cheque to support our troops being deployed to Afghanistan or anywhere else. My suppport for the Canadian Forces is unequivocal but it is not unquestioning - I demand to know why our troops are being sent around the world to fight and die; what my government expects to get out of their service and sacrifices; and how they expect to acheive their goals. Anything less is unacceptable.
So take your yellow magnet off my publicly-funded fire truck and stick it, eh?
My support for the war in Afghanistan is not.
That is why for the past several months, I've been disturbed by the appearance of "Support Our Troops" magnetic decals on Toronto fire and ambulance service vehicles. I think I've written before that I find that kind of token gesture the worst sort of reflexive, blind patriotism (I think the post wast titled something like 'I'll cut down the fucking old oak tree before I tie a yellow ribbon'): one I'd find troubling even if it hadn't been co-opted by the American neo-right as a bullying tactic - support our war or you're not supporting our troops being a frequent rallying cry of the Bush Administration and adherents. Frankly, even in the most politically neutral of environments, this is one custom Canada really didn't need to import from the US.
Canadian hawks and regresso-cons have embraced the "Support Our Troops" message with the fervour you would expect of the Harper set, with their frantic desire to curry favour with America's lame-duck, criminal administration and for precisely the same reason - because everybody loves a soldier (one who's not pointing a gun at you or blowing up your children). Moreover, Canada's men and women in Afghanistan are enthusiastic volunteers, which makes their service that much more commendable and consequence-free for their political masters. Would the National Citizen's Coaltion or the Toronto Firefighter's Association be so quick to post billboards and decals declaring their support for our troops if it were John and Jane 905 being drafted to serve in Afghanistan rather than volunteers from rural Ontario, the West and the Maritimes?
Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun, unsuprisingly outraged that Toronto Council would order political messaging stripped from public vehicles (one wonders how outraged he'd be if the decals read "Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home Alive" instead?), even pulls out the "like it or not, this country is at war" chestnut, as if a few hundred magnets is the deciding factor in our struggle with Islamo-fascism. Of course, he's also wrong: our country is most emphatically not at war, no more than the US is at war. If our country was at war, the burden of Canada's mission in Afghanistan would not be born by a dozen thousand or so military families across our country our 32 million. Is the US was at war, I can only assume that the Bush Administration wouldn't be trying for the fourth consecutive year to pacify Iraq with several hundred thousand fewer soldiers than the Pentagon originally estimated would be required to occupy and pacify Iraq. What's going on in Afghanistan and Iraq is imperialism on the cheap: military occupation with a side of development - missions that are in many ways designed and executed with the intention of shielding the public at home from the burdens and cost of war.
This didn't happen in 1942. This certainly didn't happen in 1918, when nearly 1 in 10 Canadian men never came home from serving in the Great War.
Whether or not it was the original intent, the "Support Our Troops" slogan has become a political rallying cry, a way of wrapping unpleasant truths up in a pretty ribbon. And one that has no place on public vehicles and especially not those providing emergency services to the public.
If there was nothing political about the slogan, why use it at all? The poppy is our national symbol of remembrance and non-partisan reminder of the triumphs and sacrifices of Canada's veterans but, then again, the people urging us to support our troops don't really want to think about what the consequences of that blind, unquestioning support may be, like more Canadian men and women, enthusiastic, dedicated and courageous volunteers, coming home covered by the flag instead of wearing it.
Bolstering military morale is not the responsibility of the Canadian public, questioning our government and demanding explanations and accountability from those governments when they order our Canadian Forces into danger is. And that is why I'll be damned if I let the Canadian government or the Toronto Fire Association or anyone else bully me into writing a blank cheque to support our troops being deployed to Afghanistan or anywhere else. My suppport for the Canadian Forces is unequivocal but it is not unquestioning - I demand to know why our troops are being sent around the world to fight and die; what my government expects to get out of their service and sacrifices; and how they expect to acheive their goals. Anything less is unacceptable.
So take your yellow magnet off my publicly-funded fire truck and stick it, eh?
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