So, how was your Labo(u)r day? Mine was nice and relaxing; in fact, I slept through most of it. Did some much-needed catching up on rest. A seemingly appropriate way to spend this particular holiday, of course.
One brave young man from here in Hamilton, Ontario, however, was unwittingly handed a huge task; one it's unlikely any of us would accept, on any day of the year, for all the U$D in China. His task: becoming a hero. On Labour Day.
Say hello to Mark Graham:
Now, as the caption makes obvious, say goodbye to him. Monday was Mark's last Labour Day - and the last day of his life.
Mark came home Tuesday:
In 1992, Mark was a member of the Canadian Olympic team. Now, he's a statistic: the first Hamiltonian to die in combat in over 50 years.
Graham, 33, died Monday in the dangerous Panjwaii district where Canadian forces are involved in major fighting with Taliban insurgents. He was killed and more than 30 others wounded when U.S. aircraft accidentally opened fire on Canadians during a strafing run.
The other four Canadians were killed earlier in the weekend during combat with the Taliban. Five more soldiers were wounded yesterday.
A natural athlete whose track and field gifts took him to the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graham joined the military after career-ending hamstring injuries "because he wanted a career path, and he wanted to contribute to his community," close family friend Bill DeLisser said yesterday.
More than 30 injured, in addition to this needless death, in a single 'friendly fire' incident. The aircraft in question was reportedly an A-10 Warthog. Of course, this isn't the first time Canadian troops have been cannon fodder for US aircraft in Afghanistan.
One of the women who works for the non-profit I volunteer at went to high school with Mark. She's not very happy. A lot of Canadians aren't happy watching their troops continue to suffer injury and death at the hands of US attack aircraft. One of them is Jack Layton, leader of the NDP - the # 3 party in Canada. Jack carries a lot of weight in this country, and he, like many Canadians, is quickly growing tired of this mission:
NDP Leader Jack Layton says Canada should pull its troops out of Afghanistan by February because the mission has gone astray.
Sniping at both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President George W. Bush, Layton said the Afghan mission has lost its direction.
It has no clear goals, no exit strategy and no criteria to judge success, he said at a news conference yesterday.
"This is not the right mission for Canada," he said. "There is no balance. In particular, it lacks a comprehensive rebuilding plan and commensurate development assistance."
The focus in Afghanistan has changed from reconstruction to open war and Canada should have no part of it, he said.
The Canadian Armed Forces, of course, have a reputation as peacekeepers. Forcing an alleged form of government on sovereign states isn't this country's way.
The above-referenced LTE stirred something in me. Something has been rolling around in my subconscious for some time now with respect to 'regime change'; with 'installing (imposing?) Democracy' in (on) sovereign nations. The end of this LTE brought it out of my subconscious, and into the stark light of day, instantly:
Fourth, the West has a terrible record of backing corrupt regimes that are puppets of western economic interests. The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has links to American oil companies, which is a conflict of interest to say the least.
Most of the suicide bombers in New York were Saudi Arabian. Why does the West tolerate undemocratic regimes in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Nigeria? These are the next battlegrounds of terrorism and security threats to western interests.
It's time for Canada to resume its role as a peacekeeper, not an enforcer. Democracy in Canada, Britain, and the U.S. was not imposed by the military might of outside powers, so why does the West think they can impose it on Afghanistan and others?
My emphasis; my point.