Pacific Free Press was launched in March 2007 by Dutch-Canadian Richard
Kastelein of V.O.F. Expathos, in the Netherlands along with Chris Cook- CFUV radio journalist and Editor in Chief of Pacific Free Press. Cook is based in , Victoria, British Columbia.
The mission of Pacific Free Press is simple: to dig out nuggets of truth from
the slag-heap of lies, ignorance and witless diversion that has buried
public discourse today. Pacific Free Press provides a new venue for
disseminating hard news and insightful, fact-based analysis of the
harsh realities too often ignored or distorted by the mainstream press.
Defence Minister, Bill Graham says the plan to re-deploy Canadian operations currently in and around the northern capital city of Kabul are to go ahead. He also announced, an additional 1250 troops by early next year.
Last week, in a speech to the Standing Committee on National
Defence and Veterans Affairs and the Standing Committee on Foreign
Affairs, National Defence Minister Graham reiterated how Canada will
face its "new" role in global military affairs.
He cited the completion
of a new Defence Policy Statement and its central document, A Role of
Pride and Influence in the World.
[This from the wayback file.... lex ]
According to Graham, that
pride and influence will be expanded in Afghanistan first, then on to
other "failed and failing states" around the globe. How those "failed
and failing" will be chosen, or by whom, was left unsaid, but the
minister did make it clear, Canada will move towards a "more
sophisticated" operational integration with the U.S. military.
Presumably, enhanced sophistication isn't necessary on the diplomatic
front.
Graham informed the assembled worthies, Canada
recognizes, "security at home often begins with security abroad,"
adding the new policy means his government will be "enhancing Canada's
contribution to global security and peace building." The new direction
is, in Graham's view, "informed by the rich operational experience of
the Canadian Forces, both in Canada and locations ranging from
Afghanistan to the Balkans, to Haiti.
That that "rich
operational experience" includes the death and maiming of Canadian
soldiers, as in Afghanistan; providing assistance to murderous thugs in
the overthrow of a democratically elected government in Haiti; allowing
the world's fastest growing human trafficking region in the Balkans;
uselessly witnessing the explosion of heroin production, again in
Afghanistan, and the of course, Somalia; or Rwanda. Minister Graham
will excuse a lack of enthusiasm for his proudly announced new
initiatives.
Never mind the more than $600 million cdn price
tag for Afghanistan alone that comes with Mr. Graham's new found
muscularity. Never mind that what the minister and his government
recognize as splendid achievements are less charitably described in the
countries where his largesse is experienced. The problem with Mr. Bill
Graham's Role of Pride and Influence in the World is the precise
diminishment of Canada and Canadians it will bring. Unleashing
well-heeled NGO's like CIDA, in accompaniment with military logistic
support, a la the U.S.A., will undoubtedly put Canada in the sights of
the very terror groups he so sonoriously warns against. But, there is a
more immediate problem with Graham's thinking: Afghanistan.
After
four years of occupation, the coalition occupiers have little
"influence" beyond the city limits of Kabul. Hamid Karzai is in
Washington, D.C. at this very hour, readying to break the news to
George Bush. But Bush's knows this. His pre-emptive jab at Karzai for
allowing the heroin trade to flourish, designed to take some of the
steam out of Karzai's "demands" that justice be brought against
American soldiers involved in Afghanistan's Abu Ghraib-like abuses
against prisoners at U.S. air-base/detention centre Bagram, tacitly
acknowledges as much. Now, Bill Graham will preside over the relocation
of the Canadians from their secure base, Camp Julien, to the south and
west of the country, both areas seeing a resurgence of Taliban rebel
activity; activity bearing more resemblance to Baghdad than the
relatively calm Kabul.
Though Graham may like to believe all's
well in Afghanistan, and Haiti for that matter, due to Canada's foreign
adventurism, the fact is: things are not rosy in Afghanistan, and
they're poised to get worse. Canadians are being marched into the mouth
of the lion, while the pied Bill Graham pipes merrily away.
Chris
Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, a weekly public affairs program,
broad/webcast from the University of Victoria, Canada. He also serves
as a contributing editor to PEJ.org. You can check out his blog here.
Addendum:
M25-- Now too, I hear, the Israeli Defense Force will send pilots to
"train" Canada's pilots to better bomb cities.--Proud and
Influentionally yours - ape
Writings 
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