I'm not actually rethinking Afghanistan. To be honest I have been against the Canadian Afghanistan mission for a while now. It's not that I'm anti-Canadian military. I just cannot as an ordinary citizen support this particular mission, and would hope that as more information comes out my fellow Canadians who have supported this may take the time to revisit or rethink their stance.

Young Canadian men, and women are dying, and facing serious injuries, and for what? In 8 years Osama Bin Laden is still at large, probably sipping a mai-tai at home in Saudi Arabia, not a single drug/warlord has been brought to justice, and the region is still a dangerous, and insecure place.

Are the Afghani people really better off for our being there? Are we Canadians better off for our being there?

Ottawa seems to be doing everything it can to divert the average citzen's attention away from controversy surrounding our military participation in Afghanistan. In recent months we've seen parliament prorogued (a halt to the democratic process) at a time when allegations of the torture of Afghani detainees were brought forth for investigation, a false controversy over our national anthem, and now some other nonsense involving an MP that was kicked out by the PMO, and is reportedly being investigated by the RCMP, but we are told nothing as to why. And meanwhile, Afghanistan again takes a backseat in the media, and in the minds of the average Canadian.

However, the truth does have a way of coming out. I was horrified this morning to read that "former Canadian Forces translator Ahmadshah Malgarai testified this past Wednesday in Ottawa about an alleged fatal shooting in Afghanistan, saying a member of the military personally described it to him as "murder." He also insisted he passed his allegations that the Canadian military was "subcontracting torture" to the NDS (secret police) up the chain of command. He also said he "cannot believe" Defence Minister Peter MacKay doesn't know about his allegations.

"I want him to sit across from me look me in the eyes and say he doesn't know," the former translator said."

This troubles me greatly. And I cannot support anything that lends itself to the torture, and murder of my fellow human beings, particularly the average citizen who by no other crime than a quirk of the Universe just happens to be living over there, and not here.

My mother was a child refugee behind "enemy" lines during WWII, and grew up in part in a DP or Displaced Person camp. She taught me that it is the innocent, and the poor who always suffer the greatest during times of conflict, and war. WII was a war that had to be fought....even she knew that, despite the American, and British bombs that were being dropped while she as a young child huddled with her sister, and brothers in a bomb shelter. However, I greatly question as did she this current mission in Afghanistan, and the affects it has had on the children, women, and poor working souls that must live there. We would have long talks about it while she was still alive, and from the beginning she doubted the reasons for our involvement over there.

This allegation of the shooting death of an unarmed, innocent Afghanistan citizen made me recall the Somalia affair and wonder how effective is our military in insuring that no racists or people who hate Muslims in general are not sent over there? I hate to say it, but with an accused serial killer running the Trenton base, is it that far-fetched to think that some with a very tainted view of Afghanistan people as a whole have not been shipped over there? The very thought is both horrifying, and disgusting, and yet we must not be so naive as to think it could not happen.

I sincerely hope these allegations are vigorously investigated, and if proven true, all of those involved face serious consequences.

Image Credit: Peace Sign