Since the beginning of the U.S. military intervention in Iraq, opinions expressed in The Northern Miner have reached a highly emotional level. In fact, some of the comments, mostly relating to the position that Canada has taken towards the U.S. engagement, have become unbearable to read. Moreover, I have a hard time understanding the senseless mud-slinging by people whose comments will have an impact by virtue of their status in Canada.
I believe that those, particularly in the business community, who feel such resentment towards the stance Ottawa has taken, are pushing for a kind of Anschluss with the U.S. Heck, why not take away that cumbersome border after all?
I feel very strongly that Ottawa’s position toward the war was well-balanced. I am far from being a keen supporter of Saddam Hussein and I am relieved to know that his sons will not replace him. However, the justification for an assault on Iraq by the U.S. remains questionable. The argument of siding with the U.S. based on past alliances and “assistance” given in previous conflicts is nonsense. The U.S. hesitated to join the First World War until 1917 and joined the Second World War three years after it started. What is the point of dwelling on these arguments?
Let’s face it, there is no such thing as “friendship” among nations, only interests. If the interests of Canada are to be shaped by all the business that will be generated by a “regime change” in Iraq, then maybe Canada should have been part of the “coalition of the willing.” At least few people will point their fingers toward Ottawa for the unspeakable destruction and misery that this war has brought on the Iraqi people including their cultural heritage which, unlike the oil wells, fell victim to the savagery of a liberated people.
David Kresz, Toronto
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