Soldiers And Their Critics et al.

http://www.milcomspeakout.ca/

Here is a site for you.

It has not been updated in months, however there was a start at one point.

So, let's see - we're in conversation with a serving member of the CF who is asking questions about Afghanistan and there are two former CFers who are babblers and who have voiced opinions against our involvement there. Plus, a website has been linked whereby Canadian military members and their families made a start in voicing those same views.

Unionist, you stated that in the US there are thousands of outspoken military members, some of whom have deserted publicly and you sound frustrated that you don't see any evidence of the same degree of courage taking place amongst our serving members.

Perhaps there are many reasons for this, not the least of which is that our military is miniscule by comparison to that of the US and therefore, on an even percentage basis, our raw numbers of resisters would be very small. Also, the US military has been engaged in a war in Iraq, which has been declared illegal and many of those leaving the US military are doing so on those grounds. (Have you heard of any/many US military members who are resisting war in Afghanistan?) Also, my guess would be that we hear about those who leave their home country to seek refuge in ours -- where do our soldiers who want to leave our military seek similar refuge? I don't think there is such a place and perhaps living underground is the only alternative to taking on the hierarchy which would mean that we probably won't hear from CFers choosing to resist in that way.

Also, since we often depend on the msm for our news, even here on rabble, perhaps there are examples of people taking this stand and where the media haven't been informed or they aren't reporting it. Given the shitty, biased coverage around the coalition, which we all know about, I think it's worth considering as a possibility.

Just because it isn't public, I wouldn't assume that resistance isn't happening.

Unionist wrote:

And Loretta, do you really think the MSM, which names the U.S. and Israeli ones, won't name the first Canadian?

I've been thinking about that since writing my response to you. Sorry to say that, at this moment, I have a "yes" and a "no" answer.

Yes, I do think it's possible that the msm would avoid coverage, in some circumstances. It's relatively easy for our media to cover stories about military members from other countries who resist war -- there is no comment being made about our own country and its complicity. When it comes the possibility of cogent arguments being held up for all to see by one of our own, I think there's a risk that the story will backfire against those who have promoted our combat mission as a force for good, and they are legion. Giving someone who doesn't see it that way "airtime", could, if the person and their stories were credible, cause serious damage amongst those of privilege and power in our country. Perhaps it's more useful to keep those stories under wraps...especially when one considers the ripple effects of what has happened to those who supported the Iraq war in the US.

No, I hope that I am being overly paranoid about what I see as deliberate manipulation of the general public by the msm but, given the degree of bias demonstrated by them and, quite acutely so in recent days, I can't say with certainty that I don't think it could be. (Can you follow all those negatives?)

Like I said, I'm not convinced that someone would report it -- I guess I'm becoming somewhat cynical around the media. If someone did, I worry that it would be as part of publicly shaming someone who made such a decision. Members of our military struggling with such a decision aren't necessarily certain of receiving the public support that those who come to Canada to resist the Iraq war are receiving.

With respect to your question about the war in Iraq being declared "illegal", that is part of the rationale/defense that Iraq war resisters from the US are using. From www.resisters.ca:

Quote:

Thirty years later, Canada is faced with the same moral choice – to give refuge to those who refuse to be complicit in the US-led war on Iraq, which many legal opinions have deemed illegal under international law.

I'm not saying that the war on/in Afghanistan is legal or moral or justified -- what I am saying is that there is a widespread belief that the war in Iraq is illegal (and Canadians feel smug about our lack of involvement, which isn't really true, from what I understand) whereas the war in Afghanistan is justifiable (some will reluctantly admit that it's not "winnable"). Given that "spin", public support for those who leave the "illegal" Iraq war is, one could think, stronger than those who might wish to take public action in leaving the "unwinnable" war in Afghanistan.

Our sense of nationalism also plays into this -- we can collectively imagine ourselves supporting US resisters but supporting our troops means supporting them and their mission(s). Again, don't get me wrong -- I don't hold those positions but I think that the sentiments are dominant in general discourse (shaped by our media who "manufacture consent").