Gary ~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm deeply concerned about the recent comments by Maj. Gen. Rick Hillier. I am even more concerned by the response of our government to these words of provocation. Hillier is right to condemn the actions of those individuals who bomb civilian targets because of some grievance they have with western governments, real or imagined.
But that is the thing. They attack civilians. Hillier can use any kind of provocative language he feels is necessary to raise his testosterone levels up to that of He-Man-of-the-day, but I strongly suggest that he do it over in Afghanistan or wherever it might be that there are other He-Men who are similarly armed, other assholes who can and will shoot back, having been provoked as such. But the General seems to forget that in this battle, it is not him that will suffer the consequence of his provocation. Indeed, while he sits in his armored vehicle, it will be my wife who suffers the wrath of these killers. While he sits in the middle of an armed camp, it will be my wife children who become the target of the now infuriated suicide bombers.
Up to this point, Canadians have enjoyed being an exception among Western nations in that we have been known as peace-keepers. We have been known as the voice of reason among what appears to many in the world as a vast sea of mindless, profit-driven corporate irresponsibility. That is up until now.
With the false bravado shown by Hillier, the gutlessness of our government in telling him to tone it down, we have now moved firmly into the camp of the UK and the USA. My family has now become the target for those people who, however misguided they may be, nonetheless feel that Canada now "has it coming", all due the provocative, goading words of Rick Hillier.
Now that he has placed *my* family in their gun-sights, I am going to place a substantial portion of the blame for any bombings squarely on him. For now, these attacks will surely take place in Canada....bombings which *up until now*, we have enjoyed a freedom from, based on our now lost reputation.
Gary Williams
Prohibition Funds Terrorism ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~