(*note to the editor; I recently sent a letter to the editor, but believe the conclusion was ill-phrased; here is a new version. If you choose to print anything, please ensure that it contains the final paragraph of this submission*)
In his article "land of the flee", Mr Bousquet was right to point out many of the flaws in recent American foreign policy, the uneccesary loss of life from the disastrous Iraq invasion, and the effects of the patriot act in undermining the civil liberties that the American constitution enshrines.Referring to this conflict as a "war against Muslims ", however, is a sensationalized distortion. A 'war' fought by a powerful government against an ethnic or religeous group would imply genocide -an accusation that should not be made frivolously.Moreover, this kind of polemic overstatement distracts us from the real issues. Namely: (regardless of what mistakes may have been made in Iraq) is Canada's decision to keep troops in Afghanistan doing more good than harm? (a question which Mr. Bousquet makes no attempt to address despite the allusion that Canada has 'turned it's back' on its principles.)There are many who would say 'yes' -many of whom do not believe that 'supporting our troops' entails supporting the war.
By Brendan Osberg
