Letters | Russians lost a similar war and so will we
Published Wednesday March 4th, 2009
Re: Canada's Mission in Afghanistan
In the past few months, Canadian casualties appear to be on the rise, not only those killed in action, but also the wounded and the people who have suffered the lasting after effects of this mission.
The Canadian public has suffered as well as taxpayers, but most of all because of the human cost which cannot be compared.
The Taliban seem to be gaining more ground in Afghanistan, but they also show their ability to hit NATO in neighbouring Pakistan, destroying supply equipment, trucks and goods designated for NATO troops, as well one of the major bridges needed for the supply route.
Pakistan is supposed to be an ally in the cause to fight the Taliban. One has to wonder who is guarding the Pakistani nuclear arsenal.
It appears the efforts of all the NATO forces, mostly Canadians, British, Dutch and American, cannot defeat the Taliban in their determination and cannot forestall the willpower of the Taliban.
Three hundred and eighty thousand Russians under different rules of engagement could not manage that either.
It is past time that we, as Canadians, realize we have made enough sacrifices for a lost cause and bring our troops home. We cannot change the mentality, nor the lifestyle, of these people no more than they can change our lifestyle and mentality.
I support the troops, not the mandate of the useless mission continuing on until 2011.
Siegfried Mehlitz
Fredericton
Merging comes with inherent dangers
Re: Highway driving
Could someone out there please tell me who has the right of way when two high speed highways converge?
The case in point is the convergence of routes 2 and 7 (the Vanier Highway) in Lincoln. Is it the vehicle with the most mass or the race car driver zooming at 130 kph or more down Route 2 hellbent to get to the Big Stop for coffee half a mile down the highway?
Doddering old fool that I am, I like to travel at or near the speed limit - 100 to 110 kph in the right hand lane - but risk being flattened by a semitrailer or the aforementioned race car driver when I attempt to cross over to the right hand lane when driving from Fredericton to Oromocto.
I could, I suppose, continue on in the middle lane of the three-lane portion, but could suffer the same fate when I get to the two-lane part, when I try to access the right hand lane.
There are no signs on either highway to inform the driver what to do. I was always under the impression that passing on the right was a no-no, but perhaps it is not mentioned in the current drivers' handbook. Mine is quite a few years old.
Whoever designed this convergence should be made to pass Civil Engineering 101 again. Perhaps the old Lincoln highway is going to be my speed. Any thoughts, anyone?
John Wells
Oromocto, N.B.
I didn't see the signs and I got trapped
Re: NOGO No Tow parking
After a productive meeting with a colleague from the multicultural association and a Canadian student eager to gain experience teaching overseas, I was utterly dismayed to find irons shackling my car and a notice stuck to the window.
I called the number indicated and 25 minutes later, the keeper of the shackles key arrived, demanding payment of $84.75 for my 'crime' of parking in a NOGO No Tow parking zone.
When I indicated my disappointment with the absence of signs prohibiting parking, the attending vassal politely pointed to a sign on the other side of the parking lot (which I could not read from where I was) and stated there were also signs at the entrance (none of which I saw).
When I arrived, there were many spaces with "reserved" or "initials" signs. There were also five spaces, unoccupied, with no reserved signs; I parked in one.
You published a letter Feb. 18 which supports the actions of NOGO No Tow. It seems that illegal parking in church lots leads "to constantly be(ing) bothered by upset people who leased a spot being poached by someone else."
If signs are clear, in the actual spaces involved, I very much doubt this is a problem. Most car owners are sensitive to parking restrictions and obey them.
I must confess to going to city hall in the past for overstaying my allotted time at a meter and paying the appropriate fine, although I don't ever remember getting cash back from the meter when I left before my time expired!
Having enjoyed life in Fredericton since 1961 in so many ways, it is so sad to see the harsh commercialism of NOGO No Tow trap honest, tax-paying citizens.
Michael D. B. Burt
Nasonworth, N.B.
Leftover money, but not for veterans' families
Re: Widows on a Warpath
This is a Widows on a Warpath update.
Our group was approached last May by a film crew from New York to help them develop a documentary on the issue of Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown. The film crew is working on a documentary highlighting our widows. You may visit their website, gagetownmovie.com, for lots of background information.
The issue we are fighting is to have the government of Canada eliminate the date of Feb. 6, 2006 in order for us to receive the ex-gratia $20,000 one time payment. The government has stated that as of Jan. 12, 1,938 cheques have been issued, amounting to approximately $39 million, leaving $56.6 million remaining of the 95.6 million allotted for the ex-gratia payment to victims of Agent Orange sprayed at CFB Gagetown.
Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs, has stated that monies left over will go to general revenues. There should not be any money left over. This money should be spent on those who are suffering or have suffered, including widows of the men who have died affected by chemical spraying.
We are asking that Feb. 6, 2006 and April 1, 2009 be re-adjusted so that those deserving this payment receive what belongs to them. We ask for justice for our husbands who did not have the foresight to die when government felt they should, and to stop the Harper government from gaining the leftover $56.6 million.
Carletta Matheson
Lakeville Corner, N.B.
widowsonwarpath.com
Disabled
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
Comments (11)
All comments are subject to the site Terms of Use. For a full commenting tutorial click here.
Our editorial team relies on filtering technology and our visitor community to identify inappropriate comments. In the event that a site user has submitted offensive content that has evaded our filter, please select the option to Flag As Inappropriate presented within the comment. Thank you for helping to keep this site clean.
Actually, I applaud you for even wanting to move to the right. I tend to drive 10-15 km over the posted limit, in clear conditions, and find that many many drivers insist on the left (passing) lane, even when there is a vehicle directly behind them waiting to pass.
I find it strange that I sent this in 2 weeks ago and it just got in but not until The daily gleaner made changes to it the last part of this should read:
We ask for justice for our husbands who did not have the foresight to die when government felt they should, and to stop the Harper government from gaining 56.6 million dollars that would not be in his current budget as excess money that he will only use as slush fund to try and buy more votes.
Like Siegfried Mehlitz, I have much respect for our troops and their work towards the subjugated people of Afghanistan. I feel that a withdrawal from this place would be, for lack of a better word, unjust to all who have already paid the ultimate price. But I also do not want to read that we have lost more Canadians in a hopeless cause. The question remains; do the heads of our military believe our soldiers are making a difference?
I dearly hope our leaders, both political and military, have the best interests of our soldiers and the oppressed people of Afghanistan at heart. I am grief stricken at the latest news and confused in my beliefs as to why our soldiers are still there.
In every case of a letter where someone criticizes NOGO, it always boils down to the same thing: "I didn't see the sign". Parking in the downtown is at an extreme premium - everybody knows that - anyone should EXPECT any available parking to be leased, not free, and should be looking - hard - for signs in order to know the terms of the space they're parking in. Otherwise, park at the nearest available meter and walk like the rest of us do.
BUT, A soldiers life and their health should be worth more then $20,000. The compensation package should cover more then 1% of the BGAFFP report (the Governments own report) for estimated victims. There is no logical reason for Ottawa picking an older list or the IOM list from 2004 instead of the new IOM list from 2006, which had more diseases listed. There is no sense in compensating Dioxin related medical problems and ignoring Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) conditions when 98% of Gagetown chemical sprays contained HCB and only 2% reportedly contained TCDD Dioxin.
But most of all there should be no cut off date for becoming ill as Soldiers continue to train in what is now known contaminated soil and Ottawa continues to spray and test new defoliants.
When soldiers are needed to lay their lives on the line for Canada, Ottawa promises them the moon but when the need is gone so are the assurances as well as compensation and VAC Pensions.
As Ottawa continues to give billions of dollars to foreign countries for medical facilities and to rebuild damaged lives, Canadian Veterans are inevitably told that there is no money to help them.
Many times Canadian soldiers go to war because they want to help the badly treated people and then come home to be treated as badly if not worse then the people that they were helping. Is this sad story once again the Canadian Afghanastan Veterans future?
I choose mine based on who gave me the best terms and best return on investment.
But, uh, not having to tell them what your car looks like is a pretty awesome return-on-investment too. I guess.
That's right, it's their fault for not wanting freedom. Those fools haven't tried hard enough and don't deserve freedom, what awful people! Back in the 1970s when Afghanistan was an Islamic Republic with a burgeoning infracture and economy and freedoms for women, including the ability to attend university, it all meant nothing - it was just an anomaly. These people were so convinced of the superiority of the Taliban's brutal, feudal policies and digusting Shar'ia enforcement that they no longer deserve our help. We can't change their minds, Malcolm, they're all the same - don't be so naive!