Anyone else find it creepy that Harper is trying to censor reporting on the Canadian soliders being killed while on "peacekeeping" duties?
If our country, a free and democratic society, allows the government to censor what's going on, it is acting as a dictatorship. We have the right to free speech, to celebrate the lives of those who died fighting to make the world a better place, and to know what the government is doing and why.
To send a letter to Harper and other party leaders, go to Ceasefire.ca/ActionCentre and click on "Fallen Soldiers."
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5 comments:
r.i.p.
(apparently, your sentiments about your new prime minister are shared by some of your countrymen.)
Dear Soldier's Wife,
I can understand your sentiments that families should be able to grieve in private.
While I am not too familiar with the media's policies on fallen soldiers, I would hope they would deal with these tragedies respectfully.
In covering deaths, the media will contact the family of the deceased asking if they would like to share anything with the public. This gives families a chance to remember their loved one and to share about a life lived well. The obituary writer at the paper I worked for said families are often grateful for the opportunity.
But when soldiers are killed, their country has a right to grieve for them. And they, in dying in service to their country, deserve nothing less than a hero's burial.
In a time of "peacekeeping," we deserve more than ever to know what is going on with our country. I believe media freedoms are crutial if we are to hold our governments accountable.
I agree that it's terrible for the media to harass the beraved to get a heartbreaking story.
But what I find terrifying is when the leader of a country can supress the media and limit the extent to which Canadian's understand the actions of our military.
And with a new Prime Minister who has similar ideological views with President Bush, who started that illegal war, I believe Canadians have the right to know exactly what is going on.
There is a scholarly debate going on saying that the American media is to blame for the actions of its government. In a free country, the media is the watchdog designed to keep governments accountable for their actions. Their rights are legal guarantees, designed to keep our country questioning the decisions of our leaders. And that, to me, is more important than anything else.
It must be terrible to lose someone you love and have the media swarming you, trying to get you to cry on camera. That is inexcusable and I wish that would never happen again.
But the bigger picture shows that the media need to be free to debate our role in the world and to keep things like illegally invasions from happening.
"But what I find terrifying is when the leader of a country can supress the media and limit the extent to which Canadian's understand the actions of our military."
this is how it began in germany in the 30's.
with their economy in ruins after w.w.1, and with the beginning of the great depression, hitler offered people hope in that he promised prosperity, and played on peoples fear of socialists, communists, and capitalists, and cast jews in a light not dissimilar to that in which muslims are being cast today.
he appealed to the german peoples strong sense of nationalism, in much the way that little george does.
as britney spears' recent character on will&grace said: " if you criticise our president, then you're a dirty traitor". whilst this is comedy, many a true word is spoken in jest.
he was, remember, an elected leader. he came to power in much the way that little george did. not by a majority vote (which the nazis never won), but by winning enough support to bully his way into power by forming coalition governments, and by ruthless supression of his critics, and by pandering to the average peoples xenophobia and fear of poverty.
true to his word in this regard at least, he oversaw enormous public works: nazi era architecture is among some of the greatest in history, and greatly improved the economy through various means, blinding people to the evil that was quietly enveloping their nation.
this is how it begins.
plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.
the german people knew what was happening to the jews. they knew. but they turned a blind eye, until it was too late, because they believed they could ultimately control hitler, and they were being constantly fed propaganda to keep them afraid of the alternatives.
a succinct analysis is in cabaret: "let the nazis take care of the communists, then we will control the nazis"
but it's impossible to put the genie back in the bottle.
"A soldier's wife,"
It looks like we've come full circle then and we will have to simply agree to disagree.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I wish you and your husband all the best.
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