Concluding Thoughts

As I post these concluding thoughts, I'd refer to my previous post on Jan 24 - I've included it below for your reference.

I think the real strengths of your blog are two fold. 1) It's design - it is compelling to look at; 2), the articles you've posted are interesting, and it has clearly taken you some effort to locate them - and they contain some fascinating images, which in someways relates back to my first point.

With regards to your posts, as I noted in Jan., you have tended to post articles and then make brief comments on them, but I would have like to see you go deeper, and more fully develop your view (that we should not be in Afghanistan - stated in your post, following mine). Your view is held by many Canadians. I would have seen you develop this theme more and then use the articles you posted to support your argument, or where they were more critical, rebut them. You have met the target of posting approx 20 times, although again I would have like to see you trending rather than posting more than a third of your posts on the last day.

Nonetheless, I'm pleased with the work you've done, and hope it has helped you to understand the nature of Afghanistan and our involvement in that country.

Good work so far - time to go deeper and wider

Good work on your blog to date, Mike. Exceptional design, and very consistent with postings. You're clearly starting to trend events. Your challenge now is to go beyond simply describing the articles you're posting - which are interesting - but to place events in a broader context. It's time to develop your own thesis about what is taking place (a considered point of view), and over time to argue and/or revise it. Discuss also the impact of events on Afghanistan's history, culture and it's neighbours, the international scene - the consequences for Canada, the United States. Make connections also with other events in the region. It's time to go "deeper" and "wider"

It's about getting a big enough bang for our buck

Here's Some interesting Facts

Canada is expected to spend more than $23 billion on the military in 2010-11, about two per cent more than it did the previous year and about 26 per cent more than it did the year the Berlin Wall came down.

Canada is the world's 13th biggest military spender and NATO's sixth biggest spender, while showing little military influence

The Afghanistan mission alone likely accounts for about half the additional $30.9 billion Canada has spent since the 2001 terror attacks.

Over the next 17 years, Canada also will spend about $85 billion on equipment, including warships and the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets.

According to the study, by 2027 Canada likely will be spending only slightly less on defence than it is today -approximately $19.8 billion in 2010 dollars or about $31 billion adjusted for inflation.

The study estimates the recommendations of the 20-year Canada First Defence Strategy unveiled in 2008 will cost as much as $410 billion in 2010 dollars or up to $12,000 per Canadian.

Civilian deaths, injuries grew 11% in Kandahar last year

There were more civilian deaths last year in Kandahar than any other province in Afghanistan, while operations in districts under Canadian command resulted in “large-scale” property destruction, the United Nations said Wednesday. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan found that 550 of the country's 2,777 civilian deaths in 2010 occurred in Kandahar, where Canadian and other NATO forces conducted major operations aimed at defeating insurgents and winning over the local population. Most of those killed in Afghanistan, 75 per cent died at the hands of anti-government forces such as the Taliban. Obviously from this report, more support is required for the outstanding issues and injustices to be put to rest. Although Canadian troops are in Afghanistan, I think with the help of Nato and the UN, a more aggressive approach is needed here.

Wounded Afghan veteran feels 'screwed' by federal government

This article discusses the much-criticized Veterans Charter which involves the compensation of such troops who are wounded in action. In particular it focuses on Maj. Mark Campbell who received a lump-sum payment of $250,000. But by the time he purchased a specially equipped van with hand controls and renovated his home to remove barriers, the money was spent. Clearly there are some issues here, as the men and women who risked their lives and lost limbs come home to the bare minimum of help from our government. Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn has introduced Bill C-55 with changes that will give wounded soldiers the option of receiving payments in a lump sum, annual instalments of a combination of both. Under previous legislation, veterans were guaranteed monthly pension payments for life that increased if a condition worsened. I think this is a huge issue that must be addressed because if we are going to have our own citizens out on the front line of action, they better have proper compensation and respect if things so wrong.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Wounded+Afghan+veteran+feels+screwed+federal+government/4412976/story.html

5 Interesting Facts from a soldier's perspective

1. 10% of the people are educated, and want to try and keep the other 90% ignorant (ie, no education outside of the koran). Example of some issues. A school is built, a few weeks later a warlord is living there, they come back, kick him out, someone else moves in (these schools are nicer then many homes in the area). Teachers are killed. Now why would anyone want to keep people from being educated ? Those with something to lose - hard to control an educated people.

2. Opium/Poppy fields. Why is production up? Real simple answer but with some surprising things: People need to make money, and this makes them a real living.

So in come the troops, and destroy the fields. More enemies are made. So we offer them other crops, but they don't make much. So it finally comes down to the warlords again and how we make deals. Example of that, to do our job we cut a deal - you let us burn 60% of some guy's crop in your area, and we give you new trucks, etc (ie, he said it is like the Sopranos there).

3. The people that WANT us there the most - are those in power. I know it may seem odd, but they are getting more money and security with us there. We are building roads, etc that they want and need, and they use them to their benefit more so than others. It is probably built better now than before, and we have built more then we destroyed. The poor folks aren't getting as much as they are kept ignorant, while the war lords are getting a ton more (they have more power, so we give them better deals - the ones we don't kill, and when we kill em new ones crop up).

4. We are doing good there for many, but more people are needed - less in Iraq, more there. Our soldiers are trying hard to help all the people, but their poverty is beyond imagining. Religion is the one thing that holds them together and keeps them happy with a purpose.

5. Example of issues to think about. We saw two bodies on the road. Probably been there a few days. Think about that in our country occurring. In US you call the cops, ambulances are rushed it, there are investigations, etc, here it is just like a shoulder shrug and someone from the area comes along and buries them and nothing is really done most the time. Someone is taking over a school in the US, media is there, swat teams, and so on. Here, it is different. Laws are not really made and followed, it's like the mob.

Taliban claim to have captured Canadian

Taliban insurgents claim they have captured an Ontario man who is missing in Afghanistan. The Taliban published a statement Sunday that claimed a Canadian "spy" had been captured in Ghazni city, in the eastern part of the country. The Taliban say Rutherford is being kept somewhere safe and it's expected they'll soon release a video of him. As we can see from this capture, Taliban contributors are on high alert for any progressive or relief action against their cause which further displays an unstable area for Canadian troops trying to help support the country. As I have previously stated throughout the blog about the outrageous costs of this mission along with the number of Afghan troops being trained who drop out and join the Taliban, it has become time to either pull out or take a second look at the missions plan to take direct action this terrorist group. I don’t think that as one nation we can solve this issue alone, but clearly, such reckless and harmful action must be solved and put to justice in my opinion.

An interesting Picture considering the amount of criticism other countries put on Canada for being in Afghanistan

Considering the amount of critisism many European countries give Canada helping out in Afghanistan, this cartoon clearly resmebles who the real people are making a difference to unrest in Afghanistan. It also shows that is there was nobody providing support for the torn country, it would burn up in flames.