June 13, 2006
Kamloops Daily News


Why does Prime Minister Harper abuse us by repeating the
meaningless sayings of U.S. President G.W. Bush?

After the arrest of suspected Canadian terrorists on June 3,
Harper echoed Bush's sentiments: "We are a target because of
who we are, how we live, our society, our diversity and our
values -- values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of
law -- the values that make Canada great,"

We are not targets of terrorist because of our values;
neither are Americans. Suicide bombers don't sacrifice their
lives for vague notions of freedom and democracy. They die
to protest the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, and to draw
attention the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent
Arab civilians.

Bush had no sooner addressed the troops in Afghanistan
before Harper was there parroting the president by saying
that we would not "cut and run."

I assume Harper meant that we were committed to the military
operation but why use the term cut and run? It's an old
nautical term used in reference to sailboats. In the face
of danger, a ship's anchor would be cut and run with the
wind.

Harper recently told a Vancouver audience than he was going
to "protect the Canadian way of life". Does he mean that
will protect the Canadian way of life as represented by the
protection of minorities, the rights of homosexuals to
marry, and the freedom of women to control their own wombs?

If that's what Harper wants to protect, then more power to
him. But I think he something else in mind.

Or does Harper refer to what Bush describes as "The American
way of life?" If so, Harper would defend the right to
invade countries under the pretext of weapons of mass
destruction and the right of Canadians to consume a
disproportionate amount of the world's resources in the name
of liberty.

Even as Bush's own words are starting to stick in his
throat, Harper steadfastly sticks to Bush's script. While
Bush's war on terrorism lurches towards civil war in Iraq,
Harper leaves his Defense Minister to explain the
inexplicable.

O'Connor recently had to explain how war is not really war
when he spoke to the Commons defense committee. "We have to
conduct operations where we engage them with firepower,"
said O'Connor but "I don't consider this war."

Let me see if I've got it right: Canadian soldiers are being
killed by the enemy in Afghanistan and coming home in
coffins but they are not at war. O'Connor started to
explain "war to me would be . . . ," but trailed off before
finish.

A dictionary would have helped O'Connor. War is defined as
"armed hostilities between (especially) nations, according to
the Oxford Canadian Dictionary)." For the U.S. or Canada to be at war
with terrorists, there would have to be a land called
Terror. Or there would have to be a country where
terrorists assemble for war. A war on terrorism, like a war
on fear, is a lost cause.

Harper continues to listen to the counsel of conservative
Americans. U.S. pollster Frank Luntz, advisor for the
Republicans, met with Harper on May 6. The following day
Luntz was introduced by former Reform Party leader Preston
Manning to an influential group of Canadian conservatives in
Ottawa.

Luntz made the case for American conservatism. Words are
important, he told the crowd. Democracy should be defined
in terms of choice. "What is democracy?" asked Luntz
rhetorically, "It is the right to choose." According to
this point of view, democracy is not the participation of
citizens in public affairs but an activity similar to
shopping.

Privatization has been given a bad name by those who see it
as profit-taking of public resources. Therefore,
conservatives don't privatize a program, they "personalize"
it. Tax cuts shouldn't be mentioned because that suggests
service cuts. Instead it's called "tax relief," more in
line with the conservative notion that we are overtaxed.

Luntz had praise for Harper: "You have a gentleman who may
well be the smartest leader intellectually," but added that
Harper needed to "link that intelligence to the day-to-day
lives of the average individual."

That's the problem alright: Harper is smart but he doesn't
connect with people because he woodenly delivers his lines
like a bad actor. He needs a Canadian script.

Harper should cut the U.S. rhetoric that hangs around his
neck like an anchor and run with the political winds that
blow from the true north.


David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca

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