WIKILEAKS AND CANADA, People's Voice Editorial, August 1-31,2010 issue

(The following article is from the August 1-31, 2010 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)

http://www.peoplesvoice.ca/articleprint62/04%29_WIKILEAKS_AND_CANADA.html

The reaction from the ruling class and its bootlickers to the latest WikiLeak revelations of the military occupation of Afghanistan are predictably self-serving.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon warned that such leaks "endanger the lives of our men and women in Afghanistan." Without a hint of irony, the Minister went on to assure Canadians that "we are extremely transparent" and that adequate information about the Afghan mission is passed on to the public.

Earth to Mr. Cannon: over 150 Canadians have already died in Afghanistan, not to mention many thousands of Afghan civilians. The only way to save lives is simple: bring the troops home. As for "transparency," perhaps the Minister was subconsciously referring to the fact that most Canadians see right through the feeble justifications for this brutal war.

Then there's Christie Blatchford, chief flagwaver for the Armed Forces at the Globe and Mail. "There's no doubt," wrote Blatchford, "this is a dirty, costly, horrible war being waged in a country inured to death and corruption and hopelessness.... The truth is, no one who paid the slightest attention to the war in Afghanistan could be surprised by the latest WikiLeak." Of course, Blatchford remains stubbornly confident that this is an honourable war, despite the nasty realities.

In fact, many Canadians, like citizens of other NATO countries, have been paying close attention to the war, and we are not surprised. Despite frantic efforts to promote the Armed Forces by the mass media and politicians (even the NDP's Jack Layton, sadly enough), some 60% of Canadians want to exit Afghanistan and end this shameful chapter of our history. The WikiLeak files are a valuable tool for the anti-war movement, which has heroically struggled for nearly a decade to achieve this goal.