Pubdate: Fri, 1 Jan 2010 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2010 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Graeme Gardiner MORE BODYBAGS FROM A FUTILE WAR Re: Routine mission turns deadly for Canadians in Afghanistan, Dec. 31 It is hard to understand why our "leaders" advocate a war on drugs and terrorists, instead of a war on the root causes: inner city despair, Third World poverty, and a foreign policy designed to project our strategic and energy "interests." Eradicating these causes would be far cheaper than fighting these endless wars, which result only in huge profits for the suppliers, huge national deficits, and death to innocent civilians and soldiers. Now 142 Canadians are dead. Many more are crippled for life. Over $20 billion has been spent. And public services have been cut. And from our federal politicians we mostly get emotional, patriotic and partisan rhetoric designed to keep us from thinking. Graeme Gardiner, Sidney, B.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake