Editor, The Times:
Declaring a war on terror is a little like declaring a war on the weather – futile and unwinnable – according toLewis Lapham for Harper's magazine.
Perhaps the recent terrible events – two of Canada's soldiers killed – one gunned down, the other run down – by a pair of troubled individuals who thought they had a direct pipeline to God or Allah.
It's not that one can sit back do nothing while terrorists threaten the lands (that's not an option). It's what one does and how one goes about it that counts.
We have the Harper government sending six F18s and 600 ground personnel to fight ISIS. This in itself might not be such a bad thing.
However, at the same time we are selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. This feudal country is, was and probably will be the spiritual and financial backers for vicious groups such as ISIS. The very founding of this feudal desert kingdom depended on a virtually identical military force – the Ikhwan (brothers) who swept through the land beheading, killing and otherwise raising hell in the early part of the 20th Century.
Then there's Pakistan. All during Canada's involvement in Afghanistan and well before that the Pakistani secret service ISI played a double game, cooperating closely with the Taliban while pretending to be an ally of the USA.
In other words the deaths of Canadian soldiers can, indirectly at least, be attributed to Pakistani two-facedness. But here again nothing, as far as we know, has been done to confront Pakistan over all of this.
Finally, there's our ally and NATO partner Turkey – what game are they playing?
Don't want to help the Syrian Kurds in their valiant stand in Kobani? Want to attack Syria and start yet another war?
There also darker rumours – that the Turks armed ISIS and allows its fighters through their borders?
Harper now has his wish – as leader of the Opposition he wanted Canada to be part of George Bush's 'ship of fools' off to Iraq to look for non-existent weapons of mass destruction.
However, with his having friends like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey we don't need any enemies syndrome, this is a little like trying to do battle with the clouds.
Dennis Peacock
Clearwater, B.C.