Monday March 24, 2003 C. L. Hanes

 Today (March 24th, 2003) was a particularly bad day for me as was it for most of the world watching (and even those not watching) the event in Iraq. It is almost noon and I am watching CTV Newswoman Lisa Laflame bringing into my living room, video footage of dead, wounded and captive American soldiers. I understand that I do have the right to turn off my television, which I did within seconds of seeing the gruesome images and video. Seeing the Canadian media air these photos and video footage offended me. Spiritually, on a number of fronts, today was a very bad day!

I feel guilty and somewhat ashamed sitting here in comfort while young American kids that I could have been sitting next to on Ft. Lauderdale Beach only a few short weeks ago are being put through what they are going through. War is an ugly and tragic thing!

Today, really for the first time since all of this hostility re-erupted (we must remember this hostility erupted 12 years ago) the severity of the world situation struck home to me. To be honest, striking biblical references in The Book of Revelations terrifies me much more than do the gruesome details being commercially exploited (there are after all commercials being sold and airing around this reporting).

How is it that our world can turn upside down so quickly! Oh, to be able to wave a magic wand and have all such world threats removed. The obvious challenge to my logic is, "is Saddam Hussein a threat to world people". The fast and easy answer is that I don’t know, but I am a believer in intellectual analysis of opposing views in a conflict.

We have got to remember that we have two generations (father and son) of Presidents involved in forming the conclusions that have, on two occasions, led coalition forces to war against Saddam Houssein. Both had a full complement of professional staff (military, congressional and administrative) and consultation and the most advanced information and intelligence capability known to the world.

And yet, Protestors, void of meaningful knowledge and information and equipped with only their idealistic persuasion toward Peace appear comfortable challenging every initiative and motive exercised by their Governments in spite of their Government having been elected. Seventy two percent of Americans stand behind their Government and fifty two (52%) percent of Canadians believed that the United States had made the case for war on Iraq and that the United Nations should have authorized military action, told the world that most of the citizens of Canada solidly oppose the war.

I am shocked to watch the Protestors, many who appear to be the same people being managed by the same organizations employing the same tactics that I saw tearing up our cities Protesting against Globalization at the World Economic Summits.

More shocking to me is the fact that the Academy of Motion Film Awards Ceremonies would go ahead amidst the War in Iraq on the very day that American kids (boys and girls) were being paraded around on video tape as prisoners and American casualties of war.

This guy Michael Moore, the "Hollywood Director" and winner of this year’s award for Best Documentary (commercially capitalizing on the Columbine tragedy) displayed, what I felt to be objectionable conduct and bad judgement in attacking his government, it’s leader, and the political structure that has taken America to war. Discretion might have suggested to him that, regardless of your position on the issue, once the fighting has started and your fellow Americans are being reported dying and being imprisoned as POW’s under a ruthless regime in Iraq, that you possibly would follow the example of others of your peers at the event and making speeches by simply saying nothing. Mr. Moore, your voice has already been heard.

I am hoping to see Mr. Moore (and friends) come foreword to fund families of coalition forces as reports come in about POW’s and/or dead or missing. Surely his only claim to fame is his recent documentary "Bowling For Columbine" where he assails his government and the freedoms that he has been blessed to be granted for commercial gain. We all know of the mountains of money Oscar winning productions generate and now that this guy is so wealthy I am sure that his drive for Puritanism or whatever it is that he thinks he’s in pursuit of will result in these families being financially taken care of.

In America it’s called "Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" Mr. Moore and I’m personally waiting to hear the announcements that the people that you are claiming to be speaking for will in fact see the "fruits of your endeavors". CNN showed a young American mother of young children whose husband was called up and was now in Iraq risking his life! He had taken a 60% cut in pay to fulfil his civic duty which he had accepted unwaveringly. It is obvious that most Americans do in fact "put their money where their mouths are". Let’s judge this man by his fruits and grant him the opportunity to show us.

With Roman Polanski nominated for and winning an Oscar but unavailable to attend due his being a criminal for evading justice and fleeing the country on sexual assault charges, one can hardly be confident when contemplating that actors and actress’s celebrity status hardly gives them foundation for or merit of any more weight behind their perspective of things moreso than that of the general public and certainly not moreso than the Leaders of the nation.

I still can’t get my head around the masses fixation on these "celebrities" and their point of view. I’m disappointed to see how poorly grounded many of these views are confused over the population’s eagerness to adapt their views based on the perspectives tables by our "celebrities".

The public’s absolute fixation of movies and movie stars and/or rock stars shows a hunger for association that possibly only a team of good psychologists could tackle. I believe that Martin Sheen has actually lost grasp of his true self and the TV character and now believes that he speaks as the President of the United States.

I am confident that the Bush Administration has factored in all potential threats and potential developments resulting from this. I am fully aware that I am not academically qualified nor sufficiently informed to contemplate possessing an "informed" perspective.

I have to confess that I am not overly culturally familiar with the Arab world. I have represented a couple of young families from the area and have found them intelligent, genuine people. It certainly would be politically incorrect to form conclusions based on my minimal knowledge of and experience with this cultural dynamic. I am left to hope that the American Administration’s awareness of cultural nuances, historic alliances and enemies within the various Arab and Muslim countries of which I think we North Americans know very little.

I am personally flabbergasted to realize our unequivocal dependency on "oil". Back in the 1980’s we had an energy crisis that resulted in all sorts of energy conservation disciplines and products that could have AND SHOULD HAVE removed us from our dependency on a product that is the sole funding mechanism for all of these turbulent countries that appear to constitute the Arab.

Certainly, applying a portion of the expertise and resources about to be eaten up today in this area by America and the coalition countries, would have carried us to position where North America, if not the world, would rid itself of the dependency of oil. I recently saw a television program about hydrogen vehicles that result is NO pollution or damage to the environment and the only by-product of this fuel alternative to be water. I wonder if this water can be re-used to sustain us? Why don’t constructive technologies not receive the attention that destructive ones do?

One can only hope that all over the world, level heads will prevail. I am being very sincere when I close by stating "God Bless America". As a Canadian I am proud to be a friend of America. I believe that Mr. Bush and his Administration do have sufficient knowledge and intelligence gathering capabilities to make "informed decisions" and I know that the majority of the American people believe in and stand behind their government.

The United States of America would never arbitrarily attack another nation whether for oil or for any other reason. History, I feel, fully supports this and actually I find it confusing when I recall that they were actually maligned during the Second World War for being "slow to get involved".