OPINION: Was there a war on?

Some time ago at a dinner party with friends, one gentleman who I will call Cousin Eddie held up his beverage and looked at his glass.

He was unhappy with the pour of scotch and clearly fancied more than a “wee dram” when he asked our hostess, “Is there a war on?”

She took the hint and topped off his drink and I started thinking about how we would ever know if our country was involved in a deadly military conflict.

Anybody who lived through the Second World War can probably remember shortages and rationing that affected everyday life.
Modern warfare still destroys lives and families but most Canadians do not experience any personal sacrifice or hardship at home.

So tell me, is there a war on?

I think we should all be asking that question because there are a lot of indications we are at war and have been for a while.
First of all, there are a lot more beheadings on the Internet than usual.

Also, just to refresh our memory, let’s not forget that Canadian soldiers have just completed a brutal 10-year mission in Afghanistan.
It cost 158 lives, thousands of injuries and continues to put Canadian families through the horrors of post-traumatic stress and suicide.

Why would we ever want to do that again?

But as soon as our battle-fatigued troops returned home Steven Harper began rattling his sword on the world stage, in the background, behind Barrack Obama.

Apparently he is no longer satisfied with providing logistical support and non-lethal aid and he has been brandishing his F18 fighter jets, which are very lethal indeed.

He likes playing with the big boys and is thumping his chest to impress them and maintain his place in the global pecking order.

However, as former PM Jean Chretien recently observed, “When you’re in, you’re in,” – the death and destruction in Afghanistan is proof of that.

Our current prime minister has no idea what he’s getting us into – there are no obvious goals, there is no real plan and there is no pulling out if we get nervous.

So… are we at war and how did Canada become a warring nation and what are we trying to accomplish by sacrificing thousands of able-bodied, young soldiers?

At a time like this I defer to Canadian war correspondent, Gwynne Dyer to put things in perspective.

Mr. Dyer believes we are being swept along by what he calls the Canadian myth of war.

When the First World War broke out many Canadians were still essentially British and we sent 65,000 young men to be slaughtered defending the motherland.

During the Second World War we felt compelled as a nation to continue fighting out of respect for those horrendous losses in the past.

If we stopped fighting we would dishonour the dead and have to face the grim reality that it was a total waste of young, productive lives.
As the casualties mounted and the stakes got higher the myth grew stronger – we can’t stop now and we don’t even bother to declare war anymore.

We are committing thousands of young Canadians to a violent, uncertain future based merely on the myth of war.

On Remembrance Day we can all watch another grieving mother lay a wreath in Ottawa – cold comfort for the tragic, needless loss of a loved family member.

We will see surviving veterans of past wars with expressions of horror permanently etched on their faces.

And later, when we are relaxing with a double-double and a donut, maybe we’ll be able to answer Cousin Eddie’s question ourselves.
Is there a war on?