Harper the mini-Bush

Harper recently amended two decisions made by the former Liberal party.

Firstly, the flag will not be lowered for fallen soldiers. For Harper, this is a ‘return to tradition’. Secondly, he banned the media from attending at CFB Trenton the arrival of the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan last week. According to O’Connor, this policy was implemented out of respect for families.

The reasons expressed above could all be sincere. They could also be part of a Conservative conspiracy to keep undesirable information out of public reach. Public opinion on the mission in Afghanistan is equally divided. The last thing the government wants is lose any support it may have. The media will report, but won’t show.

The U.S implemented a similar policy during the Vietnam War as the government was losing public support for the war. More recently, the Bush administration imposed a publication ban on images of coffins of American soldiers. There are 40 U.S. casualties a month in Iraq, who knew?

Unfortunately, none of the U.S. policies above were driven by family needs. Why would similar Conservative policies be motivated by family needs?

It saddens me that military families are being used as a political excuse to execute an unpopular agenda. The enormous sacrifices that soldiers and their family make daily for Canada should command no more than veneration from all, especially government officials.

“Out of sight, out of mind”? If the government starts controlling the information the public receives, we don't live a democracy anymore. What next?