Opinion Piece

"Here is a letter I had published as an opinion piece in today's "Daily Gleaner" Fredericton's local newspaper.

'Every other Friday I stand with Women in Black and various members of
the Fredericton Peace Coalition,in front of Fredericton City Hall.
We stand in vigil for the victims of war and all forms of violence
that are so prevelant in our world.

Lately we have been asked why we do not support our troops in
Afghanistan. We are opposed to this war and our involvement in
it,this does not mean, however, we do not support the men and women
who find themselves having to fight. We are very supportive of them,
we want them home, with their families alive and well, not coming
home wounded or in body bags. We want them to be able to contribute
to a world where violence is a thing of the past, something we
remember with shame.

Our government has involved us in this war, making it appear that by
being there we are improving life for the people of Afghanistan and
defending our way of life. However if one reads information from
groups within Afghanistan such as RAWA ( www.rawa.org), international
groups such as Amnesty International (www.amnesty.ca), the United
Nations and Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org) you quickly realise that
we have not made life in Afghanistan substantially better for the
people there, especially the women. Over 60% of the widows in Kabul
believe that suicide is their only option. Last year there were over
50 reported deaths of women who set fire to themselves rather than
continue to live under the conditions that exist in Afghanistan. The
news that we receive paints a completely different picture than the
reality of life in Afghanistan.

As to the arguement that by fighting in Afghanistan we are defending
our rights here at home, I cannot see the logic in this arguement.
How come there are only two options, fight or lose our rights?
Surely there are other options than those? And who decided that if
we refrained from going to war that we would lose our rights? If this
war is to stop terrorism and therefore protect our country and its
people then it is failing miserably. The incidents of terrorism
around the world have escalated since the invasion of Afghanistan and
Irag. We are now more in danger than we ever were
from "terrorists". It has been said that for every "terrorist"
or "insurgent" killed, another 15 takes his place. At this rate
Afghanistan is a war that we will never win and that will
increasingly put our soldiers and ourselves in jeopardy.

I believe that a clear policy of non violence on our part is
essential for solving the problems of Afghanistan. That what is
needed is not more soldiers, bullets and tanks but help for the
people of Afghanistan to establish dialogue between the various
interest groups within their own country. I believe that the women of
Afghanistan need to be given the opportunity to play a much more
important role in the rebuilding of their country. Peace will not
happen as long as there is a war mentality directing the action or as
long as the warlords are seen as allies in the fight against the
Taliban. According to the Senlis Council there has been a 600%
increase in violent attacks in the last six months in southern
Afghanistan. This is where our men and women are going.

I would like to see the women of Fredericton who believe that
violence is not an answer to the worlds problems, and involving our
country in this war is an act of violence, stand up and have their
voices heard. Speak out; write to our politicians and the newspapers;
involve yourselves in the various groups working for peace that exist
in this community. And if you are able to, come and join us standing
in vigil for the victims of this violence, those innocents who have
no voice, who have no say in what happens in their lives. Do not let
those in power or those whose business is war ignore your voice.

Our next vigil is February 9th noon to 1pm in front of City Hall.'

What do you think?", I whisper.

Are you listening?