If I am to be true to myself and to  those who instilled in me the principles I hold dear, I am compelled to be truthful and to speak bluntly in the hope that some who will read my words will stop and perhaps think  about what I am saying and why  I feel so strongly that I must do so.

The hatred for our  Western World so prevalent in the Arab World even before  the Iraqi War began has been fueled  to new heights. The holocaust  which has been invited to our shores by taking such actions is mind boggling. Why do so many  still not realize this ?  If there was mistrust and anger before the invasion  the actions taken  by the USA and Great Britain have solidified the thinking among so many in the Arab world that we are a direct threat to their well being. Certainly the images engraved on the memories of everyone  have done nothing to dispel this belief. In fact, we have made the case for the terrorists infinitely stronger and more volatile and added significantly to  the ranks of the recruits for their jihad. We shall all pay dearly for the actions of those who seek, for whatever reason, to control the destiny of another country at the expense of their own. 

We have seen in recent days one of the consequences which has already occurred. The bombing of the UN offices in Baghdad is , I believe, as a direct result of the damage done to the credibility of the UN in the prelude to the Iraqi War. The United States and Great Britain showed a total disregard for the tenets and principles of the United Nations  and as a result the effectiveness of the UN in the future may have been severely crippled. Does anyone truly believe this bombing would have occurred had the Coalition powers not  shown such contempt for this body ? 

I have always taken pleasure in sitting here at my desk allowing my mind to wander from one subject to another as my keyboard becomes  my sounding board.  For me writing is often a way to clear the cobwebs from my brain or to come to some sort of resolution about a problem with which I might be dealing at that time. Seeing the words on the screen does help to clarify things. 

 In recent months when the writing  has been  most difficult I have at times written  long essays only to decide a few hours later to delete entire pages rather than to risk offending visitors. If I do that , I  invariably consider that in doing so  I have been  more than a little cowardly and I don't like myself very much. There are times  things need to be said  and I truly believe this is one of those times. It is my fervent belief that we do need to speak up now more than at any other time I can recall.

Speaking out regarding the government in the United States these days  may be seen by many as intrusive coming from a Canadian but nevertheless I am doing so. We have a very large stake in whatever the US does, just as they have a right to be concerned about our actions. What affects one ultimately affects the other. We may not always agree with one another but our well-being is so intertwined one with the other that historically our mutual border  has been almost non existent.  The friendship between our two nations has been unique and of great value to both our countries.

Under the present administration  this has changed a great deal. Of course the events of recent years have understandably played a role in this change. However the breakdown in communication and understanding between our two countries  goes beyond simply increased security. I doubt that many members  of the current US administration have any interest whatsoever in Canada or in continuing a good neighbour policy between our two countries. Unless of course there is something north of the border they might decide they want. I have no doubt at all that if that were the case they wouldn't hesitate for a second to  find  reasons  to justify whatever actions they deemed necessary  to accomplish their ends.

 After all, Canada is not strong militarily. Since the Second World War Canada has placed the emphasis on being a  peacekeeping nation. Her people are peace loving and the population numbers about one tenth of that of  the US. I am certain the thinking  with those presently in power in the US would be that  Canada is a cake walk for them. They would be wrong of course but the contempt they have shown for my country leaves no doubt in my mind that they wouldn't hesitate for a millisecond to attempt exactly that if it suited their purposes.

We humans do have short memories unfortunately. These days Canada is seen as a nonentity by the Bush Administration and one unworthy of respect, unless of course it suits their purposes to give lip service to friendly status on any given day. They do indeed have short memories. Canada was a 'good neighbour and friend' during the Iran Hostage Crisis even to the Far Right wingers if memory serves me correctly. I am equally certain that to the many hundreds of Americans who landed in Gander Newfoundland on 9/11, and who were without hesitation welcomed into Canadian homes and provided with hospitality as if they were immediate family members,  Canada is seen in a kindly light. The Canadian soldiers who joined the US in Afghanistan in the early days of that war and those currently there may not  be in huge numbers by the US scale of thinking but their courage and loyalty is unquestionable I assure you.

 I can understand this American President not particularly caring for our present Prime Minister. That is a feeling most Canadians might share with him in fact. But just as the US changes leaders  as administrations come to an end so too do Canadian Prime Ministers' terms in office. Thank goodness that time is fast approaching and we will finally see Jean Chretien  leaving office.

 All this being said ... we do have a stake in  American foreign policy. If  terrorism  runs rampant on the North American continent there will be no recognition of borders. Canada will be, and is, as vulnerable as the US.

If one were to only focus on the news of the day and believe all the utterances from those  who are leading us down this path of violence and bloodshed as a  means to secure peace and safety the days would hold  very little hope or optimism for those cognizant of current events  and harbouring genuine concern  for the future of generations yet to be born. Surely we will have more common  sense than to meekly follow like sheep as our cherished  freedoms are placed in such jeopardy ? 

Certainly we must defend our way of life but that does not give us the right to impose our values and beliefs on others ! We have no more right to do that  than they would have should they attempt to so blaspheme everything we hold dear. There is a vast difference between protecting one's way of life and imposing a way of life on others. 

The results of such arrogance and poor judgment are only now becoming apparent, even to  many of those who may have initially supported the precipitous actions taken in launching a pre-emptive attack on Iraq. The toll in human suffering and loss is growing daily. The end is nowhere in sight. The thinking now is that it could be ten years before Iraq is stabilized and no longer occupied by the Coalition forces. How much blood will be shed and how many lives will be lost in the process  of struggling  to end the  quagmire this invasion has become is unknown. 

There is much for which this US Administration must be called to account.  In Great Britain  the day of accountability for Prime MInister Tony Blair will, by all indications, be sooner rather than later. Will the American people demand such accountability from their President and his advisors ? Or will they, as they did with Vietnam, wait several years for the deaths of several hundreds  or thousands of their young  men and women in uniform before they are galvanized into action ? Can, and  will, the good people of the United States of America countenance another  Vietnam? Or will they have the courage to end this debacle and demand that  the future of Iraq be turned over to the UN and a UN force to establish peace and stability in that war torn country. 

 I know many, many Americans are heartsick at the events  which have occurred over the past few years. In the wake of 9/11 they have witnessed the whittling away of their freedoms, the many assaults on their beloved and treasured Constitution and indeed on  the very principles upon which their country was founded. If I know Americans, and I believe I do,  the vast number of decent God fearing people who make up the  silent majority will surely begin to see what is being done to their country and  will, as they have done throughout their history, defend her with every fibre of their beings. 

September 11th 2001 was an obscene wake up call and a tragedy which made the     entire world reel. The international community rallied to the Americans' side. Sadly, that unity has been destroyed as the US government in power has used this  terrorist attack as an excuse and justification for unspeakably dangerous actions which have placed not only their own citizens but those of other countries ... including  that of yours truly ... in grave peril. And for what ? Revenge ?... Oil ? ...  Power ? ...  Empire Building ? Dear God, help us all ! Save us from those who in their self righteous messianic lust for revenge and power would  willingly destroy all who stand in their way. Christian ? Certainly not my definition of 'Christian' or any other religion which truly believes in God.

 I believe we now stand on the threshold of the most dangerous time in our  history. At a time when we need wisdom and caution in our leaders  we find ourselves at the mercy of those who use our fear of terrorism as a means to  justify their actions as they invite Armageddon onto our doorstep. This insane war mongering mission cloaked in a mantle of 'good against evil ' to which they  have committed their country and the Free World, and which is contrary to everything which we as God fearing people  believe, must be terminated  for the sake of the generations to come as well as those already here. 

 Please God, grant the  wisdom to those who can still halt this precipitous rush to oblivion for humanity. I pray that you will embrace the American people as they call their leaders   to account for their actions and place the leadership of the Free World and the most powerful nation on earth in the hands of those who will safeguard and protect with judicious and merciful  foresight and caution. 

 Peace is the right of the entire International Community .. not just that of  the  most powerful nation on earth. My country now once again has eighteen hundred of our young soldiers in Afghanistan  and will stand with you in seeking resolution to that conflict. There is absolutely no question that terrorism must be stopped for the sake of all rational peoples. I genuinely believe that alienating  the citizens of entire nations  is not the answer to reducing the numbers of crazed madmen who would  destroy anyone who does not believe as they do.  The rest of the world has a stake in this  just as America does and we beseech you to act responsibly and  do what is necessary to harness the  beast you have inflicted upon all of us. 

  How long is it going to take for us to recognize that the war we so foolishly started in Iraq is a fiasco  - tragic, deeply dehumanizing and ultimately unwinnable? How much time and how much money and how many wasted lives is it going to take?

At the United Nations yesterday, grieving diplomats spoke bitterly, but not for attribution, about the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. They said it has not only resulted in the violent deaths of close and highly respected colleagues, but has also galvanized the most radical elements of Islam.

"This is a dream for the jihad," said one high-ranking U.N. official. "The resistance will only grow. The American occupation is now the focal point, drawing people from all over Islam into an eye-to-eye confrontation with the hated Americans.

"It is very propitious for the terrorists," he said. "The U.S. is now on the soil of an Arab country, a Muslim country, where the terrorists have all the advantages. They are fighting in a terrain which they know and the U.S. does not know, with cultural images the U.S. does not understand, and with a language the American soldiers do not speak. The troops can't even read the street signs."

The American people still do not have a clear understanding of why we are in Iraq. And the troops don't have a clear understanding of their mission. We're fighting a guerrilla war, which the bright lights at the Pentagon never saw coming, with conventional forces.

The carnage from riots, ambushes, firefights, suicide bombings, acts of sabotage, friendly fire incidents and other deadly encounters is growing. And so is the hostility toward U.S. troops and Americans in general.

We are paying a terribly high price — for what?

One of the many reasons Vietnam spiraled out of control was the fact that America's top political leaders never clearly defined the mission there, and were never straight with the public about what they were doing. Domestic political considerations led Kennedy, then Johnson, then Nixon to conceal the truth about a policy that was bankrupt from the beginning. They even concealed how much the war was costing.

Sound familiar ?

I know the numbers of Americans who feel as I do is growing daily. I have many dear friends in the US whose hearts are breaking as they watch what is happening to their beloved country. Their decency and integrity as well as their respect for their fellow man and the freedom we all cherish  is without question. I pray that their numbers continue to grow in the coming days at this worst of all times in our mutual history. 

 Complacency is dangerous. For several years we have all shared in that state of mind. Granted, there have been those who have attempted to break through that curtain of denial  and warn of what was happening within our countries as the Far Right was gaining strength with each year that  passed and their vitriol became more strident  as they sensed they were reaching their goal. 

 Surely by now no one doubts the lengths to which they will go. One only has to look at the 2000 election,  and now to California or Texas to see how capable they are of using any means to achieve their goals. For those of us who have engaged in political dialogue over several years with  supporters of the  Far Right wing of the Republican Party it really shouldn't come as any surprise.  Finally the reality of how dangerous they can be is becoming more apparent to others as well. I devoutly hope it is not too late.