To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (10130 ) 4/20/2002 4:08:17 PM From: marcos Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 21057 Not an hour ago a neighbour and i were discussing this, we agreed that while someone clearly screwed up and it should be thoroughly investigated, it would be wise to be thoughtful in bringing nationalities into it ... when you're allied with others on a project you should act like an ally, period .... perhaps on investigation some trait of your ally will be revealed as cause of the screwup, and perhaps not - it's too early to tell without full detail, also not enough time has elapsed for emotion to subside and reason take its place, the four patricias killed have yet to be buried, or even returned to this country .... so i find statements like this irresponsible in the extreme - '"The symbolism, for those who think we have no business being in Afghanistan, is too rich to miss," prominent journalist Margaret Wente wrote in a front-page column in Friday's Globe and Mail newspaper. "We went to help out the Americans with their war--and they used us for target practice." ' Symbolism rich, sure - this is good reason to step back and view it in perspective, not make in the heat of the moment a crack about target practice ... we do not know precisely why this happened, and we see no immediate evidence of a US coverup - should one appear, then yes certainly it must be added to the long list of clear and present reasons for this country to review its relationship with the US There are those of us who believe that we should be allied militarily with the US only in defense of this continent, something necessary for obvious reason, but on offshore actions allied only with the anzacs, the dutch, the danes, and then only on temporary basis for specific goals .... too much risk of getting dragged into another Nicaragua or Viet Nam otherwise, and we see them coming with recent tone in Washington ... without a distinct sovereignty we are lost as a free and independent people, we need not endanger that sovereignty to remain a good neighbour to the US, on the contrary, we need to guard it carefully