Welcome Mr. De Genova & Honour House board members.

I welcome Mr. De Genova and his Board members (mostly realtors and real estate developers) to the long standing need to support our troops. There are several key principles which ensure our young soldiers are treated well. First and foremost, we must never engage in an unjust war. This is pivotal, as we must never send kids overseas under false pretences. The military personnel I know do not make foreign policy. That never has been the role of military personnel. But it is the role of Canada's democracy and parliament. If the war is just, our soldiers are willing to serve. If the war is unjust, then we have broken a grave trust. I assume the patrons of Honour House discuss this on a regular basis, as many other people do.

Secondly, war should always be a last resort. It is a moral truism that one must try EVERY possible solution before resorting to invading another country. WWII was clearly triggered when Germany invaded country after country. Responding to such an invasion is prima facie a just war, and it is why so many of our relatives fought, were wounded and died in WWII.

I'm glad to hear Honour House is curious about these principles, and will speak out if they are compromised, because if we don't, we will be aiding and abetting the unjust killing of young soldiers. Which is wrong.

Thirdly, assuming Canada finds itself in a just war, and has tried every strategy to avoid the war, then our young people will fight that war. If so, Canada MUST support these soldiers, in combat and back home. Which means not scrimping on medical care, eduction, funding for equipment, and help with PTSD. Scrimping by Canada is as much a moral failure as fighting an unjust war. Particularly in a country that has vast wealth and resources at its fingertips. We have vast wealth in our oil fields, and the ability to print vast sums of money for Canada's banks. So there is virtually no shortage of money available to finance our troops, with top notch gear, great medical care, and excellent education and follow up programs.

I applaud Mr. De Genova for his following comment:

"What [is Canada] doing here to help these people?" De Genova asked, and learned that the answer was: Not much. Locally, a few veterans were housed in a small home on the Department of National Defence lands at Jericho base while they underwent treatment for PTSD. But it was not accessible to veterans with disabilities, and was clearly not enough support for the growing number needing care."

Reading through the list of high achievement real estate developers and others on the Honour House website, I have little doubt that they have the smarts and savvy to step in and correct Canada's sad record of underfunding our troops. As Mr. De Genova so eloquently states: what have we done for them? Not much.

Great coverage Tyee!

just or unjust

"...assuming Canada finds itself in a just war... Canada MUST support these soldiers..."

Assuming Canada finds itself in an unjust war Canada STILL must support these soldiers.

As We Forget

In Afghan’s fields the poppies blow
between the landmines row on row
that mark Death’s place,
and in the sky
the unmanned drones bravely buzzing fly
scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead.
Short attentions; we live feel drawn see tv glow
love and were loved, and now they lie
in Afghan’s fields.

Take up our quarrel with which foe?
To drug lords whose grasping hands we
at tribal weddings throw
the torch ; what Rights do we hold high?

As we break faith with those who die
shall we not sleep,
while poppies grow
in Afghan’s fields ?

[apologies to John McCrae]

http://www.poppyformedicine.net/

The vast majority of

The vast majority of soldiers who have been and are injured or killed in wars die for nothing, because it is not countries, or their peoples, who go to wars, but their rulers and governments, who force them .

The purpose of all wars is either to rob others of their resource/energy supplies, or defend them.

In short :"War and crime are the ultimate forms of economic competition".

As an 18 year old war vet of the Hungarian army I've spent 14 months in a German MASH hospital in Austria in 1945-46, 3 months as a patient and 11 as a volunteer orderly, under the most primitive, starvation conditions . I've held the legs of about 100 guys, as they were amputated and reamputated. For what ? Hot air by politicians and theorists.

The vast majority have lost their legs to landmines, frostbites and accidents that had nothing to do with any form of heroism.

Today the main role of the average foot soldier is to make a lot of noise, as they're useless for anything else. It was estimated after the war, that 30,000 shots were fired before one hit anybody.

With today's automatic weapons the figure must be 1 in 100,000, or even more. The majority of Canadian and other soldiers died and were injured by explosive devices in Afghanistan and not in any form of combat.

Pretty high price to pay for a lousy pipeline so that the "investors" can reap huge profits

Ed Deak.

just or unjust: of course

Sole Probe writes:

Assuming Canada finds itself in an unjust war Canada STILL must support these soldiers.

YES. Absolutely. The soldiers, those young kids aged 20, 21 and 22 (all soldiers) MUST be supported. Particularly if the war is unjust.

And isn't that the real question. Is our invasion of Afghanistan just? Is this where our kids should die?

And what role does Mr. De Genova and Honour House have to play in preventing further deaths? As the wealthy, powerful people that they are, they have a HUGE role to play. They might even be able to end this unjust war. Think of how many PTSD events they could prevent. They can reach into the future and save soldiers from dying, from being maimed, injured, permenantly disabled, from pain and misery and suffering.

THEY can not only help our soldiers, they can dare to stop war.

Think big, gentlemen. May your reach exceed your grasp.

Yes, the soldiers should be

Yes, the soldiers should be supported every possible way, as they're nothing more that chess figures in criminal games.

But not the generals, who must know the real facts, but are lying their teeth out to please their political masters, begging for bigger bangs, forcing their soldiers to fight and die for nothing. The same in every army under the sun.

My most hated ranks are the sergeants, the second lieutenants and the generals. Anybody who has ever served in an army as a private must know why ?

Ed Deak.

remember the guilty!

Just wondering why we should feel sorry? as far as I know there is no conscription in this country!
Please explain to me why anyone would sign up to get killed?
I agree with Fiat Lux that wars are arranged by the rich to serve their purposes with no regard to anyone else, so if we should express any sentiment it should be hate towards the warmongers.
It is terrible that soldiers are hurt or killed, so why do we call them heroes when in fact they were the dupes who got sucked in?

Good Question, Alive

Alive, you raise a good question. And there is a good answer. Go interview, discuss with or chat with any of the many people who become soldiers. They have become soldiers for the same reasons any number of employees have ended up doing what they do: Starbucks servers; mill workers; clerks; waitresses; the list goes on.

They are people facing the many, many constraints of a highly unjust society. Compare for example to Mr. S. Harper, whose personal circumstances guaranteed he would never have to become a soldier. Born into an oil executive family from Ontario (Imperial Oil), the world was his oyster, and he beleives he can determine what other Canadians should believe. Very, very different opportunities from the people I know who serve in the military.

A good question to consider.

History shows that although

History shows that although the ruling sectors decide on wars, the licencing and legalization of the colonization, robbing, killing and genocide of others has always been invented by the priesthoods, now also including the priesthood of economists.

The world has always been ruled by conspiracy of three sectors:

The Merchants, now represented by the banks and the multinational corporate mafia, who invent the demands for the robbing of others.

The Priesthoods, who invent the excuses and legalizations as divine orders, now represented mainly by economists, as the Will of God and the Spreading of the Faith, and ideology.

The Military, who will serve anybody who gives them the biggest bangs, hoping for absolution by the Priesthoods.

The soldiers on the nazi side, and I was one in one of them in one of the satellite armies, fought and died for "Freedom, Christianity and the defence of Western civilization"

The suicide bombers of today expect to step right into the Seventh Level of Heaven, as the defenders of the faith.

Ed Deak.

Average everyday regular

Average everyday regular people die so big corps like the military industrial complex and big Oil (pipelines) can make huge profits. It is sickening and the politicians lie and use the excuse of bringing democracy..and 'democracy' is sure working out well in Afghanistan...but it is the pipeline they want.

Most people on earth want to live in peace, get along with others but the few, mainly politicians, their supporters, big Industry do not and between their ego's and profit we will never see total peace on Earth.

There is No money in peace.

What I do not like is the fact if you say anything negative about the military, past or present, the wars, you are branded as unpatriotic, a traitor, taliban lover or a loony Hippy. Free speech in both Canada and the US do not apply when talking about the military, unless it is glowing words. Harper brought it up from his bed fellow Bush.

Does the Canadian Military

Does the Canadian Military even exist anymore? I see at Fort Hood and Norad both have Canadian Generals in second in Command. Like whats up with that?

You, Me and the SPP

Paul Manley's brand new DVD pretty much explains the entire issue, including the desire to merge Canada and US by corporate interests.

http://manlymedia.com/you-me-and-the-spp-trading-democracy-for-corporate-rule

Post Traumatic Stress

I agree its the whims of corporations and the government lackies or 'visionaries' that send soldiers to fight (as the Cdn Armed Forces say-they fight not remedy!) over resources.

Perhaps the post deplyment stress soldiers have comes from realizing the truth!?

So much easier to remember in November the fallen from a 'just' conflict!

"Does the Canadian Military even exist anymore?"

Not really. On February 14, 2008 Canadian Air Force Lt. General Marc Dumais, commander of Canada Command signed a agreement called the “Civil Assistance Plan” that allows the US military to come into Canada in the event of domestic disturbances such as violent storms, epidemics, civil riots or terrorist attacks.

The signing of this agreement by two commanding officers is illegal under current constitutional law in both countries.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8323