Disgraceful

Randall lost the handle. A letter just sent to the Ottawa Citizen:

It is fine for Randall Denley to oppose the Canadian Forces' mission in Afghanistan ("Keep in mind the soldiers who are yet to die", Nov. 11). It is also fine for Mr Denley to note that our military have a bigger budget and a new prominence in the country--though writing that Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Hillier "is practically treated like a rock star" is a bit of a cheap shot. What however is not fine is to then write: "Sure, it's taken a few lives to accomplish all of this, but from the perspective of National Defence Headquarters, the costs have to look pretty modest compared to the gains."

So Mr Denley thinks the leaders of the Canadian Forces are quite happy to have our soldiers die in order to achieve their organizational goals. That is a disgraceful slur on those officers and on Gen. Hillier in particular.

Update: What the Ottawa Citizen actually published Nov. 13 after some negotiation with the letters' editor:

A cheap shot

Re: Keep in mind the soldiers who are yet to die, Nov. 11.

It is fine for columnist Randall Denley to oppose the Canadian Forces' mission in Afghanistan. It is also fine for Mr. Denley to point out that our military, as a result of the Afghan mission, have a bigger budget and a new prominence in the country -- his writing that Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier "is practically treated like a rock star" is a bit of a cheap shot.

What is not fine is to write: "Sure, it's taken a few lives to accomplish all of this, but from the perspective of National Defence Headquarters, the costs have to look pretty modest compared to the gains."

That sentence would be acceptable if Mr. Denley is suggesting that our military leaders consider the the loss of soldiers' lives a regrettable but necessary cost of conducting the Afghan mission -- a mission they have been assigned by both Liberal and Conservative governments.

What Mr. Denley is really suggesting is that the Canadian Forces' senior officers callously consider the deaths as nothing more than the cost of doing business in order to achieve their personal and organizational goals of bigger budgets and more favourable public notice. Suggesting that would be a disgraceful slur on those officers and on Gen. Hillier in particular.