Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 14, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba A10 Winnipeg free press Freedom of Trade monday August 14, 2006 Liberty of religion comment editor Equality of civil rights Gerald flood 697-7269 editorials a doubtful peace Deal t he Resolution that was passed at the United nations on Friday decreeing a ceasefire in Lebanon looks like More Progress than it might actually be. The United states which had wanted a guarantee that Hezbollah would be Dis armed and Southern Lebanon secured so that Israel would be Safe from terrorist attacks compromised. France which had wanted an unequivocal israeli withdrawal from Lebanon before Hezbollah was dealt with also compromised. Lebanon compromised too but in the end it was Israel that made the most dangerous Compromise. The Deal Calls for Israel to withdraw its troops from Southern Lebanon and to cease its attacks within lebanese territory. It Calls for 15,000 International troops to join the lebanese army along the Border As a Buffer. It Calls for Hezbollah to disarm. Israel has agreed to the terms although yesterday before the Deal came into effect it had stepped up its assaults on Hezbollah Strong holds in Lebanon. Lebanon has agreed to the Deal but it will take some time for it to deploy its forces. Hezbollah however has not agreed to the Deal at least not entirely. On the weekend it increased its rocket attacks on israeli civilian centres. The terrorist organization May have signed on to the truce but its Leader Hassan Nasrallah now claims Victory Over Israel and maintains its option to continue attacking the jewish state is open. Syria and Iran which finance and Arm Hezbollah have made no commitment at All. This is not a particularly promising scenario. Lebanon a enfeebled and rag tag army has never been Able to control or even moderate Hezbollah a terrorism. Its officer corps is riddled with syrian sympathizers even syrian agents and Syria is not just a supporter of Hezbollah but continues to have ambitions in Lebanon itself. Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert will have a hard time Selling this Deal to an israeli Public that was overwhelmingly supportive of the initiative in Lebanon that has grown weary of the ceaseless terrorist attacks and that appeared willing to pay the Price to end it once and for All. The United nations has had a Force of observers known As uni Fil along the israeli lebanese Bor Der for years now but that was All it Ever did ? observe As Hezbollah rockets flew past its posts and hit israeli towns and villages. The terms of the in Deal struck last week will add 15,000 in troops but the terms of the new forces mandate do not clearly give it the Power to disarm or displace Hezbollah without which there can be no peace in the Region. They May simply serve As another 30,000 eyes watching the rockets Fly South. The Pollyanna among us might say that this is still a Good Deal ambiguous and amorphous As it is. The realists might say that All it does is interpose an International Force Between two implacable ene Mies a Buffer that is Likely to be ineffectual and will certainly be in the Way when Hezbollah and Israel go at it again. Unless the in ? or More realistically the United states and Europe ? has the will to Force this through then this agreement is More Likely to expand a controlled conflict Between Hezbollah and Israel into a full scale regional War than it is to bring peace to the Region. Breeding terror if the plot that the British claim to have averted by the arrest of 24 people last week had gone ahead successfully the death toll might have been As great or greater than that which resulted from the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United states. The plot As set out by British police was to smug Gle liquid explosives onto passenger planes and blow them up simultaneously Over the Atlantic Ocean. It is a familiar plot ? 11 years ago Al Aida hatched a similar one that was similarly foiled ? but it differs from that and from 9/11 in particular in one important Way. The hijackers who crashed airliners into the twin towers and the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania Field were All in the . On visas ? they were muslims from the Middle East. All the 24 arrested last week in Britain were muslims but they were also All British citizens and All but two of them had been born in Britain. Most of them were Well educated and came from Middle class comfortably British families. This is part of a frighteningly educational pattern that is emerging. Most of the suspected London sub Way bombers in a previous plot Are also British Citi Zens or British born. Closer to Home Many of those arrested in the alleged plot to capture and behead the prime minister and blow up buildings in Toronto were Canadian born muslims. What we learn from Britain and at Home is that terrorism is not necessarily an imported thing. It can be Home grown in the affluent suburbs of Toronto or the tranquil towns of England. Both Britain and Canada actively embrace the concept of multiculturalism and that seems to a fac Tor in the terrorist plots that have been uncovered in both countries. The United states embraces this idea less enthusiastically insisting that ethnic or religious identities take second place to the distinctively american one. The . Has Many problems of its own making but it does not seem to have this one. Britain and Canada could take a lesson from this multiculturalism is a Good thing but it must take a second place in education and acculturation to being British or being Canadian have your say the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697-7412. Email Mission is absurd the editors of the Winnipeg free press continue their blessedly futile crusade to convince us that the afghan War is a Good War. Fortunately most canadians can see what Sas Plain As Day for anyone who cares to look 1 there will be no Victory in Afghanistan. No conventional army has Ever in the history of the world Defeated a guerilla army. Guerilla armies can Only be Defeated by exterminating the population that supports them. One Hopes that even the Winnipeg free press would not support such a strategy. 2 the Prospect of spending five or 15 years on this futile project is abhorrent to most of us and should be to everyone. 3 every cent that is spent killing Taliban is one that cannot be spent on health care infrastructure or foreign Aid. Even More importantly every life lost and casualty sustained is an incalculable loss with infinite Ripples in our social and economic fabric. 4 nothing we have done or can do in Afghanistan has the slightest Chance of Mak ing us safer Here. 5 stripped of government and Media propaganda the afghan Mission is absurd. We Are fighting for warlords who Are indistinguishable from the so called Taliban. Its crushing to face this fact especially in Light of the deaths and injuries sustained by our forces but until it becomes Plain we will continue to waste precious life and resources on a project that belies our National Princi Ples. Jeff Presslaff Winnipeg pull military out the recent deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan is a tragedy. Its even More tragic since these deaths and the previous ones As Well As equally importantly the deaths of afghan people could Well have been avoided. Let us remember that Afghanistan was extensively carpet bombed by . And British forces beginning in october 2001 and then invaded. The . Then involved nato and thus Canada. Afghanistan never posed a threat to Canada or the . For that matter. It was and remains a very poor country. The Canadian army is part of an invading Force and is killing afghan people who Are resisting this invading Force. We should allow the people of Afghanistan to evolve As a country in their own Way. We should pull All our military out and bring them Home to Canada. If we want to do something positive for Afghanistan we should insist that the . And Britain pay War reparations for destroy ing the Little that Afghanistan had. Gene Oczkowski Winnipeg proud to be bilingual re waste of time Money free press let Ter to the editor aug. 8. Or. Danny Deleeuw nobody is pushing bilingualism Down your Throat. I too have lived my entire life in Saint Boniface and would love to be served in French my first language when i enter my Community Hospi Tal. I am certain the level of service you have received in the past was never compromised or diminished because the staff could speak both official languages. If you cannot accept that our federation has chosen to value bilingualism and multiculturalism i suggest you move to the melt ing pot to the South of us. I am proud to be Canadian and bilingual. Michel Muller Saint Boniface letter promised nothing the August 5 edition of the Winnipeg free press ran a feature article Deal with a paedophile regarding a Deal that had been struck by the ramp and a Saskatchewan prosecutor with Peter Whitmore. This letter apparently led him to surrender to police. Since then there has been a steady Stream of letters to the editor editorials and articles that have All been critical of this however if the quote from the letter cited in this article is accurate then there never had been a Deal. The letter reportedly states that i will recommend to sask. Justice that the Crown prosecutor will not seek a danger Ous offender designation for or. Whitmore nor a life however a recommendation is nothing More than a non binding suggestion. Saskatchewan Justice is totally free to accept or reject this recommendation As it sees fit. In fact this Well crafted letter resulted in the Safe release of the youth and the apprehension of or. Whitmore without incident while actually promising nothing at All. Gerry Kaplan Winnipeg different town i clearly understand the message by Philip f. Hall in his letter Qantas biblical significance free press aug. 8. But the biblical reference is to Cana a Small Arab town by the name of afr Cana North of Nazareth considered to be the site of the first Miracle where Jesus changed water to wine in John 2 1-11. The town is situated in Israel a province of Galilee. Its definitely not the site the israelis struck at and wherefrom Hezbollah fired its missiles. The israeli air Force struck Ana a Village located Southeast of Tyre and Halfway to i Ryan Shemona in Southern Lebanon an area under Hezbollah control. Both Cana and Nazareth Are Well within the Range of their missiles Serge Massicotte Winnipeg transmitter needed in reference to the Tornado at Gull Lake and Lac Dubonnet environment Canadas weather radio station on 162.55 Mhz had a French weather broadcast As the Tornado was happening. People had to wait for the French Broad cast to end before the English warning was broadcast. I would like to know Why Environ ment Canada does not invest in a second transmitter for French broadcasts. If Csc can have separate French and eng Lish stations Why can to environment Canada its simply a matter of installing another transmitter on a different frequency. Dick Maguire Winnipeg limitless arrogance the arrogance of the Federal liberals seems limitless. They be taken to calling themselves progressives and i laughed so hard i almost spilled my Beer and Popcorn. Their position on the situation in Lebanon seems to be War bad peace Good. My god Why did to we lesser canadians think of that it reminds me of those old Black and White Sci i films where an elderly professorial Type not unlike Lloyd Axworthy tries to talk peace with the invading aliens. He is zapped out of existence forthwith. The Point is you can to negotiate with a Rabid dog. Hezbollah does to want peace. They want to destroy Israel and its people. The Liberal party position of neutrality masquerades As the moral High ground and that a not funny at All. Doug Hansey Winnipeg ? 2006 Winnipeg free press a division of up Canadian Andrew s. Ritchie / publisher newspapers limited partnership Bob Cox / editor published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Patrick Flynn / Deputy editor Winnipeg free press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697-7000 ;