No Shock and Awe

Three years ago the world watched as America invaded Iraq in what it called operation Shock and Awe. A phony war based on a phony excuse for the President to teach nasty Saddam a lesson his daddy wisely forego.

Three years later and the demonstrations against the war continue. Smaller than the mass demonstrations that greeted the first months and year of the war. Global demonstrations to mark third anniversary of Iraq war

Leaving Blogging Tories and right whingnuts to giggle and chortle in their beards. But the laugh is on them. Sure the numbers this weekend were small 500 in Australia, 2000 in Toronto, 15,000 London, thousands in the U.S. but there were protests that's whats important.

Enui may have settled in now that we are three years into the war, the urgency that created an unprecidented groundswell of protest in those early days three years ago has given way to "I told You So" as Iraq falls into Civil War.

The fact is that in the early days before the Invasion and after record numbers of people, in the millions did something they had never done before, protested a war before and as it was just begining.

What the right wing isn't laughing about is the fact that the American public three years later is now giving George Bush and his War the biggest thumbs down in public polling ever for a War President.Sky falls in on Bush the outcast

A tip o the blog to the comrades in Edmonton who managed to brave the snowstorm on Saturday to march. Good on ya. Protesters defy heavy snow to march against war
Edmonton Journal , Canada - 19 Mar 2006
EDMONTON -- The near-record snowfall blanketing Edmonton on Saturday didn't stifle the messages of groups rallying for peace on the third anniversary of the US ...

'Way too much bloodshed'

Sun, March 19, 2006
Protesters across the country call for an end to military action in Iraq and Afghanistan.


The demonstrations in Canada were important in order to oppose our involvement in taking over US operations in Afghanistan. Qualified support for Afghan mission: poll They will have an impact on Canadian public opinion.

Especially now that Defense Minister O'Connor has clarified that there will be NO DEBATE on the current commitment in Afghanistan. As he told CTV news Craig Oliver on Sunday's Question Period, that debate is over. Even the redeployment in February will not be debated. He said only NEW operations will be debated.

Which is contrary to what the Conservatives have been saying for the past month.

Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor is adamant that there will be no vote on Canada's role in Afghanistan, even if that vote were to strengthen the Conservatives' mandate to continue that mission.

While Canadian troops have been in the nation since 2001, some have called for new debate as Canadian troops take on a more aggressive combat role that is at odds with Canada's more traditional role as peacekeepers.

However, O'Connor rejected that notion.

"Our policy is that if we take on a new venture in a different country, we will bring that forward to Parliament for a vote," the former general told CTV's Question Period Sunday.

"But this is a continuing commitment. This started in December of 2001."




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