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by Fred Kirby                              March 12,  2008

The word “propaganda” has a long history. In the 20th century the word took on a derogatory meaning in the sense of misleading information. If memory serves me, the word took on its current meaning during World War I and today we say truth is the first casualty of war.

Governments of all stripes cannot get citizens to accept its war plans until it has demonized the new enemy or uplifted the new allies. When Iraq invaded Iran, Western countries hurried to sell arms to Iraq, the gas used against the Kurds and the Iranian soldiers originated in the West. We did not condemn Iraq. When Iraq attacked Kuwait and threatened Western oil supplies the story changed. Remember the babies’ incubator horror story that helped turn people against Iraq; it later turned out to be false. Countries have been destroyed and thousands killed through the use of propaganda. Think of Iraq.

During the Cold War the word ”communist” was used against anyone or any country which the United States considered a threat to its own ambitions. It became a derogatory term used by many political parties. Today we use the word “terrorist” in the same way and for the same reasons. Even the most despicable tyrants use it to describe their countrymen who struggle for freedom.

This brings us to Afghanistan. Ask yourself, would you go to war, spend millions upon millions of dollars, and have your child or grandchild killed or mutilated because your government did not want to sign a United States Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Defence treaty and felt it had to do something to appease the Americans? I doubt you would accept that explanation for the waste of lives and resources. Our government knows that so it employs propaganda.

We are not in Afghanistan to save democracy. It never had one. Nor are we there to create democracy; that is impossible, democracy must evolve from the people. Did we go in order that we could save the women and children from the dreaded Taliban? No. That was made up later. Besides, the Taliban beliefs originated in Saudi Arabia and are still practiced in Arabia. Though mitigated by generations of contact with the West, it is still prepared to carry out a death sentence by beheading and still whips the rape victim while letting the rapist go free.

Independent observers have consistently reported that the Afghan government is thoroughly corrupt; Canadian soldiers have acknowledged that the local police do not receive their pay because the pay is stolen at higher levels. Warlords rule most of the country, sit in government and control the poppy trade. They have similar views regarding women but you will not hear that. The president, Karzai, has control only over the capital, Kabul. Is keeping them in power worth a war?

We did not go to war for any noble cause. We drifted into war trying to please the United States. Propaganda did the rest.

March 26, 2008

Governing in a democracy under the rule of law is never easy at the best of times; when the citizenry is a diverse group then governing is even more difficult because the agendas become more complex and their demands conflict.

When Harris, the former Premier of Ontario, imposed amalgamation many small communities saw not only an increase in expenses but also experienced difficulties in governing. Kincardine was no exception.

The town of Kincardine, Bruce and Kincardine townships became the municipality of Kincardine. Living in Kincardine Township at the time, I found the taxes pleasantly low and the running of council so low-key and generally efficient that I could not possibly have written a weekly column focusing on the township. But, for lack of vigilance they did give the new municipality flooding along the lakeshore, a problem still not fixed. Bruce Township appeared different with its signs announcing its existence to all who passed by and its ownership of the Bruce Municipal Telephone Service reminding all of the goose that laid the golden egg. Residents of Bruce Township were split in their allegiance for shopping and services between Port Elgin and Kincardine. I have always wondered why the township was not divided at amalgamation with the northern half going to Port Elgin and the southern to Kincardine, but it was not to be.

It was then that the squabbles began and they continue to this day. The first mistake was not to have all managers’ positions advertised widely as new positions because the new municipality suddenly had income, assets and liabilities far exceeding those of the former municipalities. Also, development was to make greater demands on managers while the number of staff was to become understandably greater than the previous total; management skills and experience had to be superior to those one might find in a small rural setting. This is not to say that any of the managers that came with amalgamation could not have been successful competitors but competition gives a larger pool of talent from which to choose.

The second mistake was the make-up of the BMTS Board. The first mayor, Gord Jarrell, was correct when he said the Board just required a small committee reporting to Council. Other members of Council felt differently, the thought of extra income danced like sugar plum fairies in their heads and Gord’s approach was rejected. Council then gave themselves a generous stipend for being on the BMTS Board, generous when you realize none had any experience in the communications business, or, for that matter, in any business of that size.

Next, Council purchased the ‘Pizza Hut’ to serve as the new Municipal Administration Building Though the purchase had merit, residents and local businesses of the town fought the move and the resentment still lingers. By then it became obvious little could be discussed or decided in Council that would not bring complaints from one or two of the three parties to amalgamation. The Municipality never became an organic whole and succeeding councils have made little effort to make it so.

To this day, local politicians still view the municipality from their own narrow geographical perspective and from their personal agendas and prejudices. Nothing will change until our elected officials understand the roots of today’s problems. That will be the subject of next week’s column.