UPEI STUDENT NEWSPAPER

JANUARY 16, 2002 editor-in-chief Matthew DORRELL

copy editor Joel MEGGS

production manager Jeff COLL

news editor Erin FAGAN

entertainment editor Stephan MACLEOD

sports editor Adam GAUTHIER

photographer / style editor Jonah CAMPBELL

reporter VACANT

advertising manager Kim TRAN

distribution manager Andrea STEELE

graphic design Bill MATTHEWS

contributors Brad DEIGHAN Crystal GAVARD Thomas LLOYD

The Cadre is the official newspaper of the UPEI Student Union.

2,000 copies of The Cadre are printed 10 times per semester.

There are meetings open to anyone Mondays at 5:00 in Main 06.

The deadline for submissions is Friday at 5:00 PM. The opinions expressed within The Cadre do not necessarily represent the views of UPEI or the UPEI Student Union Inc. Letters to the editor: mdorrell@upei.ca

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Editorial 12: Reasons for War

1, Who could say no to Bene ol’ : i ‘ly more helpful than putting an

smilin’ George W?

2. Somewhere in my mother’s house

are pieces of the Berlin wall; a few

small pieces of graffitied concrete, chipped from something much larger. They have no great personal

meaning to me, or my family, but they —

are somehow impressive nonetheless. They might seem like trivial memen- tos, but they remain a tangible con- nection to history; a few fragments of concrete that sit lightly in the palm of a hand. They don’t provide any sub- stantial insight, but running fingers across their rough edges gives just a hint of what it might have been like to be there — to have been separated from loved ones by years of barbed wire and concrete, or to stand on top of the wall shouting and drinking,

_ watching the bulldozers push and pull

it down.

Since Seplember 11th, many people have struggled to make the ter- rorist attacks of that day meaningful,

* not simply historically or politically,

but personally. Many Americans and Canadians have travelled to New York to witness the destruction for them- selves, many as part of organized ral- lies of support. A suspect number of Canadians have a friend who’s broth- er’s niece worked in the World Trade Center,-but had a meeting uptown, and was mercifully absent when the tow- ers came down. Tommy t-shirts have been replaced with clothing sporting the FDNY logo. People have given blood. They have given money to New York’s newly destitute and homeless, they have given to those in Afghanistan to whom these conditions are so familiar. People involve them- selves in the event.

They involve themselves for any number of reasons, to show kind-

ness or sympathy, to show solidarity

or empathy or support. There are a multitude of motives, but part of near- ly every one, I suspect, is the simple desire to do something, to involve oneself for the sake of being involved, for the sake of being part of history, as ghastly and unfair as history often is.

- Donating money is doubtless-

American flag in your window, or sav- ing pieces of the Berlin wall in a drawer, but all act to connect us with events which might otherwise be peripheral in our lives. It helps to relieve some of our insecurities about our significance in the face of such large forces and events. There is no harm in this - if you are not in charge of the Canadian military. on Defense Minister. Art

Eggleton said “Canadians know how

to fight when they have to fight.” Apparently, we also know that trick where you wait until the fight is over to show up. By the time Canadian troops arrive in Afghanistan there will be little left to do but to take pot shots at the remaining Taliban “army”, and to dig through rubble in search of Osama Bin Laden. Even the briefest and most cursory of glances at the American army suggests that the Americans certainly don’t need our help.

Why are we going? Canada, not invited to participate in the peace- keeping mission in Afghanistan, wants to do something. More importantly, it wants to be seen doing something. The deployment of troops to

Afghanistan is a public relations

move, meant to show our solidarity with the US, and meant to silence crit- ics who claim the Canadian Armed Forces are not up to the task. The gov- ernment would like to relieve some of its insecurities about its significance in the face of such large forces and events. There are much better ways. The desire to involve oneself in histo-

ry may be natural, but Canada’s

opportunistic entry into an armed. con- flict on that basis is foolish and embarrassing.

3. Because we’re a good boy! Yes we are, yes we are, yes we are! We are such a good boy! Yes we are! Such a good boy. Tell us we’re a good boy! Tell us we’re good.

Matthew Dorrell, Editor-In-Chief