5 suicides

Language is a powerful anesthetic.

Thomas Friedman rewrites the recent history of Iraq to celebrate disinterested American benevolence. The unending nightmare we unleashed on that land is unhitched from our own history.

Stephen Harper visited the NATO base in Italy today to celebrate the accomplishments of our brave airmen who have played such an enthusiastic role in the NATO air war on Libya. They have bravely flown thousands of sorties and dropped hundreds of bombs. Mr. Harper saluted their bravery and assured them that they had proved themselves the finest fighting force in the world.

How much bravery is required to bomb a country with no anti-aircraft defenses?

Also today word came that there had been another suicide in Pikangikum, a First Nations community in the province I call home. That's five suicides in little more than five weeks, in a community of just over two thousand.

The national newspaper of record informed us months ago that our bombing of Libya was not bombing, but rather the "projection of our democratic values". Some of us may have qualms about bombing countries that have never had a quarrel with us, but who can have qualms about projecting democratic values?

In May the Canadian Forces ordered 1,300 500 lb. laser guided bombs to further project our democratic values throughout Libya. These bombs, aside from projecting our values, also have the unintended side-effect of destroying power-plants, sewer and water infrastructure, television stations, and apartment blocks.

Well-meaning people were writing scholarly papers twenty years ago about the problems facing  Pikangikum. The sewage and water infrastructure was non-existent. Schools were inadequate. Housing was grossly sub-standard. Employment opportunities were few. Today, the sewage and water infrastructure is non-existent, schools are inadequate, housing grossly sub-standard, and employment opportunities few.

Many beautiful words have been spoken in those twenty years. Mr. Harper himself apologized for the residential schools disaster. We speak the language of healing and reconciliation with the elders and the Chiefs while another generation of young people slide into the abyss.

News stories at the time estimated the cost of the 500 lb. Paveway IV  laser-guided bomb at $100,000 each. The 1,300 ordered by Ottawa represents an investment of 130 million dollars in destroying Libya's infrastructure. If even a small fraction of that amount were invested in building infrastructure in Pikangikum, perhaps twenty years from now we won't be reading the same tragic story.

Or perhaps we'll never get beyond the well-meaning words.