Harper Visits Afghanistan

From CBC:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has responded to criticism of his government's handling of the mission in Afghanistan by making an unannounced visit to the war-ravaged country.

The surprise two-day trip comes after weeks of opposition attacks on his government's allegedly incompetent handling of the Afghan detainee controversy.

...

Unlike [his] last trip, this one is designed to emphasize Canada's non-military contribution to rebuilding of the country.

The prime minister handed out pencil cases to students at a local school for underprivileged children. He dropped in on painting, acting, woodworking, and music classes at the Aschiana School in a tightly guarded compound in the capital's downtown core.

The school received $39,500 in annual funding from the Canadian government and provides education to more than 10,000 Afghan children.

So, let's get this straight you dishonest fuckface: Like the Lying Liberals, you were careless and lazy about ensuring that any prisoners we took would not be handed over to torturers, but unlike the Lying Liberals, when confronted with evidence that Canada might be complicit in torture, you and your party sputtered "Support the troops!" (as if concern for human rights was inconsistent with wishing the troops a safe return home), some of your less intelligent members vocalized the bloodthirsty sentiments of your slavering, but thankfully numerically small, base, and you and your entire government launched into a clumsy, keystone kops routine to try to obscure your criminality and stupidity. As a result, your stupid party has seen its support drop from previous months.

So, now you take this expensive trip, to prove what exactly? That you can fly in an airplane? That you can hand out pencils?

No, don't worry Harper. I've figured it out: We've spent $39,000 on this school. It's all part of our plan to reconstruct Afghanistan by paying one dollar out of every ten dollars we spend on Afganistan on initiatives that provide you with cynical, "heartwarming" photo-ops, while we spend nine dollars out of ten continuing to blast the country to pieces.

Case in point:

Warmaking trumps "reconstruction" In early September, the 2,300 Canadian troops in Kandahar launched a massive ground assault in Panjwaii district, code-named "Operation Medusa" and backed by U.S. troops and airpower. Residents were warned in advance of the offensive to leave their homes and villages.

The assault was declared a huge success several weeks later. "More than one thousand" enemy fighters were said to be killed. But reporters saw few bodies of resistance fighters.

Canadian and NATO authorities admitted that fighters had staged an orderly retreat and appealed for more troops into the area. Canada quickly dispatched several hundred more soldiers, and for the first time it will be deploying tanks. Deadly attacks on Canadian and other NATO forces resumed within days of the "victory."

Meanwhile, some 20,000 residents were made homeless after their homes, villages and crops were destroyed in the fighting. Winter is approaching and they face an uncertain future.

Recently, the Globe & Mail came into possession of a handbook that told CPC Parliamentary Committee members how to obstruct committee business through constant, pointless debate of procedural and bureaucratic minutiae. I must say, Mr. Harper, that your contempt for our intelligence revealed in this stupid trip of yours is about equal to your proven contempt for the democratic process evidenced by that nauseating handbook.

I say furthermore that anyone who supports this party is either ignorant or contemptible.