"It was a pointless war that just led to the next, 20 years later, as most people now concede and many soldiers knew then. Canadian historian Harold Innis, who fought at Vimy and was wounded there, spent the rest of his life stunned at “the stupidity of the whole performance” and even more that he had willingly joined."
punditman says:
On Easter Monday April 9, 1917, the entire Canadian Corps of four divisions stormed up Vimy Ridge, France. By April 12, the Canadians controlled the entire ridge, at a cost of 3,598 men killed and 7,104 wounded. The battle became a symbol of Canadian achievement and nationhood.
On this, the 90th anniversary, we have been subjected to a literal barrage of coverage this past week. While the reportage is certainly moving and poignant, it somehow lacks context. Could it be that in this time of current warfare, the media is afraid to ask the tough questions about previous conflicts? To ask in no way diminishes the sacrifices of those who paid the ultimate price. But when it comes to the "war to end all wars," also known then as the "struggle between civilization and barbarism," no one asks the question about World War One that has plagued so many for so long. Rick Salutin dares to ask it here:
Vimy: Was it Worth it?
For those with their heads still in the Sand:
punditman says:
In case anyone has been living in a cave for the past four years, the US occupation of Iraq is not all that popular -- among Iraqis that is. This past weekend is no exception. According to Sam Dagher, correspondent with the The Christian Science Monitor, "tens of thousands of Sadr's supporters crammed into the backs of trucks or into minibuses draped with giant Iraqi flags to make the 100-mile journey south to Najaf."
There are those (non cave dwellers, I mean), who still have their head in the proverbial sand when it comes to acknowledging this rather bleak reality. No doubt they have been helped each step of the way by much of the US media. With thanks to TvNewsLIES.org, the following comparative survey helps to illustrate this point:
From the UK: The Guardian: Hundreds of thousands of supporters of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr took to the streets of two Shia holy cities in Iraq today and protested against “US occupiers”.
Associated Press: Tens of thousands draped themselves in Iraqi flags and marched peacefully through the streets of two Shiite holy cities Monday to mark the fourth anniversary of Baghdad’s fall.
The New York Times: Large crowds marched in the city of Najaf today, the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, to protest the American occupation of Iraq.
CNN (the only media organization that seems to have relied on official U.S. military estimates): Thousands of anti-U.S. protesters marched in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Monday to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.
The U.S. Army estimated the crowd size at closer to 5,000 to 7,000 participants based on aerial photographs, said military spokesman Col. Steve Boylan.
