Re: Taliban rooting for a Layton victory

My worst nightmare unfortunately came true when we were unwittingly and unwillingly duped into serving Washington's agenda in Afghanistan.

It's public knowledge now that Paul Martin gave in to General Rick Hillier's pressure to serve alongside his American pals in a Bush war on the people of Afghanistan. Mr. Hillier's personal ambitions destroyed our highly-valued, and respected position as peacekeepers, negotiators, and promoters of law and order.

Thanks to Mr. Hillier, the special interest groups that surround him and Harper, and the whispered promise of continued prosperity, we have been serving at the pleasure of Mr. Bush. Despite Stephen Harper's and Peter McKay's spin to the contrary, our combat role against Muslims in Afghanistan puts us at risk at home. Payback is such a basic instinct that it's surprising that there has been no serious attempt to get back at Canadians yet.

Like Jack Layton, most Canadians support our men and women in uniform while conscientously opposing the Bush war on Afghanistan. When you deride Mr. Layton as Taliban Jack simply because he has the courage to oppose the war and seek a rational, negotiated peace you also deride every Canadian who opposes the war as a Taliban Canadian, and we are the majority.

Finally, informed Canadians know that the Taliban are not "terrorists" but "defenders" who were the legitimate and lawful authority of the land until they were overthrown by Washington. Those who support Mr. Bush and his so-called war of terror use the word terrorist as a political term to identify anyone who actively opposes Washington's predatory foreign policies. It is indeed NATO forces who use violence and threats of violence to impose their poltical will on civilian Afghanis. Negotiation is the only solution to the enormous human and environmental disaster in Afghanistan.

Steve Staniek

Hamilton