Lucia Kowaluk and Steven Staples have just released a compendium of critical thought on Canada's role in Afghanistan, entitled "Afghanistan and Canada". Their sparsely-attended book release, as well as the poor attendance at the peace demonstration two weeks ago have lead me to a place of despair about the state of critical public voices in the war debate in this country... There is no debate. Staples in particular remarked on the fact that op-ed pieces on the war across Canada are written by a handful of individuals who are on the payroll of DND. How's that for a debate? One audience member mentioned that Rex Murphy's Cross-country check-up on CBC was screening out anti-war remarks from its show last Sunday. I personally didn't listen to the show, so I can't concur, but it wouldn't surprise me. It took several cataclysmic events south of the 49th before ol'Rexie let slip any anti-Bush sentiment. Are we really sending young people in harm's way to protect a gas pipeline? Is this the country we have become? If that is the case, then, in the words Ward Churchill, our chickens will surely come home to roost.