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Canadian Journalism, Cpl. Boneca

Who speaks for our dead soldiers?

By anthony Oluwatoyin

Saturday, July 15, 2006

We have a new low in Canadian journalism. Our dead soldiers in the afghan Mission are being churned into a most unsavoury feed for the mad cow of anti-liberation sentiment.

a story put out by the Canadian Press (CP), and reprinted across the country, puts the lie and laugh to that organization's self-promotion as "Canada's multimedia news agency … the source for unbiased, timely reporting." In fact, the very timing of the story and its follow-up is as much an issue as the unspeakable skew of the story itself.

In Vancouver's Province, July 11, the story started out life under the title of "No sympathy for dead soldier." Then followed comments from Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor in response to alleged comments about disillusion, attributed to our latest casualty in the liberation of afghanistan, Cpl. Boneca, as allegedly relayed by alleged relatives.

"This is the military," O'Connor said. "You don't vote in and vote out of operations. You're in it."

That's the "No sympathy" part, I guess. The Province, anyway, is saying that our Defence Minister has no heart for our heroic dead.

Well. If this be treason, brothers in print, make the most of it. Or, as that marvelous Lady of the Books would say: "Words escape me."

In fact, Cpl. Boneca's father, no less, echoed our Defence Minister in defence of his late son. antonio Boneca said his son, anthony, "loved being in the army" and was aware of the situation he was facing. "In all my conversations with my son, there was never any mention of him not being well enough or fit enough to carry out his military duties."

and here's where the ugly truth comes out. Boneca's father said while his son talked of the difficulties of the afghan Mission, "to cope with the weather, the sand, and the situation the young children endured," the fact is that our latest hero told his father that "he was proud to make a difference in their lives and said he wished these children could live like we do in Canada."

There. That's what the Bush-bashing ignorati cannot stand. They keep getting head-butted by young men from the front lines who keep sending word of explicit commitment. These young men cannot be dismissed or disregarded. These are the boys who took on the full nobility of sacrifice. They keep reminding us exactly why. How inconvenient for agenda-journalists!

In the U.S. there is now almost no mention of the pride Cindy Sheehan's son took in his work, posthumously getting the Purple Heart. The media focus is all about his mother's complete co-optation by anti-american self-mortification.

With every Canadian casualty, the serpent-windings of the loon-left ensnarl relative after relative in search of an unbroken narrative of dissent, disillusion and despair.

So first we hear from Boneca's relatives insisting the young man was finished with the mission. Only later, the day after, for the most part, was there "balance," with reports to the contrary from his father.

Exactly when did the CP know of the full story? Was the full story released to participating news outlets all in a piece, or was the negative portion given uncontested first mention, to maximize demoralizing effects? Or, did different outlets monkey about with the reports, in an effort to undermine the war effort without appearing to raise issues about the ultimate "source," the CP?

Our CBC was at its twisted best. They had Boneca's "Uncle Bill" supposedly conceding of the young man, "I don't know what he saw, don't know what he did…" but actually, inexorably, concluding: "Get the troops out, get them back home"! at which point, dead soldier, alleged relative and agenda-journalist merged into an indecipherable whole.

When the Communist Broadcast of Canada, the CBC, put on "Uncle Bill," did they at the same time already have the contrarian account of Boneca's father? Did the CBC suppress the latter in pursuit of their anti-Canadian agenda?

The media, normally entrusted with our right to know, is itself under a pall here. So who will investigate the investigators?

Barely two months ago, the same shenanigans were in full nuance of articulation and presentation in the instance of Canada's first female combat soldier killed on the front lines, Nichola Goddard. Her full-toothed embrace of the risks of duty had to compete with skillful gaps drilled deep into the cleansing details of a partial or total ban on media coverage of repatriation of fallen soldiers, memorials and funeral services.

Dr. Goddard, Nichola's father, took the bait, turning the funeral of a hero into partisan jibes at Prime Minister Harper's coverage policies. Nichola's husband, fellow soldier, Jason Beam, had already restored equilibrium though. Following Nichola's death, he said: "We shouldn't tuck our tails behind our legs and run …. We've kind of got our foot in the door now to start making a difference. I think we need to follow through and carry on with the mission."

amen. Who speaks for our soldiers? Who speaks for our dead soldiers? They do. Shakespeare got it exactly wrong. There is a goodness and truth that cannot be buried with bones.

The media needs to be banned from gross attempts to exploit grieving relatives into solace and comfort for the enemy.

I said treason — by any other name.

anthony Oluwatoyin, a columnist for The afro News, writes on politics, race and religion. He can be reached at oluwatoyin63@yahoo.ca


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