I have stood against war since I was able to understand what it means. As a schoolie I filled in dozens if not hundreds of bogus Vietnam draft registration cards.  I was surprised to find myself  to suddenly be a geriatric  protester – once more at the barricades – far later in life than I had grown to expect – against the then coming war in Iraq.

Australian Jacqui de Gelder on patrol in Afghanistan

My take on Afghanistan is the same as my take on Iraq.  As evil as a government is, civil wars are for people of that nation to sort out on their own.  These are not places for Australian working class kids to die and be horribly injured.  Are there sons and daughters of the wealthy, privileged and powerful in our society fighting in these foreign wars ?

I have a work colleague.  I didn’t know his son was a soldier.  Until my colleague and his wife flew to Germany because the military said they thought the boy was dying.  He had lost both legs and one hand and had horrific facial injuries from an IED.  The fierce heat of the blast cauterised his major arteries, otherwise he would have been dead in minutes.  He pulled through and now has the luxury of a pair of bionic legs worth about the same as a Ferrari.  In the hospital, his Mum held the hand of an American Mum whose boy was not so lucky.  He died four days later.  Slowly.  In a morphine fog.

I totally reject the notion that to withdraw now is to betray this man and our other fallen and wounded soldiers in Afghanistan.  I am in favour of not suffering another casualty.

This is not a just war.  This war is not fighting for the free world against Hitler.  This war is bullshit, lies and spin.  It costs Australia – according to one of the writers on Unleashed $6 billion a year.  Your tax and mine funds this pointless farrago and at the same time contributes to the death and wounding of countless civilians.

Our leaders say things like “stay the course”, “defeat the Taliban”, “deny a safe haven for Al Qaeda” – in case Al Qaeda can’t figure out how to get into Yemen, Somalia or Pakistan.

As far as Australia being reluctant to make the first backward move on the chess board is concerned, the Russian grand masters have resigned decades ago and have not the Dutch already castled ?  It’s my guess that like compulsive gamblers this coalition of the willing western governments just cannot face the fact that there will never be a win in Afghanistan. Blood and treasure.  Blood and treasure.

I think I’d better run up my flag at the pub.  I’m ready for a discussion and a good argument …. Argument- where the point is not to prove oneself right and superior, but to bring out the truth.

I say withdraw Australian troops now !

Over to you, Patrons.