Harper, you clever bastard! - Ian

So I came across the following link and became Canada's first Canadian conspiracy theorist in Canada: Right here

Well, okay, I'm far from the first Canadian conspiracy theorist, but it seems we haven't had a really good reason to launch a conspiracy theory and this is as good as anything I've thought of before or since the sasquatch sighting in Norway House, Manitoba last May.

Anyway, this article leads off with the headline about the hundreds that came for the funeral of one of the Canadian soldiers killed about a week and a half ago in Afghanistan. But where did all this attention really come from? It came from Harper's refusal to lower the flags at Parliament to half-mast when news of the deaths of the four soldiers was reported.

Now, not to say that if death is commonplace that the flags shouldn't be lowered, but Canada has not lost many men in the few years that have passed. To lose good men in this fashion is worth the sign of respect that is flags at half-mast. Now, I'm not sure about this, but I am assuming that the Liberal government lowered the flags when soldiers were killed during the Martin days. So, why would Harper keep the flags flying high?

Easy.

Just look at the attention this has drummed up, not just for the death of our soldiers but for the operation in Afghanistan and the military in general. This has really for the first time in recent memory got people REALLY discussing our military, beyond just making fun of its inadequacies in terms of numbers and outdated equipment. Cross-Country Checkup this weekend with Rex Murphy, Canada's favourite weird-looking man, taking calls from people and their opinions on the respect that should be shown to our soldiers. This sparked all sorts of commentary promoting the military. It was really quite bizarre, because for as long as I've been alive, it's just never been a priority up here. All of a sudden, people are really serious about it.

I don't think that it was at all an easy decision for Stevie H to make. But I'm convinced that he had motives for it. While giving privacy to the families (which families of previously deceased soldiers basically called horseshit), he has drawn the attention of the country to the military. I imagine this will probably see an increase in military enrolment and bump up support for our involvement in Afghanistan to a new plateau. From there, who knows? Support for an operation in Iraq? Would have been unthinkable when S-Dawg was sworn in, but now I wouldn't be surprised.

Harper is Smarper? It might just be true.