Pap Canadiana: Nothing to be Proud Of

By Jason R.

Well, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin delivered the political equivalent of a tough spanking to the Sudanese government yesterday, and rightfully so. Khartoum has repeatedly denied assisting or having the capability to stop the janjaweed, the loosely woven group of bandits, looters and rapists that have been terrorizing the western Sudanese province of Darfur for the past year. The clock is ticking now though, as the peace agreement negotiated last week has a shelf life of a little over a month. For an excellent, in-depth profile of the conflict and its sources, check out Samantha Power’s article from an August New Yorker. Bruno Stevens’ stunning accompanying photographs will provide you with a visceral charge, if necessary. An update on the conflict and the proposed peace-agreement brokered by the United Nations can be found here.
Our beloved Prime Minister’s involvement, however, carries the stench of the constructed, contrived, PR-based public appearances which Canadians were quick to expect (and swallow) under Jean Chretien. Come on Paul, do you really think Canadians are stupid enough to think those little flags just fell from the sky? Do they hold any meaning besides empty hope for African children starving in a refugee camp? Hell, wouldn’t they be better off without you blasting through and running them down to promote your pathetic idea for global cooperation? Thanks for all the fuzzy taxpayer-sponsored fuzzy feelings from last night Paul. When’s that election again?