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Letter: Years before benefit of military training felt

The oppressed peoples of the region…best hope is the pointy end of the guns and bombs raining down on ISIL.

To the editor:

Tuesday (Feb. 9, 2016) our Prime Minister said The lethal enemy of barbarism isn’t hatred, its reason. And the people terrorized by ISIL every day don’t need our vengeance, they need our help. Thus he attempts to justify the withdrawal of Canada’s F18 fighter/bomber squadron from the fight against ISIL.

Is this just poor grammar or is it muddled thinking?

Reason has not worked with Barbarians since ancient Greek times; and as by modern standards the 'ISIL Barbarian' is a murderous, inhumane psychopathic lot bent on indiscriminate murder, savagery beyond belief, torture, enslavement, rape and other crimes against anyone who does not adhere to their twisted form of Islamic religion and against humanity around the world. They do not accept any reason but ISIL’s dogma.

Yes, the peoples of Syria, Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries caught up in this Holy War need our help. At no time has the coalition fighting ISIL been wreaking “vengeance” on the terrorized peoples in the war zone. Civilian populations are trapped there and held there by ISIL who are cowards, dressed as civilians, hiding in schools, hospitals, residential areas to escape those trying for the restoration of civil governance in the region. Unfortunately peaceful civilians are in the middle and many are killed, wounded and separated from family by the unholy war in the region.

The coalition military are not bringing vengeance to the Syrians or Iraqis. It is, unfortunately, the only path to capturing and stopping the extremists in ISIL. The coalition members are trying to help the region and its people to escape from a barbaric tyranny that ISIL is.

Would “reason” have ended the First, the Second or the Korean War? No. Mr. Chamberlain tried that with Hitler and we know how that turned out; it took the combined might of the British Commonwealth of Nations, Russia, USA, and the European free forces to defeat him and his barbaric regime. Just as direct military action with boots on the ground, ships at sea, and planes raining bombs and artillery were necessary then, it now is the only “reason” ISIL will listen to.

Yes, expanded training of local military groups fighting ISIL is a great addition and Canadian role, but Canadians have proven themselves to be the very best at modern warfare starting with the War of 1812, Boor War, WW 1, WW2, Korea, and in many peacekeeping missions like Cyprus, Bosnia and others.

Our fighter pilots have proven themselves to be equal to any in the world, why deprive the coalition of our best (and personnel wise, safest) weapon?

Think about this, if we used the PM’s above "logic"—if Canada were to empty its jails and mental institutions of all the murders, rapists, child molesters and psychopaths, trained their leaders to organize and evade capture, gave them unlimited financing, took the police out of the conflict, then tried to control the wave of crime by reasoning with them! The outcome would be a disaster and Canadian would not stand for it.

Why do Liberals propose the same reasoning for Syria/Iraq and a tyrannical ISIL?

Please do not do that to the oppressed peoples of the region. Their best hope is the pointy end of the guns and bombs raining down on ISIL until the military training proposed takes effect months or even years from now.

Thus the question is answered. Mr. Prime Minister: You have used illogical and muddled thinking to arrive at your “justification” for withdrawal of the F18s. Please reconsider that decision while the expanded training is developed.

Doug Waines, Kelowna