I have never been ashamed to be a Canadian before, but it disgusts me to see the government sitting on the fence for so long. Our poor army is at such a disadvantage — it has to use old and outdated equipment while we waste money on fantastic Internet access. We are in a war here, and it is time we pulled our weight instead of waiting for the Yanks to protect us. Start screening the people we let in, and if they break our laws, get rid of them.
Olene Gardner

Now that the horror of watching the World Trade Center towers collapse and hearing reports of people contracting anthrax, it is time for us to reflect on how all of this fits in with world activities. Did you know that while it is painful to comprehend seeing more than 3,000 people perish in a matter of seconds, that 50,000 people or more die each year on the North American highways, most involving a drunk driver? Did you know that 35,000 children die of starvation and disease every day in this world? Did you know that 100 times the number of people who have contracted anthrax die from the disease every year in Haiti? It is also rampant in a dozen other countries. Who is crying out for these? Who in their right mind can think of buying an Xbox or a Nintendo GameCube for their children this Christmas?
James Uttley

It seems Canada may renege on its promise to provide 1,000 Canadian troops to the war in Afghanistan. If that is the case, then Canadians need to keep quiet about how things are being run and quit criticizing those who are participating. If you don't want to assist in resolving this worldwide problem, then you have no right to criticize those who do. Remember the old saying "Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way."
Greg

The war on "terror" should have started at home in the United States, not in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden may be crazy, but he seems far more educated than those who run our governments. Why is his version of collateral damage any different from ours? This whole terrorist attack and subsequent legislation is a sham at best. One would be naive to think the "terrorists" worked alone on this one. I feel truly sorry for the troops on all sides of this so-called war.
Ravi Pankhania

What has happened to the Canadian troops that the government is afraid to commit them into a dangerous situation? Or do we have a pantywaist as a prime minister? Or have the government cutbacks of military spending so impoverished our forces that they are incapable of a fight? I suspect it’s a combination of all three. And we once had the third-largest navy in the world and our troops led most major attacks in the Second World War.
Thomas Redi