Over in Afghanistan there was this young lad from the US Army. After his shift–a toiling multi-hour time spent at a guard post–he put his armor, gun, and things back at his base camp. Deciding that he wants to get out for a walk/excursion, he leaves the camp. So he’s off, walking around with only a knife and some supplies, exploring, like guys his age want to do.

This young lad’s name is Bowe Bergdahl. He is currently in Taliban hands and, well, is probably not having the time of his life.

Ralph Peters, an almost daily commentator on all things war on Fox News down in the states, spoke about this poor, captured soul. He is the “Fox News strategic analyst” according to rawreplay.com. Mr. Peters said “I don’t care how hard it sounds — as far as I’m concerned the Taliban can save us a lot of legal hassles and legal bills.” In less words, Mr. Peters approves of the Taliban killing first class private Bergdahl. Just because  of possibility that  “he walked away from his post and his buddies in wartime”. Raw Reply has the Video.

So this poor young guy now not only is in enemy hands but, on top of all of the possible torture, interrogations, beatings and possibly (if Peters had his way) death, an aspect of his country (Fox News being a representative of it) has given up on him. Tim King writes, “When does FOX News cross the line? This is a new age, a new time, and there is no way in Hell that Peters or FOX can cry ‘free speech’ now.”

Err… Actually, they can cry ‘free speech’, they probably will go that route, and they will get away with it.

Fox News, in a 2003 Floridian court appeal, had been given a lot of freedom in its ability to relay information to people across the USA. This, in of itself, isn’t a problem if that freedom doesn’t slip into, well, being destructive. Like encouraging the killing abortion doctors. Well, it sort of did. The court case (the one that had occured in 2000, then appealed in 2003) had initially found Fox News at fault for lying about drugs being pumped into cows for more/better milk.

It was reversed in 2003 on the basis of Fox New’s first amendment rights. The case with Ralph Peters will probably peter out the same way. Fox News has the first amendment rights, with its analyts and with anything, to say what it wants to say. There will likely be an apology, for sure, and maybe some to and fro in some legal battles, but there will not be any concrete actions taken on this issue.

Well, you might be wondering as to why I am writing this. You’ve followed me in my last few paragraphs and you’re probably scratching your head as to why I’ve written a post that’s mostly about Fox News and an American soldier. How could this be in relations to anything to a blog about Canadian politics?

It’s simple, really. For one, America is my and our neighbor. What they do will impact us. I believe Joe Clark compared Canada and the United States to a mouse sleeping beside an elephant: the elephant moves and the small mouse is bound to feel it.

Secondly, a debate is raging across America about health care reform. All Canadians need to do to get their yearly dosage of American media, and thereby its issues and problems, is by flicking on the TV or browsing the internet. The debates down there will definitely pop up in Canada.

Fox News has tried to call Canada’s system a failure. Beyond just Fox News, the Congress of the United States had one representative state that 1 in 5 Canadians die due to rationing of surgeries and health care (… and this man was made fun of on the Daily Show’s “Moment of Zen” on the 23rd). The National Post (about two months ago) did a solid debunking of some of these myths on one of their blogs.

Don’t get me started on mad cow. As an Albertan I know only too well about Americans getting into a frenzy over what their media feeds them.

This is definitely an issue that needs to be watched, a horrendous process that needs to be reversed, and an avenue in which Canada can be hurt rather violently socially–and economically.

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