[The downing of the airline is the] “collateral damage of this irresponsible, dangerous, ill-conceived behaviour” [in Washington].
– Michael McCain, President of Maple Leaf Foods
When I heard the news a few weeks ago about the crash of Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752, I immediately linked it with the assassination of a top Iranian general by the United States and the retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq by the Iranians and feared the worse. As I checked the flight time of UA 752 and the times on the Iranian missile strikes, my mind was eased somewhat but apprehension remained. As it turned out, it was not a provocation but rather a terrible mistake by the Iranians. Nevertheless, this terrible tragedy was uncalled for and the fingers of blame soon pointed at Iran but also at U.S. President Donald Trump who, despite his silence, bears the brunt of the blame for initiating the conflict based on what appear to be carefully nurtured falsehoods.
Not unlike the Iraqi war of 2003 initiated by George W. Bush, this assassination appears to have been based on pretty flimsy evidence. We don’t have the false rumours of weapons of mass destruction, but we do have unsubstantiated comments by Trump that the Iranian general was about to attack American installations in the Middle East. No evidence of this imminent attack has come out of the White House or the Pentagon. The world needs to know the true reasons for this assassination.
I commend Michael McCain, president of Maple Leaf Foods for his tweet, laying the blame for this escalation of the tensions in the Middle East squarely on the shoulders of Donald Trump: “I’m very angry and time isn’t making me less angry,” McCain is quoted as saying. Like McCain, we are all angry and I salute him for going public with his thoughts. This is not the time for political correctness or diplomacy. Highly respected business people need to speak out and condemn insane actions coming from a man that has global destiny at his fingertips. I am also mad as Hell but nobody is going to listen to me – hopefully McCain’s anger will be heard in the board rooms of corporate North America where it counts.
The U.S. President is a danger to world peace and needs to be brought under control. This solitary attack with no apparent consultation with either the U.S. Congress or other allies serving alongside American troops in Iraq places everyone in danger and could easily have escalated the tensions to foster a major conflict in the region, potentially even starting a third world war.
Every time a controversy surrounds Trump, he seems to divert attention away from his political woes with an equally absurd tweet or ill-conceived action.
The world does not need a warmonger in the White House. The U.S. Congress needs to take away the ‘red phone’ before any more irrational decisions emanate from his attempts to distract attention from the impeachment process. Donald Trump is a menace that must be stopped.
America needs to relinquish its assumed role as the world’s policeman. Every time it interferes in another country’s business, firing missiles and bombing nations half way around the world, it only results in tragedy for many innocent people not to speak of the deaths of many American and allied soldiers.
This irresponsible, dangerous, ill-conceived behaviour must stop now before it’s too late.
Ken Allred is a former St. Albert alderman and MLA.
