Dear Editor
Two sides, two stories.
The Canadian government’s worst nightmare scenario would be the capture of one of the RCAF pilots currently bombing terrorist targets in Iraq and Syria.
After a Jordanian pilot was captured, ISIS released an elaborately staged propaganda video to show the pilot being burned to death.
The Western media used words like brutal, savage, horrific, and demonic to describe the event. ISIS succeeded in its objectives: intimidating its opponents and publicizing itself.
Vietnam proved the public can not handle the truth about war if they see vivid images of the oozing blood and disemboweled guts. But governments know their military operations depend on the tacit support of the public. Cue the spin doctors.
Coalition forces, including Canada, steadfastly maintain their pin-point precision bombing rarely harms civilians.
Meanwhile, independent investigators, who are not embedded in the armed forces, have found credible evidence that indicates hundreds of civilian deaths have already occurred.
The families and friends of innocent victims, who may have died in fiery explosions, must think the Western powers are also brutal, savage, horrific and demonic.
War is the most hellish for the blameless bystanders. The least we can do is insist on knowing the truth.
Lloyd Atkins, Vernon