Amnesty International and the Canadian Forces

[paracowboy]

Frederik G, you've missed my points entirely, lad.

 

[mainerjohnthomas]

One thing I'm wondering about also is that if, as a CF member, I was to write a letter for AI, would I be allowed to sign it with my rank included, or would I have to leave it out?

Anyways, I'm relieved to know I can be involved with AI while blowing people up

    As a Canadian Soldier, you have the rights to freedom of thought, conscience and expression (modified by the Code of Service Discipline, and Opsec concerns).  You have to be very careful about making political statements with your rank attached, because these will be quoted, misquoted, distorted, and spun by those whose political agenda is best served by attacking our forces, either by ridiculing or demonizing our troops, missions, and methods.  Having said that, I found myself many times in the Ethics and Political Science courses in university having to argue with people who fell in love with rhetoric and theory, and didn't take a close look at the methods used by their various Utopian societies, wether the communist, fascist, or the "beautiful natural tribal lifeway" (direct quote from one student who had no idea that genocide and gang rape are components of that lifeway as expressed in from the horn of Africa to Yugoslavia).  AI could do with a soldiers perspective, to keep the BS from interfering with their (largely worthy) mission.