Zach LarkinsPRINCE HARRY
Prince Harry, grandson of Queen Elizabeth, is a second Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry. He will be heading off to Iraq later this year. Why should we care? Because of people like Michael Moore.
In his film ‘Fahrenheit 9/11', Moore asks the upper echelon of American society if they'd send their sons or daughters into harms way in the mid-East. Nobody really seemed to interested in the prospect and Moore and his fans take this as proof that America's rich and powerful exploit the poor and dispossessed by sending them off to fight and die on foreign shores. It's too bad America doesn't have its own Prince Harry.
The British Royal family has a long tradition of serving in the armed forces. Prince Charles did have military training, but being first in line to gain the throne, was not allowed to actually go to war. When the war over the Falkland Islands broke out, his brother Prince Andrew saw action there. Now, Charles' son, Harry, is off to keep up the tradition. Like Charles, William will not serve as he's first in line to the throne after Charles.
While in Iraq, he will command a 12-man unit and, by all accounts, will face the same dangers as any other serviceman. And that's the way he seems to want it. "I'm not going to ... sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country," he says. A noble gesture, but one that might work against him. The terrorists probably would like nothing better than to kill him and show the West just how powerful they are. Harry might have put a bull's eye on his units back.
His deployment alone won't turn peaceniks into war supporters. But in war, symbols matter. And the image of the third-in-line to the British crown putting his life on the line alongside ordinary folk from Slough and Leeds sends the message that this is an important fight, one for which everyone in the nation is called upon to take risks and make sacrifices.
It wouldn't do the war effort any harm if more of Canada's and America's upper class took on the same risks now being borne by our largely working class armies. At the very least, it would give the Michael Moores of the world less fodder for propaganda.
Sources: Deploying Prince Harry The National Post
In his film ‘Fahrenheit 9/11', Moore asks the upper echelon of American society if they'd send their sons or daughters into harms way in the mid-East. Nobody really seemed to interested in the prospect and Moore and his fans take this as proof that America's rich and powerful exploit the poor and dispossessed by sending them off to fight and die on foreign shores. It's too bad America doesn't have its own Prince Harry.
The British Royal family has a long tradition of serving in the armed forces. Prince Charles did have military training, but being first in line to gain the throne, was not allowed to actually go to war. When the war over the Falkland Islands broke out, his brother Prince Andrew saw action there. Now, Charles' son, Harry, is off to keep up the tradition. Like Charles, William will not serve as he's first in line to the throne after Charles.
While in Iraq, he will command a 12-man unit and, by all accounts, will face the same dangers as any other serviceman. And that's the way he seems to want it. "I'm not going to ... sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country," he says. A noble gesture, but one that might work against him. The terrorists probably would like nothing better than to kill him and show the West just how powerful they are. Harry might have put a bull's eye on his units back.
His deployment alone won't turn peaceniks into war supporters. But in war, symbols matter. And the image of the third-in-line to the British crown putting his life on the line alongside ordinary folk from Slough and Leeds sends the message that this is an important fight, one for which everyone in the nation is called upon to take risks and make sacrifices.
It wouldn't do the war effort any harm if more of Canada's and America's upper class took on the same risks now being borne by our largely working class armies. At the very least, it would give the Michael Moores of the world less fodder for propaganda.
Sources: Deploying Prince Harry The National Post
Prince Harry is a great example of his generation and his country! Long live the Prince!
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