In this morning's news I heard that Steven Harper and the Conservative government have decided to ban the media from being present when the bodies of four killed Canadian soldiers arrive home at CFB Trenton. Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor claims it's because the event should be a private matter for the army and the families of the deceased. Bullshit. I don't want to offend any of the family members of the four soldiers killed, but this kind of decision by our government really ticks me off. If anything, the returning of the soldiers should be publicized. Canadians should see those flag-draped coffins coming back, they should think about those dead soldiers, those broken families and why we've got kids over on the other side of the planet dying. And more are coming, you can be sure of that. Hiding behind the privacy of the families is cheap. Now, if the families come out and say they wanted it to be a private affair, fine, I can understand that. But it seems to me, if I had a family member die in the line of duty I'd want it publicized. I'd want people to know why my family member died, what that person believed in, why they were fighting...I'd want the support and understanding of Canadians, not privacy. I would grieve privately, as we all do for our lost loved ones, but I'd want Canadians to sit there and watch. In my opinion, Steven Harper is playing a dangerous game. He's clearly a control freak, evident by the way he collars his ministers and keeps them quiet. It sounds like a great idea in principle; control every single thing that's done and said, but it's a losing battle. The media will get to his people eventually, they will go after him and the weakest links in his government, and you can't rule with an iron fist forever. Eventually cracks will appear, they will grow into crevasses, and the foundation ultimately crumbles. Steven Harper doesn't like coffins. Who does? But I don't think he has any right to hide an event like this, to gloss over it is demeaning to the soldiers, who are ultimately public servants. I'm sure they would want the entire country to know them and see them return. In case Steven Harper or anyone else has forgotten, the soldiers are: * Corporal Matthew Dinning * Bombardier Myles Mansell * Corporal Randy Payne * Lieutenant William Turner Whether you believe in war or not, or the situation in Afghanistan or not, doesn't matter. What matters is that four soldiers who dedicated themselves to our country were killed and the government is trying to make that seem lighter, less important and less meaningful than it really is. No good, Steven Harper. Just plain no good. Read: Ottawa fails fallen soldiers, critics say (Technorati Tags: steven harper, four dead soldiers, conservative government)