Most tax payers in Canada don’t know where their tax money goes and don’t have any direct control over what their money is spent on. While many of us hope that the majority of our taxes are invested in social programs, healthcare, infrastructure, education etc., the stark reality is that our taxes also go to fund projects such as this one. If you feel slightly nauseated, you’re not the only one. Especially after reading this quote by Col. Martin: “Unfortunately there are still a lot of Americans … who don’t know about how great the Canadian commitment is” I had to resist the urge to grab a bucket and vomit. Apparently we, unbeknownst to most of of course, are funding a staged Taliban attack in a built Afghan village populated by paid Afghan actors and (presumably) paid Taliban actors to show the Americans, once and for all, how valuable Canada’s commitment in Afghanistan is. Obviously there is something very disturbing about this picture, and not just for those of us who are critical about Canada’s occupation of Afghanistan. One may ask: is there nothing better we could be funding than staging a mock shock-and-awe complete with a fake Afghan village in the middle of Washington? Or, why is the Canadian military so obsessed with gaining American recognition of our efforts in Afghanistan — do we need America’s approval? Or, why are we allowing Lockheed Martin to build this Afghan village, the same company whose bombs and equipment have destroyed so many of Afghan villages? I’m a bit flabbergasted, I guess—and still nauseous.