The comfort of Michael Coren's cubicle

At the risk of taking away the point from my friend, The Rev, I'm afraid I can't hold back.

I can't recall when I've read anything so sexist and so wrong in this century.

Last week a young girl dressed up as a soldier died in the increasingly futile and pointless war in Afghanistan. She was 21 years old, had been in the country for two weeks on her first tour of duty and probably weighed a little over 100 pounds.

WHAT? In the name of fuck, does her age and appearance have to do with anything?!!! Do you think that anyone else who died in Afghanistan was older because of their sex? Or were they lighter? Or heavier?

Dressed up?!!! Suck me off you civvy puke! At the very least she wore combats with a pride you can never claim. You haven't even wiped your ass in a forward operating position.

Please know that I mean no disrespect to Karine Blais or to her family and I grieve for her and them. But what on earth was she doing in such a place and in such a job?

Oh... yes you do! In fact, you should be getting a pink slip for writing it, you piece of social conservative political manure.

Look at the photograph of this beautiful girl. Look at the innocence, the gentleness, the grace.

Ahhh... now I get where this piece of shit is coming from.

So when I say that she was "dressed up as a soldier" I mean it as a compliment.

No... you don't think she was a competent crewman because she was a woman and you can't stand to see a "cute" chick killed.

... there are few if any women who have the skills required to serve as a front-line combat trooper.

And you, Mr. Coren know this because you have extensive combat experience? Clear this up for me. I can't find your name in either British or Canadian after action reports of combat action.

Can we really imagine for a moment that if a group of Taliban tribesmen rushed a trench or an encampment this poor young woman could fight them off, could deal with the thrusts of their long knives and heavy clubs?

Is there any chance that Mr. Coren doesn't have a clue what he's talking about? Karine Blais was a crewman in the armoured corps. She died in her vehicle when a mine exploded. Vehicles and guns were her life. Coren has invented something she would likely never have encountered, but even if it ever had happened I would take her over Coren in a heartbeat. At least I could trust Blais because we would have each other's back.

Poor young woman.

Kiss my rosey red ass, Coren. She was a trained and qualified crewman. You can't rob her of that, no matter what you attempt to portray.

Coren has never written a column lamenting the plight of women in porn movies.

Not one.

That's his front line. And there are all kinds of women who portray

innocence, the gentleness, the grace

And I don't see him smithing words on their behalf, even if they're being brutalized. But apparently, that combat zone is OK with him.

No.

Because if Karine Blais had been killed in some other venue the Michael Corens of this world woud have continued to accept that women of the same age are sexually exploited and not worth comment. But certainly worth watching.

Tough truth for a "journalist". Funny how we hang labels off those who do nothing to earn them.

But true all the same.

And Karine Blais will always be remembered as one of Canada's fallen, in service to the Crown, who believed in her job and did her duty. She died knowing that her family was the most important thing in her life.

In a different war if Karine had been top cover in a tank in my position I know, with the utmost confidence, that she would have given us cover. It would have been "Kid, left 20, down 100. Shoot." And she would have done it because she was a professional. And I would have owed her a beer.

Beer pays for a lot between soldiers, sailors, marines and aircrew. When they get you out alive it doesn't matter what sex they are.

But the death of Karine Blais has totally destroyed Coren's vision of pretty young women. Because sexual exploitation has a particular place with him. And it isn't driving a tank.

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I express my sincere regrets to the family and friends of Karine Blais for the disagreable post for which her memory has become a subject. It is my only wish that she be remembered as the dedicated soldier she was.