Canada at War

From WWI to Present Day Afghanistan - this video is a tribute to all Canadian soldiers for Remembrance Day 2010 (via Jonathan Wagner)

The Larks Still Bravely Singing Fly

In the Service of Peace

In the Service of Canada

In addition to remembering our Veterans today my thoughts drift towards friends and strangers serving in Afghanistan who are on the front lines of what has been Canada's most dangerous United Nations Mission to date. My thoughts, prayers and thanks are with you all.

Last Post.

The Awesome Responsibility of Citizenship

"To you from failing hands we throw The torch;
be yours to hold it high."

From Vimy To Kandahar, for everything you do...
Thank You.

Friendly Fire Ain't.

(CNN) -- "Three British soldiers were killed in a suspected "friendly fire" incident involving a bomb dropped from a U.S.[F-15] fighter plane during a clash with Taliban militants in Afghanistan, military officials said Friday."

I can't even begin to put into words how much I despise "friendly-fire" incidents. These "accidents" - careless mistakes when the ramifications are so great - are not acceptable. It's bad enough being on a battlefield with an enemy trying to kill you - you don't need to doubt your "friends" as well.

The Children of Petawawa

Having both been a soldier and a parent in my life the stories from CFB Petawawa, where it is reported that many children are "on the brink of suicide," have weighed heavy on my heart.

A Canadian childhood is supposed to be full of fun and carefree times, an opportunity to explore your world in safety and discover who it is you would like to be when you grow up. For the children of Petawawa, where many of Canada's Afgahnistan related deaths and injuries have had the largest impact, stress, anxiety and fear is more dominant. Their flags at school fly at half mast often, once for 49 days straight!

It's been reported in the news that the children are afraid of being called out of class in case they find out their mother or father are dead and that others hide in their homes with all the lights off, reasoning that if they can't be found when a military official comes to tell them their parents are dead, it won't be true.

We expect our soldiers to be brave (and they are), but thats a little too much to ask of their kids. These children need help - and I am happy that it appears they will now be getting it - but I am at a loss to understand why the support took so long to get into place when we knew this would happen.

Part of supporting our troops is making sure we look after their children and keep them safe until they return. It's the least we can do.

"I do what I do so you can do what you do''

"Quick as a flash, she punctured my professorial balloon," he recalled, of her response to his argument that education was the key to alleviating oppression, an army of teachers and community workers preferable to an army of troops.

The captain had retorted: "You can't do that when the bad guys run things, Dad, they just shoot you. You have to have peace and good government in order for the rest to happen. I do what I do so you can do what you do."

Yesterday, the father conceded that the daughter knew best.

Rest In Peace, Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard.

When the search for Peace becomes Perpetual War

Reading my Adbusters (July/August 2003) today reminds me that I should still be politically motivated in my blog posts, even though the worlds media seems to have calmed down, creating the allusion that there is nothing to scream about. Well, thats a farce. Shit happens everywhere, all the time, even here (I really have meant to post about same sex marriages - which I unequivocally support). I love Adbusters. It is my favourite magazine (Duncan gets credit for my subscription as it was a Christmas gift) and I am glad it comes to pierce my awareness every once in a while, wakes me up. I have a brain for a reason. I need to challenge my beliefs and my existence, and the beliefs I employ within that existence. I need to be uncomfortable and critical atleast once in a while. An oyster slowly forms a pearl from a single grain of sand that irritates it, as it gently mulls it around...

The theme of this latest Adbusters centres around the mixed messages we are consistently bombarded with, culturally and politically (I usually refer to them as "propaganda"). The cover(s) exhibit people screaming (reminiscent of "the Scream") and sport the words:

PREEMPTIVE WAR IS NECESSARY
PREEMPTIVE WAR IS TERRORISM

The issue contains a provocative article, written by James MacKinnon, who interviewed Richard Falk (Visiting Professor of Global Studies at the U of California and Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University) on the familiarilty of FASCISM in some of what we are hearing and expected to accept within our newest geopolitical climate. It's worth the read, but here is a taste to tantilize:

"Q. Can you tell us your definition of traditional fascism?

Yes: the convergence of military and economic power on behalf of an ultranationalist ideology that views its enemies - internally and externally - as evil and subject to extermination or extreme punishment."

Hmmm. Food for thought... Sound familiar? Irritated yet? Remember, the worst state of being a human can be in is the state of being "right". Wouldn't we rather have pearls?