This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
In Honour
Lots of griping lately of lowering the flag for our fallen heroes. Why should we forget for one second of what they signed up for and what they ended up with? This was peace keeping and ended up with war. We own the government but they seem to have forgo
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People seem to forget that it was Paul Martin who started lowering the flag on the Peace Tower when our troops died in combat, when his poll numbers started going in the toilet. This flag-lowering had NEVER been done before, not during WWI, WW2, or Korea, or any other conflict that Canadians have been a part of. Only on Rememberance Day have the flags been lowered to half-staff, until P. Martin decided to break with that tradition, for his own personal and political gain. Soldiers who die in combat know EXACTLY what they signed up for when they joined the military; my dad was in the Navy for 25+ years, and he was in a combat situation only once, during the 1st Gulf war; that’s what he trained for his whole career; he knew that’s what he signed up for. All of us can show tribute to our soldiers by flying flags on our homes, and supporting the military families back here at home. They make many sacrifices, just as many as the soldiers themselves. It’s keeping the home-fires burning that keeps morale high in Afganistan, not lowering the flag every time one of their comrades-in-arms dies. Although I don’t agree with S. Harper on many things, this is one issue I agree with him on wholeheartedly. As for the repatriation of dead soldiers, I believe that should be a private matter, not for the ogling eyes of the public. I know if my dad died in war, I’d want the cameras out of my face. There’s no good that can come from broadcasting widows and parents receiving their family members here at home in a box. No good at all.
Let’s not let the government dictate that Canada should be apart of this war, we have oil, lots!! We should be protecting our prosperous province of Alberta.
SO, V.L.Israel, what you are saying exactly is that since the troops signed up for this and knew what they were getting involved with, that makes their lives any the less valuable? That we shouldn’t take the extra minute or two to drop the flag half its mast out of respect for the ultimate sacrifice they have made for this country. I don’t see you out there running around risking your life for the betterment of Afghanistan. So yeah, I guess it would be pretty easy for you to shoot your mouth off about what we should and shouldn’t do to honor our troops. My father was also in the navy – and just because he chose to enlist it didn’t make what he did any less important and his life any less valuable. I think that by refusing to lower the flag, we are diminishing their contributions and disrecpecting the sacrifices they have made for us. And until you head over there to make your ultimate sacrifice for your country, then I believe you have nothing to say on the matter.
its not just about oil ‘s’, its not that simple, it’s investments, there’s much profit in weaponry and rebuilding contarcts, there are strategic geopolitical reasons, america fears china’s ineviatble raise to super power, they wanted to go in and demonstrate their overwhelming power with a quick victory in iraq unfortunatly for them it revealed their weaknesses, also bush’s own delusional religious ideas played a part, the man lives in an illusion, 911 sure brought the country together, patriotism and rounded up the troops huh?, who benefitted?i’d like to disagree with ‘V.L. Israel’ that good could come from broadcasting widows and parents receiving their family members here at home in a box, the good being that canadians here could face the reality of this war instead of ignoring it and realize that canadians there are at risk and their presense there being seen as allies of american terrorism puts us canadians here at home at risk as well, we’ve got to face reality not hide it’Not willing to be de-sensitized for war……’, you say things which are very typical of a fooled mind, ‘ultimate sacrifice they have made for this country’, the ultimate sacrifice would be to stand up to the lies and be willing to go to jail or die for it, ‘ running around risking your life for the betterment of Afghanistan’, they are working with and protecting afghani warlords and helping american financial interests as well as investors like jean cretien, pipe line, stop believe what you read and hear in the mainstream, do some research before you regurgitate more propaganda bullshit here again please’the sacrifices they have made for us.’, i thought they were there to help afghanis?, seems you are confused, no surprise, most minds are
SYG,believe me I will be the first to agree with you when it comes to the senseless and greed driven reasons that we are involved in this war in the first place. However, the reason for my initial post was not to draw support on the war or argue with the vailidity of its existance but merely to draw support for those that are over there. Regardless of whether or not people agree with it or not, they are over there and they are “risking their lives” as evidenced by so many that have been lost already. Therefore my argument to lower the flag was not to support the war but to draw attention to it and the fact that soldiers are senselessly dying – much like you also suggested. I would merely like us to pass on our respect and our thoughts to those that had to die. It is not to honor the war, but to those that had to die for it.
In your recent issue I read the Letter to the Editor from V.L. Israel about the lowering of the flag issue and the letter which followed from NWTBDFW. V. L. Israel’s letter had a mature, reasoned tone and many points worthy of consideration. (And thank you, Israel, for using half-staff, not half mast.) NWTBDFW’s letter ridiculed Israel’s opinions suggesting he had no credibility because he is not serving his country in Afghanistan. Neither are most Canadians including NWTBDFW who doesn’t even have the courage to sign his/her own name to a letter. I disliked the condescending, flippant tone and poorly thought out ideas expressed by NWTBDFW. To add a point of my own to the flag debate, I believe too many people today are confusing public display with depth of feeling. Canadians have traditionally been more practical than “showy”. To suggest we don’t care about other Canadians dying simply because a flag is not lowered each time is an insultingly shallow notion. Still waters run deep.
The point I was trying to make was about the flag, not the soldiers. I support our troops in combat, no question. And yes, they’re dying in Afghanistan, making the ultimate sacrifice for you and I to be safe from terrorism. But, for Paul Martin to use a powerful and respected symbol such as OUR FLAG, for his own political and personal gain, is absolutely WRONG. Our flag means a great deal all over the world, and to use it in such a selfish fashion, as he did, cheapens its intrinsic value. He wasn’t honoring our dead soldiers, he was desperately trying to save face in the eyes of Canadians. Talk about disrespect!!! Trying to boost his poll numbers on the backs of dead Canadian troops by lowering the flag on the Peace Tower is thorougly despicable!!! I have the utmost respect for the soldiers who have laid down their lives, and just because I’m not serving my country in combat, that does’nt disqualify me from having an opinion, NWTBDFW. As it happens, I’m too OLD to enlist for the military. However, I choose to serve my fellow Canadians by educating our young people about the “street life” and how to avoid it at all costs. That’s the war I’m fighting in the bloody trenches, even though pimps and crack dealers are formidable foes; not unlike the Taliban vs Canadian Forces. Just because I think the flag should be lowered only on Remeberance Day, instead of every time a soldier dies, does’nt mean I don’t care about my fellow Canadians dying in combat. That is indeed a very insulting and shallow notion. By the way, our flag was’nt created for the sole use of the Dep’t. of National Defence. The flag is for ALL of us, even for those of us who don’t enlist.