From flanders field... - Memorial Day 2007

Today thousands of Canadians across the nation joined millions of others worldwide to pay their respects to those who served and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. At 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month we paused for a moment to honour our brave soldiers with the reaffirmation that we will never forget.

In Flanders Field - Lt Col John McRae, MD (1872-1918).

We will never forget...

This week will see different cermonies to honor those who have served, are currently serving. Veteran's week will end on Memorial Day Sunday, November 11, 2007. Let's go out rain or shine and honour those brave hero's who have served us and those who continue to fight for our freedoms.

Living the sheltered life

"For those who fought for it, life has a flavour the sheltered will never know" - John S Mills.

Canadians have a lot to be thankful for these days however, if you ask around there will be a number of our constituents who would disagree for a variety of understandable reasons. In Canada poverty and needs are defined in Canadian terms, and they should be. Yesterday a few hundred demonstrators were out adding their voices to what was a global effort against troops in Afghanistan. I am never sure what these demonstrators are thinking as there are many ways of looking at the situation with Afghans in their country today.

In Afghanistan a power vacuum was created in late 2001 and the UN Security Council unanimously agreed that help must be provided to get the country up and running again. I can think of three groups of people in the case of the Afghan situation namely; the anti-American fraternity who opposes anything the USA is involved in, those from the middle-east and eastern regions (living in the west) who are anti-American and believe that Afghanistan is better off without soldiers from the west (this group seems to have few or no Afghan members) and then there are those who think all things should be accommodated in the name of peace and dialogue should prevail ad infinitum. The last group however well intentioned, are largely sheltered and unlike their parents have not been exposed to any of the horrific wars fought by the Europeans in the last century. This group could also included some of those who would like to prosecute our military leaders for allowing members of the Taliban resistance movement to be tortured. They are not necessarily naive, they just never had to fight or fend for anything in life as yet.

It is that time of year again and I proudly wear my poppy in remembrance and appreciation for those who gave that we might enjoy Canada today. I know that in life there are always things worth fighting for, dying for, depending where you are on the needs hierarchy.

Gordon O'Connor's future

Gordon O'Connor could leave his post of Defence Minister in the near future when Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to shuffle his cabinet. Political opponents are clamouring for his removal however, I doubt it will be from the cabinet. Afghanistan has been very challenging however there has been a number of accomplishments namely the renewal of the military infrastructure. Opposition leader Stephan Dion could see his wish for a full removal only partially granted as a full removal of Minister O'Connor from the cabinet could be harmful for progress made in the development of Canada's ill-equipped military.

When "Good men" did nothing...

Last weekend was another sad anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. 800,000 were slaughtered while the UN Security Council ignored warnings from the small UN peacekeeping force. The then Clinton administration was not eager to support any new deployment of forces given the recent events during their peace keeping efforts in Somalia.

The end result was no different that what now obtains in Darfur, Sudan.