POPPIES N’ PLAYAS
For those of us in Canada, November 11 is Remembrance Day. In the U.S., the act of remembering those that died for their country is known as Veterans’ Day. Perhaps the most visual symbol of Remembrance Day in Canada is through adorning jackets and sweaters with a poppy. According to the Royal Canadian Legion website…
“Each November, Poppies blossom on the lapels and collars of over half of Canada’s entire population. Since 1921, the Poppy has stood as a symbol of Remembrance, our visual pledge to never forget all those Canadians who have fallen in war and military operations. The Poppy also stands internationally as a “symbol of collective reminiscence”, as other countries have also adopted its image to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.Today, when people from all parts of Canada and from all walks of life join together in their pledge to never forget, they choose to display this collective reminiscence by wearing a Poppy. They stand united as Canadians sharing a common history of sacrifice and commitment.”
I am most certainly a woman who is not only proud to call herself Canadian, but also one who is forever indebted to the men and women who gave up their lives for the sake of our nation. I have to admit, however, that I struggle with the idea of wearing the poppy. My issue is not with showing others the respect I have for those that sacrificed for our freedom; my issue is with how a poppy on my lapel could be interpreted by others.
As I write this, there are Canadians stationed in the Middle East under the impression that they are peacekeeping. I have no doubt that they know they are doing a great service to their country and I support them fully in their decision to serve Canada. What I do not support is our government’s decision to occupy a country that quite simply does not want us there. In fact, I believe we have no business being there.
I do not purport to know our government’s business. I can’t even say I faithfully follow the news. What I do know is that people from all across this country have very strong and unique opinions on the Canadian Army in Afghanistan. And that, my friends, is what I love about the online world. Feel free to share your opinion on this, on poppies or on whatever comes to mind.
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And in completely unrelated news, I spent last night listening to Kanye West’s “Graduation” twice through after returning from the U.S. Not much satisfies me as much as buying a new record and loving every song from start to finish. This is one of those records. My plans for tonight? Throw on some of my favourite new panties, “Flashing Lights” on the stereo and dance my little ass off. And yup, I’ll probably take some pictures because let’s face it, I’m a camera whore and we all know it. Photo courtesy of Def Jam Records
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5 Comments
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Since reading this today I haven’t been able to stop singing the line “throw your hands up in the sky”. I had to come back and tell you how happy (read: not happy at all) it has made my boss to hear it over and over. haha!
you like every song!?
i can’t stand “barry bonds,” at all.
whatever, it is still a pretty killer album.
I love that album!! My other favorite right now is the new Foo Fighters album, so great. As far as the war, no one’s soldiers should be there, let alone Canadian soldiers.
We had no business going there in the first place, and have even less business still being there. We also had no business bringing other countries into it - on the word of an imbecile. I mean, c’mon, it’s not like it’s some big secret.
While I can’t say that I like every song on Graduation, Flashing Lights is like musical crack.
Didn’t you guys burn down our White House once?
Mind doing it again?