How Does One Identify A Hypocrite?Canadians like to imagine themselves an kind and accepting lot, but many are far from the ideal open minded accepting warm fuzziness that they believe themselves to be.
I just spent an hour and change as a spectator at the ceremony observing the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in downtown Ottawa. Quaint; but it was sparsely attended and the insistence on repeating everything in French (and increasingly now in some first nations dialect as well) made it longer than it needed to be.
Afterwards, I asked an attending MP (military policeman) if there was any reason that I could not approach the Grave of The Unknown Soldier to place a penny on it. His reply was "For theifr security." (referring to the ceremonial guardians) to which I, again, explained the penny, common on headstones. Still "No". I was welcome to lay a wreath, or place a poppy, but my penny was unwelcome. Some Person in uniform behind us said it was an American tradition. It was all I could do to not tell him that if he was so offended by things American that he might want to build a wall along his southern border.
I have left a penny at the cenotaph in Ottawa for longer than there has been an unknown soldier there. But if you want to place a plastic wreath or a plastic poppy there, "fill yer boots"! Today, I had to leave just my respects.... I told the self-righteous tool in uniform that next time I would grow a poppy and bring it.
Which is probably not true. But I won't be placing plastic litter there either. Just For Today, I will take the penny and leave it at the police memorial. And I will reflect on how Freedom is threatened in our time. I have watched as in the name of security, the crowd is pushed back at The Annual Police Memorial Service. How we are more and more closely scrutinized when travelling. The constant and ever increasing closed circuit surveillance that invades our everyday life.
Sometimes it seems we have willingly surrendered to the fear mongering that is used to justify curtailed freedoms. We just don't know if yet. Strangely enough, isn't that the kind of crap we were fighting against 75 years ago?