We Will Remember Him
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Tpr Larry Rudd – Afghanistan May 24, 2010
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
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We Will Remember Him
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Tpr Larry Rudd – Afghanistan May 24, 2010
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
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Praying to Get the Flag Up the Pole
When a Canadian soldier dies in Afghanistan, or any where else they are serving in the world, the Legion branch I belong to lowers their flag to half staff. The usual protocol for a period of mourning is 10 days or the day of the funeral, which ever comes first. On this blog and one fo my other blogs, Out of the Shadows, I post a memorial entry which stays at the top of the blog for the same period.
The month of May has been a bit difficult to get that flag back to the top of the pole. In fact, we haven’t succeeded yet. We’ve had four Canadians killed in Afghanistan, which for my American readers is a very small number, spaced out so that 10 days has not passed without a death.
As some American friends have noted, if the Americans lowered their flags like we do, they would never fly at full staff. As much as I wait and pray for the day when the flag can be returned to the top of the pole, it flying at half staff reminds me that Canadians are putting their life on the line for me every single day.
Each of those ten days of flag flying at half staff means that I’ll be making a trip to the bridge to honour our fallen Canadian. As the motorcade makes its way from CFB Trenton to the coroner’s office in Toronto along the Highway of Heroes, I’m among the hundreds of Canadians who turn out to show the families, Canadians care.
The waves and acknowledgement from the military escorts mean a lot to those on the bridges but it is when the hands of the family waving as they pass by that we know, at least for this part of their journey, they know they are not alone.
Join me in prayer that the flag reaches the top of the pole and no more families will have to make that long journey.
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Praying to Get the Flag Up the Pole
We Will Remember Him
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Col Geoff Parker – Afghanistan May 18, 2010
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here
We Will Remember Him
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Col Geoff Parker – Afghanistan May 18, 2010
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
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Father calls for Canada to finish mission
Just two days away from returning safely home, Pvt. Kevin McKay was on patrol in Afghanistan on Thursday. In an instant his life ended. Instead of returning home to a party, he will be returned to his family for a funeral. He is the 144th Canadian to die on this mission.
The father of this brave young Canadian has looked past his own grief to call on our government to stay the course in Afghanistan. He’s calling on the government not to set an end date but to set obtainable objectives and stay until they’re finished. He’s calling for the objective to be the training of the Afghan army and police.
Pvt McKay’s father is a deputy fire chief in Toronto. Firefighters in Toronto and along the Highway Of Heroes all understand the cost of this war, they have been a strong presence on every overpass between Trenton and Toronto every time Canadian soldiers are repatriated. I understand the cost of this war. I weep privately for our fallen and then join the firefighters on the bridges.
Parliament by way of a confidence motion in 2008 determined that Canada’s mission in Afghanistan would end in 2011 and our troops would be brought home. At the time Canada was battling alone in Kandahar Province. One of the conditions for Canadian troops to remain until 2011 was another NATO Force willing to send 1000 troops to join us.
Public support for the mission wavered as young Canadians were dying with little indication that any progress was being made. Almost 3000 troops was not enough to try to tame the Taliban insurgency, more were greatly needed. More were not readily forthcoming and Canada was sustaining the highest rate of deaths per capita of any nation serving in Afghanistan, it was no wonder Canadians questioned the mission.
Harper has made it clear all Canadian troops will be leaving Afghanistan in 2011. Around the same time that Harper made this clear, Obama initiated a troop surge of 30,000 American troops, about one third are expected to be sent to Kandahar. With this change in circumstances one would expect that Harper would be willing to bring the mission and its conclusion back to parliament for debate.
Harper appears to have gone from steadfastly supporting our troops and their mission to being unwilling to even discuss any possible change in their mission. Yes, this mission is costing Canada in blood and treasure. The plea from those who have lost family members to this mission need to be listened to and given careful consideration.
Our pool of experienced combat troops are a valuable resource for the training of the Afghans. A reduced force of experience troops remaining in Afghanistan after 2011 devoted to the training and mentoring of the Afghans while leaving other nations like the U.S. to take on securing the country for the Afghan forces to take over and hold would contribute to completing the mission.
Training of security forces in the middle of an insurgency is not something that can be done without danger. As long as one Canadian remains in Afghanistan, Canadian lives will be at risk. Yet if Canada and other countries pull out of Afghanistan there is a clear danger that chaos will create an opening for terrorism to once again establish a base of operations there.
I think often of my discussions with my late father, a veteran of WWII, about our mission in Afghanistan. Dad was adamant, the troops were sent in to do a job, and they needed to be allowed to complete the job. He said trying to cut losses by leaving only served politicians and didn’t honour the sacrifices of those who have served.
I have wondered if now, four years later, dad would have wavered in that resolve. Then I remember that edge of steel that I heard in his voice, that steel that was forged fighting up through Italy and across Europe. He’s fought beside those who’ve died, he understood the sacrifice, the need to honour it, to not waste it. He understood the courage needed to push on and get the job done.
Politicians, in their statements after the death of our soldiers all pledge that their service will not be forgotten. Part of honouring that pledge is ensuring that their sacrifice was not made in vain. Part of honouring that pledge is having the courage to do what’s right, even if it’s not popular. Our war dead deserve at minimum the future of the mission to be properly debated and for their family’s wishes to be heard.
We will remember them. We must remember and honour.
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We Will Remember Him
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Pvt Kevin Thomas McKay – Afghanistan May 13, 2010
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here
We Will Remember Him
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadian:
Pvt Kevin Thomas McKay – Afghanistan May 13, 2010
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
Related posts
- No related posts.
Pardon System to be Revamped
Canada’s Pardon system is about to see an overhaul. The Conservatives tabled a bill yesterday to make the changes. The most important changes and the ones I believe were absolutely needed is the deny pardons to those convicted of sex crimes against children and those with convictions of three or more serious offences.
In typical Harper Conservatives fashion, they are now trying to ramrod the bill through the house by raising the spectre of Karla Homolka being eligible to apply for pardon this year. Let me say quite clearly, that woman shouldn’t be even walking the streets let alone being eligible for a pardon.
It’s cleared the flawed system needed some fixing and quickly before another serious injustice occurs. So why wouldn’t the Conservatives table a carefully thought out bill with the most important changes included and leave the door open for other changes to follow? Now that would be a tad too civil.
An editorial in today’s Toronto Star says the bill goes too far. It finds that the move to change the name from Pardon to “Record Suspension” as mean spirited. Toews rationalizes that a pardon implies forgiveness and that the state is not in the business of doing so.
To me, forgiveness would mean an expunging of the record, a pardon doesn’t do that. It allows the record to be masked thus allowing the person to get on with the parts of their life which were blocked for them, like travelling internationally or being able to hold some jobs.
Forgiveness is a loaded word for many. In essence, a pardon is the state’s recognition of the convict’s efforts to live as a law abiding citizen and allows them greater latitude to fully join society. That allows complete rehabilitation and reintegration into society. That should be the goal for the vast majority of those who have committed crimes.
Changing the name provides only an avenue for argument and debate and does nothing to move this bill towards a speedy passing.
The editorial argues that the absolute ban on those convicted of sexual offences against minors and of more than three serious crimes needlessly ties the hands of the board. That is the purpose of the bill is to put an unequivocal stop to exactly that breed of convicts from being shielded from the publics’ awareness.
If there should be points of common ground for all parties in this bill, that should be clear common ground.
In the range of other crimes which the board is expected to rule on the bill allows for discretion provided it doesn’t bring the administration of justice into disrepute. While defining what will be disrepute could be debatable, that latitude is clearly needed.
Lengthening the waiting time before being able to apply to 10 years for those convicted of serious crimes seems more than reasonable. The more serious the crime committed the longer it should take to prove an ability to live in our society. Five years for minor offences seems a bit hefty but that could be lived with.
Placing the onus on the individual to prove why a pardon will enhance the rehabilitation is a bit useless. The benefits of a pardon are clear, it is difficult for anyone to fully integrate into society when barriers are in their way.
It seems to me that as usual the Conservatives have stuck enough into this bill to make parts of it contentious thus allowing them to try to paint the Opposition as soft on crime.
It’s more than time that the Opposition and in particular the Liberals need to drop the focus on scandal and grow a pair to stand up for what is right not what is politically flavourful.
If the Conservatives want the heart of this bill passed, they should be pushed into a position of negotiating amendments to make it a good bill. Liberals, the country is watching.
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Local Pharmacist Needs to be Careful What He Dials Up
In the last couple of weeks, on the Sundays to be exact, I’ve received a phone call which appears to come from an 800#. As I do during the week, I let calls like that go to the answering machine. When one arrives on Sunday though, I get rather irritated along the lines of do those bloody telemarketers have no limits!!
The two calls I’ve received came from a pharmacist in Port Hope which is west of where I live. I’m not and never have been a customer of his. I definitely will NEVER now be a customer of his. It’s bad enough he’s calling on Sunday but it isn’t even about whatever mundane specials he happens to be running in an effort to expand his business.
In an article in Northumberland Today the pharmacist indicates the calls could continue indefinitely. I’ve sent him an email from his website to advise him in no uncertain terms to stop making those calls to my home. He will do his cause more harm than good doing so.
In his call he urges people to call the local MPPs office to protest the cuts. I called to leave a message urging the MPP to hold the line and support the cuts. I called again today to inquire if others did the same. The lady in his office said yes, often, but was diplomatic enough not to say which was the greater numbers.
The pharmacist’s calls are about the current political battle between the Government of Ontario and the pharmacists. The government is moving to eliminate the ‘professional allowances’ the pharmaceutical firms pay the pharmacies for carrying their product. The pharmacies are claiming this move will amount to cuts in frontline health care.
Nice try but a pharmacy is not a frontline health service. Frontline health is the doctors, nurses, hospitals, clinics etc. Those are directly funded by public health dollars. Pharmacists receive some public health dollars particularly for those covered under social programs and for providing programs like MedCheck and for the ‘counselling’ you receive when you go into pick up a prescription.
A pharmacy is a private business which includes dispensing medications. It is the part of the business which dispenses medications which is done so under government regulation as to the amount of money can be charged the consumer. That same part also receives money directly from the government for delivering what amounts to customer service each time they ‘counsel’ a customer.
I had a doctor who was very thorough when prescribing medication to me in that she was careful to review with me what to expect on the medication, what the possible side-effects were and if it would impact any of the supplements I take. I expect that from my doctor.
I expect a pharmacist to fill the prescription and receive their payment. If I have questions and the pharmacist is able to answer them, that is a bonus. What I usually encountered was a pharmacist insisting on attempting to discuss my medication (often in front of others) over my objections. Turns out there was a reason for that, the pharmacist bills the government for doing this.
The professional allowances generic drug companies were paying to the pharmacies were supposed to help cover those costs which would have helped keep costs down for the government. What has happened is they have artificially inflated the costs of the drugs while the allowances were being used to boost the bottom line of these private businesses.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always considered customer service to be something that is done to build customer awareness and loyalty. It isn’t usually something which directly adds to the bottom line but overall helps it. For a pharmacist, apparently they consider it to be the bottom line.
For more information on the cuts and the disinformation from the pharmacists you can read here. In the interest of giving voice to both sides, you can read more about the pharmacist’s side of things here. Personally, I found that site heavily on the side of baffle’m with BS but your mileage may vary.
Ontario has one of the largest buying power of any jurisdiction in the world yet we pay considerably more than many jurisdictions. For example, a diabetes medication called Metformin costs 9.7cents in Ontario, 6.9cents in the US and 1.6cents in New Zealand per dose. There is no excuse for that wide of a gap, Ontario should be considerably lower and will be after the cuts are fully implemented.
Pharmacies need to rethink their business plans. You ever been in a pharmacy which only sells medications? I haven’t yet, to listen to the wailing going on, you’d think that was their only income stream.
They can either keep up their complaining or they can look for opportunities this presents. Those who find the opportunities will thrive, the others — well have you heard of the law of natural selection?
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