We Will Remember Them

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 Canadians:

Pte Michael Freeman - Afghanistan December 26, 2008
WO Gaetan Roberge - Afghanistan December 27, 2008
Sgt Gregory Kruse - Afghanistan December 27, 2008

Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated

Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays

Still in London

Posted on: Ides of May
I haven’t left London yet, I had planned to depart this morning but heavy fog made me decide to remain an extra day. I really hate travelling when visibility is reduced. My sister tells me she was glad that I was staying another day and it has been fun spending some more time with my great-nephew Apollo. It’s only the second time I’ve seen him and he’s almost 2 years old.

As we were kicked back yesterday enjoying the post Christmas lull word came through my email that the peace of the season had been broken by the death of yet another Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. The young man is from Peterborough which is only about an hour from where I live. Pte Freeman had just returned to Afghanistan after having a home leave which allowed him to celebrate with his family what would turn out to be his final Christmas. -- read more

Merry Christmas To All

Posted on: Ides of May
It’s the pre-dawn of Christmas morning here in London, Ontario and the rest of the house is still slumbering away. Likely most of the city is slumbering except those homes with excited children who are itching to wake up parents and get on to the business of the day — opening presents. It’s all adults in this home. My adult niece and nephew will be arriving later today and my almost 2 year old grand-nephew will be visiting on Boxing Day.

Let me take this opportunity in the peaceful quiet at the beginning of a new day to wish you all a merry Christmas. Christmas Day is the one day of the year when most of us can set aside every day worries and stresses for other worries and stresses like will the present be right? or will the turkey be cooked on time? or … insert whatever. Those are stresses we can live with. -- read more

Busy Busy Days

Posted on: Ides of May
Getting involved in the Legion, at least the Colborne Legion, seems to mean that from October 31st until January 2nd, time seems to fly by in a blur. There is what needs to be done that we expect and then what has to be done that is unexpected but needs to be fit in, you know, things like having a bit of a life.

The Poppy Campaign hadn’t even ended when it was suddenly time to make arrangements for people to start applying for Christmas hampers. Christmas.. jeeeze it seemed like that was a long way off just days ago and it wasn’t even Remembrance Day yet. Interspersed in there was a couple of dinners, branch meetings & Santa Claus parade and before long.. November is over. Officially, so was the hamper applications but that doesn’t stop them coming in. -- read more

Ignatieff Takes the Liberal Helm

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Life must be a bit bittersweet these days for Stephane Dion. As much as I’m sure he would have liked to have left the leadership of the Liberals under different circumstances, he did so with as much grace as could be mustered under the circumstances. Bob Rae also made a class act exit from the leadership race that cleared the way for the party to put Michael Ignatieff in as ‘interim’ leader. He’ll have to be confirmed at the convention which is still scheduled for May. -- read more

They Are Not Just Numbers

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
With this post I’m passing the milestone of 500 posts to this blog. It is almost ironic that today’s post is about the latest deaths in Afghanistan. The media has been making much of the fact that the three Canadians killed Friday in an IED attack crosses the ‘threshold’ of 100 deaths during the Afghanistan mission. For the families of the men killed, their friends and their communities they are not 98, 99 and 100 — they are Mark Mclaren, Demetrios Diplaros and Robert Wilson — men who believed in the mission and died trying to see it succeed.

I’m not a person who is moved to tears often but the deaths of each Canadian in Afghanistan moves me. I’ll be one of the Canadians up on the bridges tomorrow. Standing to the left of the Legion colour party, our Sgt-at-Arms will be standing on the right. As the procession approaches he’ll call out “Branch 187 — to our fallen comrades — salute!” -- read more

Parliament Suspended - Harper Has Reprieve, For Now

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Harper has concluded an over two hour meeting with the Governor General and has had his request to porogue parliament granted. The move is clearly to avoid confidence motions scheduled to take place in the House on Monday. While he’s busy accusing the Liberal-NDP coalition of making a power grab, he’s made it just as clear that he will cling to power at all cost.

Had the GG not consented to his request, which she could have refused since it was clearly an avoidance move, then she would have had to have chosen between an election, barely 2 months after the last one, or asking the Liberal-NDP coalition to take the reigns. -- read more

The Bully Teeters on the Edge

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Well, I must say I’m a tad surprised but intrigued. I have been watching the reports over the last several days about the Liberals, NDP and Bloc in talks about forming a coalition government to bring down Harper and his gang of bullies. I didn’t really expect that the egos in the group would manage to tone themselves down enough to actually work out an agreement. I’m a bit impressed, now to see if it can be sustained.

Seems to me since the Liberals and the NDP have managed to work out an agreement with the pledged support of the Bloc for about a year, that those three have at least got it that compromise is needed to make government work. That is a lot more than Harper has managed to get and actually carry through on — and he has a lot more to loose. -- read more

Ottawa Soap Opera Continues

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
One thing I’ve always found a bit of a pain about soap operas are their rather long drawn out plot (or lack thereof). Someone deciding to create a soap of the latest goings on in Ottawa might just get my attention. So let’s see, the story to this point…..

On October 14th, Canadians granted the Conservatives yet another minority government in the general election. At the same time that was taking place, the world’s economy (including Canada’s) was going to hell in a handbasket at a rate that few even mused about. The Liberals and the NDP both campaigned with promises of economic stimulus while the Conservatives don’t worry, be happy approach until the polls showed them dropping hard over their lack of notice to the economy. All three parties declared that Canada would not run a deficit under their watch. -- read more