Neglecting the future, celebrating an imaginary past; Canada goes koo-koo for monuments and memorials

The paint is barely dry in the brand-spankin'-new Canadian Museum for Human Rights, when the next memorial to the suffering of others is already creating a flap. Apparently victims of communism were not adequately represented in the Museum for Human Rights, and are therefore due to get their own memorial in Ottawa.

As the article points out, the architect community is somewhat divided re the merits of this monument to Canadian self-importance. Frankly, I'd like to see the tax-payer community get riled up about building politically motivated memorials all over the place.

And why a memorial in Canada for victims of communism? Yes, people suffered and died under communist regimes. People have suffered and died under many types of regimes, including our type. When is the memorial coming for the Vietnamese victims of America's war in Indo-China?

Anyway, after the victims of communism get their own memorial in Ottawa, it only stands to reason that the Chosen People get their own Holocaust memorial in Ottawa, and sure enough, that's coming too!  Nevermind that virtually the only connection between Canada and the holocaust was our denial of refugee status to Jews fleeing Hitler; we're all aboard the Holocaust Memorial bandwagon 75 years later! (approximately 250 Holocaust Memorials or Museums worldwide and counting...)

But wait! The Harper brain trust has fabricated a personage called "Mother Canada," who is scheduled to get her own 10 storey memorial in Cape Breton!

I can just see how this is gonna fly with the locals...  Lard tunderin Jeezus! The fuckers got a hundred million to piss away on a gawdam statue and meanwhile theys cuttin back me pogey check the gawdam fuckin bastards... fuck Ottawa anyways!

Canada's shameful treatment of her veterans

With all their effusive lip service to the sacrifices made by "our heroic men and women in uniform," you'd expect that the Harper gang would score high marks for how they treat our veterans.

You'd be wronger than wrong.

The National Post has a story today about veterans being coerced into signing a confidentiality agreement as a condition to getting service from the Joint Personnel Support Unit. Isn't that rich! These are folks who suffered grievously to serve their country. Every one of them thought they were fighting for freedom and democracy, those Canadian values that Harper and Baird can't ever stop talking about.

But apparently it just won't do to allow Canada's veterans the freedom to criticize the Canadian military in this free and democratic nation.

Freedom of speech isn't something we actually want our veterans to enjoy. It's something they can fight and die for in Afghanistan, but it's a little too risky to let loose in Canada.

The Harper gang's shabby treatment of veterans goes right back to the earliest days of the Harper regime, with the passage of Bill C-45 in 2005, and continues unabated to this day.

Meanwhile, it's full speed ahead for a garish statue on the Cape Breton coast celebrating the sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform...

The hypocrisy is mind boggling.