Poppy fever

Looks like a toxic brew of political correctitude and poppy fever just ended Don Cherry's run. That's OK with me; he's at least ten or fifteen years past his stale date. Ron's probably over too.

Poppy fever runs wild at this time of year. We gotta remember all those folks who made the ultimate sacrifice, after all. Fair enough. What they made the ultimate sacrifice for, though, isn't something you're supposed to bring up at such a solemn moment.

Take Afghanistan for example. What were Canadian Forces "defending" in Afghanistan? What was achieved, besides 158 dead, thousands more injured, and even more thousands crippled by PTSD?


For all that, and for the billions of dollars squandered, we accomplished what?

That's the kind of question that veterans, and indeed, all of us, should be asking, especially at this time of year.

Warmongers gather to celebrate failure of Great War to end all wars

Just what is that hand-holding thing Trump and Macron like to do when they get together?



I think the Trumpenstein gets a bad rap sometimes... doesn't look too homophobic in that shot.

And doesn't our "Sunny Daze" Trudeau looked chuffed to be seated in the front row, next to the greatest leader since Moses and his boss Sara?



I'm surprised there's not a conspiracy theory yet about Sara and Brigitte Macron having been separated at birth...



Maybe if I have time this afternoon I'll cook one up.

So while we're remembering the millions who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War, including 60,000 Canadians, let's not forget that war was Greatly Profitable for the captains of industry and titans of finance on all sides.

Remembrance Day

heroes

the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month

we celebrate them still

the farm boys and the factory hands

looking for a way out

a way ahead

adventure

a way to get away

and they found it

in the boot camps and the barracks and the trenches

was it everything they'd dreamed

those innocent dreamers?

or was it everything they feared

boredom and

more boredom

more boredom


and then the fear

sheer pants-soiling fear

day after night after day

in those maggot infested ditches

the boredom and the fear

day after week

after month

after year

in those maggot infested ditches

until one last time the order came


over the top

for God and King

over the top for God

and the Kaiser

over the top

chin down

bayonet fixed

finger on the trigger

ready

fear

sheer pants-shitting fear

but choke it back

you're on the attack

and nothing can be worse than

those rat-infested trenches

onward to glory!

for God and...

the end