"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Thursday 27 November 2014

Such Deceit

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Guest Post":

9:13
That is true. I worked at Sunnybrook. But that was then. Now the support network for vets is being reduced across the country. And patients are still " trying to jump", some of them taking their families with them. We can do better and the billions of un-spent money in Ottawa is ugly.

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 27 November 2014 10:20


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I do not consider myself expert in much that is military. But it does seem a couple of things are being deliberately left out of the equation by all concerned.

Veterans  of World War 1 and 11 are not the same as veterans of  a volunteer  army serving 6 month tours of duty to wherever their government sends them.

The essential,differenceis the first were conscripted and spent the duration of a declared war  away from home.

The second  were enticed into  military  service with the promise of an exciting and fulfilling life style.
 
Nothing prepares them for the ugly reality they face in the places they never expected to see..

A couple of years ago, I watched a series on Prime Ministers of Canada .Probably on CBC.

Prime Minister Henry Borden 's name came up again  just before Remembrance Day.

Apparently in  the first war, he vowed to raise an army of 150,000 men to send  in defence of the Motherland.

Canada's population was less than 3 million. That was an entire generation.

He went to visit them in France as war progressed. Found them living  in unimaginable misery and so happy he  had come  to visit them .

As   he continued on to London , he  was so filled with rage he lifted  Brotish Prime Minister Lloyd

George  off his feet by his lapels and shook him.

He had a heart attack and died shortly after returning home to Canada.

I believe a person can die of heartbreak.

I believe Henry Borden died of heartbreak when he understood  a generation of young Canadians had been betrayed at his hand.

All those battles,  newly memorialized by monuments  because  thousands  died.

Canadians were sent  in because they were " green" troops.
O

 Crack regiments were held back for strategic purpose.,

Cannon fodder was the term used for all the rest.

Words like Glory...Courage...Heroism...Sacrifice...Defending our values ...that 's all bullshit crap,
used by politicians to obscure the reality of  failure , miscalculation and cold-blooded exploitation of trust.

So millions of dollars are  now allocated for mental health services to repair broken spirits of young men and women shattered by the horror of their experience.

Here  in Aurora, fund-raising dinners are organized by  the hoi-poloi to provide  dress uniforms for the  Regiment and  care packages for the soldiers.

18 comments:

Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Borden said...

Who is Henry?!

Anonymous said...

The huge problem is that the millions - no, billions-
" allocated " have been unspent while the need has become more and more obvious.

Anonymous said...

Evelyn

I must make a correction or two to your theory.

First. Those that went to Europe in The Great War (as it was called then) were mostly volunteers (mostly men that moved to Canada from the UK in the first place). Borden's target was 150,000 by the end of 1915. By 1916 there were about 300,000 volunteers. In 1917, the government entered into the conscription debate. Recruits were few and far between from Quebec (about 5% of the total) and fresh recruits were needed. The Act was passed in August 1917.

Most of the volunteers thought that this would be a short affair and based on the wars of the recent past (Boer War for example), the opportunity for adventure was a keen inducement.

The very same issues came up in WW II. Most that entered service were volunteers - again mostly English speaking/British heritage. A referendum was held in 1942 and the majority approved conscription. But the conscripts were for "home defence" only. Barely 2500 conscripted troops actually saw combat overseas.

Today's troops are not any different than those. When someone enlists in a militia unit like the QYR, there are various motivations. For some, it is the opportunity to make some money from a part-time job. Others consider it a "try it out" for regular forces service or enrollment in a school like the Royal Military College. Others are sort of pushed that way by peers or parents in the hope to get some dicpline.

The difference now is that today's veterans are limited to a few thousand. Even less with any physical, mental or emotional scars. The infrastructure created for the vets of WW I and II was huge, there were hundreds of thousands that came back needing attention.

I do not like your tone regarding the "hoi-poloi" in Aurora. I wish you would cut them some slack - unless you have some first hand experience with them, I do not think you fully appreciate what they do.

Anonymous said...

And we do not teach history in the schools.

Anonymous said...

14:14
Do you not agree that there should be no need for events to raise money for individuals who have served or are serving our country when there is funding available from governments sources that simply is not being allocated properly ?

Anonymous said...

14:14, I suspect she's misused the term "hoi polloi."

Anonymous said...

15:59

The fund raising in question is for the QYR Association. They perform a similar function to the USO in the USA. They put together packages to send to overseas stationed troops that contain things that are not part of the normal kit and support them in ways outside of normal DND ways.

The line between the QYR Assc. and the QYR is very thin. The QYR Assc. is also not unique, there are regimental associations in many areas.

So, this fundraising is not impacted positively or negatively by the allocation of DVA funds. To link them is not correct or fair to the QYR.

Anonymous said...

14:14

Perhaps, but the sub-text around the comment came through loud and clear.

Anonymous said...

The misuse of money in all levels of money is criminal. Yet somehow it always gets justified.

Anonymous said...

Right, maybe she confused "hoi polloi" with "hoity toity"?

Anonymous said...

23:47
Does it matter to you ?

Anonymous said...

Off- topic
Christopher

Anonymous said...

9:45
Ouch !

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

17:55
If you are still on your own well, that can be very flexible. I have always thought there might be something wrong with the water at the Town Hall.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Gas was under a dollar in the Maritimes yesterday.

Anonymous said...

The only ones that Mr Watts left standing were those on favour of the ward system & the electorate took them out.