Anyone reading the plethora of information and opinion in MSM and blogs about the flag-lowering debate can easily be overwhelmed and confused.
Emotions run high and opinions are ranging everywhere from sympathy for the families' perceived outrage, to firm acceptance of the directive that earlier protocol should be re-instated.
Clearly this situation is a political football with opposition screaming foul, and media feeling further alienated by a related decision not to allow coverage of the returning bodies.
Calgary Sun columnist Licia Corbella highlights the best argument for supporting the government's decision to keep the flag flying high:
"Exactly 60,661 Canadian soldiers died in the First World War, at a time when the entire population of Canada was barely eight million. Almost 43,000 Canadians perished in the Second World War in a country of 11.5 million.
If we lowered the flag one day for everyone of those who gave all in those two great wars the flag atop the Peace Tower would have to have been lowered starting in 1914 and we'd have more than 190 years to go.
That would render the lowering of the flag to utter meaninglessness and morbidity."
Somewhere else I read the concern that if the flag ends up in perpetual half-mast state, would we then be arguing about quarter-mast positioning?
Today's Toronto Sun has a brilliant editorial suggesting that instead of all this rhetoric and discussion, let's get on with funding the troops properly. This will honour the dead in a far more productive manner:
"...until we properly compensate and care for all those who serve, and served, in our military, we will never truly honour our war dead. Talk is cheap. It’s now time for action."
Liberal defense critic Ujjal Dosanjh is accusing the government of aligning itself too close to U.S. policy:
"It's extremely disturbing that this government would take a page out of [U.S. President George] Bush's modus operandi," Mr. Dosanjh said.
Personally, I think this is another area where the "steely resolve" that George Bush attributed to Stephen Harper during their talks about softwood lumber will serve us all well.
'Dithering' with the Taliban is not an option.
23 comments:
THis is just a Liberal way to grab media attention and you know what the media are the suckers!
If you subscribe to the theory that the MSM and the Liberals are joined at the lip, then this is just the latest in 'throw anything at Harper in the hopes it will stick'.
I stopped watching NewsNet as of last night. I can't take it anymore. I have only so many brain cells left and I refuse to sacrfice the neurons and synapses that snap and shrivel every time I see the knives out for a good government with good policies.
If I was a soldier I would be dying a second time at the thought of my death being used for partisan purposes.
The rock bottom sorrow that I feel when I hear about a soldier's death gets turned to such a visceral anger when I see their deaths being turned into a weapon against the mission and against the Conservatives.
I don't know what is worse, the appeasers or the sleazers.
If you want our soldiers home, then help them win and let them come home victorious.
*Applause* Molar!! So well said!
And this: "the MSM and the Liberals are joined at the lip" Great stuff!
To paraphrase TV's funniest moment (and ruin it by making it partisan)
"The Liberal Party and the MSM are like Siamese elephants joined at the trunk. They couldn't really make any noise, just sort of 'snorrrrk'.
And when one sneezed, the other's eyes would get reallllly big."
Apologies to Tim Conway.
Another gem! They just keep coming!
I find it odd that Jason Kenny brought a motion to the house which stated that Canada should lower the flag after every soldier died in the wake of the HMCS Chicoutimi fire which killed Chris Saunders.
Hmmmm...interesting.
not really people are allowed to have their own opinions even if they are Conservative or Liberal. MP's are people too...
either way whatever you believe the last thing the families of the deceased need is the media saying would you like the flag down... not right now they need to mourn
Lincoln Dinning, Matthew Dinnings father, stated that he was disturbed that the government would not lower the flag for his son. He asked whoever has flags, to lower them in memory of the four soldiers who were killed yesterday, since the government is not apt to do so.
Yes, I heard that too, Zac. The thing is, when and where do you draw the line? If everything is half-mast then nothing is half-mast.
Things are likely going to get ugly. More and more coffins are going to be coming home. The opposition would love the flag raised and lowered day after day, because it would serve to undermine support. Is that what you want?
I support the war in Afghanistan. I approved of Harper's first trip abroad being in Afghanistan. I just think that those who died serving our nation deserve more than secrecy.
I understand the argument that in WWII, the flag would consistantly have been at half-staff, I understand all of that. And, I understand how odd it sounds to say that we should pick and choose our combat missions where we want to lower the flag. And I understand how it seems that these troops are more important than our troops in WWII because we are willing to lower the flag for them individually as opposed to one day. I get all of that.
But I feel that Harper and O'Connors move is politically motivated. Lowered flags and coffins remind people of the human toll involved with Afghanistan. I dont understand why Harper would do such a move, I thought that Canadians were behind the war in Afghanistan.
This seems to be a very partisan topic. On my random walks through the blog sphere when I supposed to be working, I find that all tories want the flag at full staff and all Libs, dippers, and non-politico's want it raised.
Seems odd....
"I just think that those who died serving our nation deserve more than secrecy."
That's right. They deserve respect and privacy.
They deserve respect, not to serve political ends.
Yes, Zac, I agree with you there. And if you can find one politician who isn't 'playing politics' with this one, let me know.
It'd be tough to find one blogger who isn't either.
Zac - touché!
Uterly Meaningless Morbity... and self serving opportunism.
One is the MSMs main mover the other is the Halmark of Liberals.
Somebody just removed a comment, and it wasn't me!
Vicki - the local Michael Moore fan club? Yikes! I hope you didn't get indigestion.
Thank you for your comments sara. Which by the way, I like the song by Starship, though I never sing it. Just watch the MSM perhaps tomorrow disect this into liberal spin. But we here at BT know better
We all know the Opposition leader
flip-flop on this last November. I wonder how much coverage that gets?
One more reason why we need the Blogging Tories site.
Where was the outrage when Carolyn Parrish let her Muslim voters lower the Canadian flag at Palestine-House when Arafat died on November 10th our time but used rememberance day for tribute to the terrorist that enable the now Palestinian Hamas Party that uses the Quran to murder people.
What about Copps tribute to Gamil Gharbi's Jihad for Allah to murder 14 female students in Montreal.
The Liberals lost the Election, get over it Jack, and put a muzzle on Olivia since she thinks she is on City council and must yell to make a point.
Anonymous - "Where was the outrage when Carolyn Parrish let her Muslim voters lower the Canadian flag at Palestine-House when Arafat died on November 10th our time but used rememberance day for tribute to the terrorist that enable the now Palestinian Hamas Party that uses the Quran to murder people.
What about Copps tribute to Gamil Gharbi's Jihad for Allah to murder 14 female students in Montreal."
Do you have any references to back that up? I never heard about any of it.
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