Boy oh boy if you do anything before somebody thinks you should, you’re going to hear about it!
The London Santa Claus Parade is on this weekend. Plenty of folks are bitching that it shouldn’t be on before Remembrance Day. I don’t know when that was a rule. Since when do we have to mark one occasion at a time? Don’t Veterans enjoy Christmas too? And how does a one-day event that’s done and gone before the 11th cause a problem? I don’t see where there’s inherent disrespect involved.
But something I do find disrespectful is the white poppy. Proponents of peace are distributing white poppies which Veterans Affairs officials say are completely disrespectful. I agree. It paints the red poppy wearer as a war-monger. I’m not for war, never have been. But I’m for supporting the people who fought in wars and that’s what the poppy is about.
Fortunately the white poppy people have almost run out of poppies. They’re saying they won’t have any left to distribute on Remembrance Day and I say, good. Money raised by the sale of red poppies goes directly to veterans’ care. It’s a symbol of support and gratitude. And it’s the only poppy we need.
I find it hilarious that there are people who think we all have such impossibly small minds that we can only handle one commemoration/indignation at a time. The number of posts on websites and FB pages about turning attention away from the Ford Fiasco (2014 models now on sale!) and towards the gas plant debacle or the senate scandal. Honestly, there’s enough ink and ire to go around, people. We’re not three years old. Well, most of us aren’t….!