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| Montréal, 6 nov. - 19 nov. 1999 |
Numéro
49
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John McCrae died in 1918 as a result of injuries sustained in WWI. I often
wonder what he would have to say if he were here today to witness the state
that this once great nation has fallen into. Would he be oblivious like
most of us are to the decay of our democracy and the rise of the beast
called socialism? Or would he, like many of the vets I have spoken with
lately, complain bitterly about the intrusion of the state into our everyday
lives?
Of course any answer to this question would be mere speculation. Or would it? Take up our quarrel with the foe Who was John's foe? The Germans? On a superficial level the answer may be that simple. But in any other possible universe the answer may have been different. The fact of the matter is that John's foe, at least physically speaking, could have been a number of different peoples. It is my assertion that in fact John's foe was not simply What ideology was that? Without going into a very nit picky and deep analysis of Germany's history up to and including the beginning of the 20th century one would have to classify it as fascism. John, in my opinion, was calling on future generations to defend the ideals that he and his brethren were giving their lives for. He and millions like him, died in the quest to preserve our freedom. But in what way have we honoured their sacrifice? Almost a hundred years ago these brave men gave their lives so that our Common Wealth could remain in a state of Liberty. But now, as I look around me I fear that we have failed John and his comrades. I fear that the words of one WWII Veteran I recently spoke with have come true:
To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If the handing off of this torch were a football game my generation has fumbled the ball. And perhaps so too has my father's. Each generation born into this world seems to understand less and less the principles of individual liberty which made this continent so strong. From Texas to the Yukon Canadians and Americans have enjoyed lives free from conflict and oppression. But this is changing and the mechanisms which degrade these principles come at us from every legal and philosophical direction imaginable. From antitrust laws in the U.S. to gun control in Canada, all serve one ultimate purpose: to subjugate the individual to the power of the state. In another generation or two, with the help of I read somewhere once that If ye break faith with us who die, We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders Fields. Beware. The dead are stirring. |
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