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musings of mark since 2001

Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times asked for some poetry submissions about the Iraq war, worth repeating for those that don’t have a subscription to the paper.

An embittered second lieutenant who asks not to be named wrote:

Knock the dust off your boots, my boy,
It’s time to ride again.
The frontier has gone restless now
And we must crush this rebellion. . . .
These people understand only violence,
So let’s give it to ‘em now.
We’ll ride ‘em down like Cherokee;
We’ll trample ‘em like Pueblo.
These savages are ruthless;
They understand no law.
So we’ll pick up our Peacemakers,
And shoot ‘em like Choctaw. . . .
Rally round the flag, my boy,
And grab your rifle, too.
The Red Man’s turned Brown, my boy,
And there’s a lot of peacemaking to do.

No deer fences here and they come right up to the kitchen window. Everything that makes noise is plugged in so time I got the miscellaneous boxes picked up and put away. Lots of storage upstairs, just a matter of going up more stairs. There’s 74 steps from the car to the front door with a few landings in between to rest, really glad I don’t have much stuff.

The view is in a word, spectacular. A cruise ship taking the shortcut up the sunshine coast went cruising by as another one came into port, you can see the outflow of the Fraser river delta out into the ocean and the container ships waiting offshore to come in and unload.

60 years ago today the world waited and hoped while soldiers from around the world converged on Juno Beach in France to drive a wedge into the Nazi occupation of that country and a lot of the rest of Europe.

Watching the now over 80 year old men walk past the Queen and down the beach to the water’s edge was quite moving. Many of them stooped down and picked up a handful of sand and felt it run through their fingers, a tactile remembrance of the past.

Since then, more civilians than soldiers have been killed in wars in the name of business rather than freedom and none of them have memorials. In the latest excursion by the Americans, about 10,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed “for freedom” in the War on Terrorism that has brought them more misery than ever experienced under their previous dictator’s rule.

The word “war” has been bastardized to include any action against civilians. At least it seems that way for our neighbours to the south with their War on Poverty, War and Drugs, and War on Anything else that doesn’t fit the values of business for profit. It’s a stark contrast to the meaning of “war” for the soldiers and civilians who supported them 60 years ago today.

First night in my new home out Highland Trail and Calgary is going into overtime to try to bring Lord Stanley home for a visit for the first time in eleven years.

The view up here is magnificent; all the way past UBC and think I can see the USA in the smog in the background. Will have to get the web cam up and running, lots to keep it interesting. Quite the hike though, about 100 steps from where the car is parked and steep ones too! It’s only a summer place because eventually the property will be sold and I’ll be looking for another place on Bowen but for now going to enjoy it.

Foundation has been poured and ripping off the forms now, I was the vibrator person following the hose puking out cement. The whole process took about 4 hours and plenty of time for me to meet the cable guy. Nice to have it all ready to go as soon as you move in and to top it off it’s going to be the start of the 2nd! overtime in the hockey game.