The 20-year ban on media coverage of American war dead being returned to U.S. soil has been lifted and we have to wonder if Ontario's much publicized Highway of Heroes influenced the Obama administration.
Ehh. Maybe.
Showing posts with label Highway of Heroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Highway of Heroes. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
I Always Thought It Was Cheap Patriotism
...slapping up some signs on the 401 and calling it the "Highway Of Heroes", but this Sun Family Blog post suggests that the upshot might have been a positive change in the U.S. war-dead policy:
The 20-year ban on media coverage of American war dead being returned to U.S. soil has been lifted and we have to wonder if Ontario's much publicized Highway of Heroes influenced the Obama administration.
Ehh. Maybe.
The 20-year ban on media coverage of American war dead being returned to U.S. soil has been lifted and we have to wonder if Ontario's much publicized Highway of Heroes influenced the Obama administration.
Ehh. Maybe.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Dalton McGuinty Engages in Cheesy Faux Patriotism. Conservatives Ask: Why Didn't We Think Of That?
Factually, Toronto Sun Columnist Connie Woodcock has it right. Renaming a strip of the 401 "The Highway Of Heroes" is about as crass a political ploy as you can find:
And what about McGuinty's apparent willingness to go along with the idea? Let's not forget there's a provincial election coming up and this sort of meaningless gesture could be politically helpful, appealing as it does to cheap sentiment. And best of all, for a politician, unlike any of the other stuff the premier has promised lately, it's almost free, give or take a few road signs.
Of course, The Sun spent most of June ramming the yellow ribbon campaign down Torontonians' throats, so one can only assume that they're huffed they didn't get to this one first. And frankly, with John Tory sinking under the weight of his faith-based school initiative, who knows if something as simple and emotionally sloppy as this will buy Dalton his Liberal Majority?
Look, there is nothing wrong with wearing a yellow ribbon, but unless the proceeds from their sale are going to buy our troops body armor, you can support them just as effectively by dropping your pants and farting in the general direction of Afghanistan.
And I wish people would grasp the fact that wearing a yellow ribbon has very little to do with backing the troops, far more to do with raising their own spirits re. a war going sour halfway around the world. Renaming highways or wearing yellow ribbons to help the war effort is a lot like attempting to cure World Hunger through masturbation: it makes you feel good, but it doesn't help the hungry.
And what about McGuinty's apparent willingness to go along with the idea? Let's not forget there's a provincial election coming up and this sort of meaningless gesture could be politically helpful, appealing as it does to cheap sentiment. And best of all, for a politician, unlike any of the other stuff the premier has promised lately, it's almost free, give or take a few road signs.
Of course, The Sun spent most of June ramming the yellow ribbon campaign down Torontonians' throats, so one can only assume that they're huffed they didn't get to this one first. And frankly, with John Tory sinking under the weight of his faith-based school initiative, who knows if something as simple and emotionally sloppy as this will buy Dalton his Liberal Majority?
Look, there is nothing wrong with wearing a yellow ribbon, but unless the proceeds from their sale are going to buy our troops body armor, you can support them just as effectively by dropping your pants and farting in the general direction of Afghanistan.
And I wish people would grasp the fact that wearing a yellow ribbon has very little to do with backing the troops, far more to do with raising their own spirits re. a war going sour halfway around the world. Renaming highways or wearing yellow ribbons to help the war effort is a lot like attempting to cure World Hunger through masturbation: it makes you feel good, but it doesn't help the hungry.
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