“LET’S START A TRADITION!”

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #287

              My wife Grace was born and raised in Canada, and she has told me that there is a tradition there for the days in November before Armistice Day where most people wear a red poppy at the 11:00 position on their shoulders or collars. Of course, November 11 is the day that the “War to End All Wars” finally ended, and this one will mark the 99th anniversary of that end. The tradition originated from a Canadian Brigade Surgeon named John McCrae who wrote the poem In Flanders Fields in 1915 to commemorate those troops that had died on that battle field in Flanders, France. It begins with the words “In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row. . ” So in Canada the red poppy is the national symbol for remembrance. The color red stands for the blood of those who had given their lives, and the green at the center of the flower stands for the hope brought to us all by the new grass and crops that will continue to grow on the field.

              I believe that this is a great and meaningful tradition. Our leaders must always ensure that our fighting troops are never sent into battle unless our national security or interests are at stake. But if they are so sent and lose their lives in the process, we have an absolute obligation to remember and honor them. And I think this is a great way. So please join me in starting this new tradition here in our country. As of November 1 of each year I plan to wear a red poppy. In fact, I recently purchased 1,000 of them from the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Dana Point for only $120. (That’s only 12 cents per paper flower, as you mathematics wizards will determine.) And I plan to give all of them away to people who simply agree to wear them. But in addition to VFW posts, other organizations are also selling them, including at Amazon, and you can find more by simply Googling “Red Poppies.” So if you live close to me, please feel free to come by and I will give you a poppy. Or please join me in purchasing them from whatever source they are available and wearing a red poppy every day between November 1 and Veteran’s Day, which is celebrated at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of every year. We have our freedom because of the great sacrifices of our fallen troops. And they fundamentally deserve our thanks and recognition.

Story for the week:

A lady speaking to a coroner: “My husband died a natural death.”

Coroner: “But you pushed him off a roof.”

Lady: “Gravity is Natural.”

Coroner: “Let’s just call it a Death by the Coronavirus.”