Dakota Beacon

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

 Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark the place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing fly,

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields

(In Flanders Fields: John McCrae, Canadian poet, 1872-1918)

When I was a little girl I would often ask my grandmother about when she was a little girl, on the frontier of South Dakota. She had lost her mother when very young and although she remembered her she spoke little of her and it was usually indirect, about her belongings or physical features. She and her sisters had been doted on by their mother’s parents. Her grandfather owned the Knickerbocker Hotel in Eureka. Whenever the train came into the station he would be there to greet those getting off at Eureka, tell them where the best hotel was and the best restaurant (his own), read the local papers and catch up on news and gossip. Her most vivid memory of him was on November 11, 1918. She came outside to see him running down the street toward the hotel, yelling, “The War is over! The Great War is over!” Such was his elation that that piece of news was the strongest memory she had. She must have also felt a great relief because her elder half-brother was then serving in Italy.

I’ve observed that regardless of political bent, Americans who have had meaningful relationships with earlier generations of their families tend toward a more patriotic feeling toward our country than others. Maybe it is the stories which are passed down. Whether we know much about them or not, most of us born here have forebears who have served and some who have died in the service of our country. We should be proud of them and grateful for their sacrifices. Those who have come to our shores seeking a better life, and to live in freedom denied them in the lands of their birth also have a special connection with our heroes, for without these heroes these immigrants would not have that opportunity to thrive here. Most of those people – those who came here for those reasons, anyway – share that gratitude and understand their connection and we have a special bond with them.

Our ”Veterans Day” is celebrated in Canada as Remembrance Day. While we have sadly lost much of our deep connection with the day set aside to honor our heroes, with only passing comments by our leaders or the laying of a wreath, this day to honor their heroes has always been historically very important to Canadians. Wearing the symbolic poppies has somewhat gone out of vogue here, but in Canada it remains one of the ways they show respect. Sports celebrity, Don Cherry, always outspoken and ready to stir up a bit of controversy, stated, "You people that come here... you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that... These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price.” A firestorm ensued, first producing an apology from Sportsnet, then from Cherry’s co-host, Ron MacLean. The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council said they had been overwhelmed with complaints about Cherry’s remark and then, on Remembrance Day, Sportsnet announced that Cherry has been fired.

It’s massive overkill. For his part, Cherry refuses to retract his statement and stands by it. His fans and those who care about freedom of speech in Canada have been invited to sign a petition protesting his firing. Cherry is 85. It’s not about “what’s he going to do?” - it’s about his right to have and express an opinion. For what it’s worth, I agree with Cherry’s sentiment that those who have come to the U.S. and Canada from other countries should assimilate and share our values or they should not come here in the first place. Part of that is gratitude for the many different sacrifices and efforts which went into winning and securing of our freedom. On the other hand, no one’s speech or expression should be forced. The same principle which applies to Jordan Peterson’s right not to be forced to use weird pronouns he doesn't believe in for people should apply to everyone. We can disagree with their view but we should not force anyone to express something alien to them. (That said, we should note that if they find it that alien perhaps they came here for the wrong reasons. That’s fairly said, and Cherry said it.)

So we have a tempest here because one person voiced the opinion that everyone should express the same opinion and then he got fired for it. None of this is right. Cherry has a right to an opinion – it isn’t in the least racist. It is provocative, but we should not be threatened simply for saying something someone else, or even the majority, disagrees with. For the record, I’m on Cherry’s side in that he has the right to say what he thinks, but I don’t agree that people should be forced in some way, or coerced, into expressing, symbolically, what they would not express freely. Asking someone to lie is not constructive. Maybe asking them to think about the implication of their action is, though.

America got into the First World War very late, as a nation (although some fought for Canada, England or France before we declared our involvement) and Canada was hit very, very hard. In 1918, the population of Canada was 8 million. Canada lost 60,000-plus lives in that war, 1 of every 133 Canadians died in a “fight for freedom”. Think of that – and a war on foreign soil. Many more served and many more were injured. Many also fought as soldiers for other nations – France, England, etc., as well. Nearly every Canadian sacrificed in some significant way in WWI.

Freedom, as we are told, is not “free”. It is won and must be defended through the valor of armed services. Armistice Day, as my granny used to call it, became “Veterans Day” in 1954, to honor all of our Veterans, living or dead, while our Memorial Day honors those who died in the service of our country. Part of that freedom they fought for was our right to express ourselves, even when we disagreed with them. While I agree with Cherry in his feelings toward those who fail to recognize - or show hostility toward - the immense sacrifice of Canada’s soldiers on Remembrance Day, it’s also a fact that a phony show of gratitude and patriotism is really an empty act. Better to just tell us who and what you are.

Meanwhile, in England, which led the charge in WWI, that freedom really doesn’t exist anymore – their contribution to the war was a waste of their lives and blood. In England today, a majority of their students (which means a majority of their future people) do not want freedom of speech (which means they don’t want freedom, period).

In the end, the betrayers here are the youth of our countries who would deep-six these freedoms so hard-won through the greatest of sacrifices, as if they were a gum wrapper, and above all, those in authority – Sportsnet, MacLean and the rest who are out there apologizing for Cherry and punishing him for exercising the freedom that we have all inherited from those who died.

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