My father, landed on Juno Beach on D Day and was lucky enough to have lived to celebrate the Liberation of the Netherlands In Utrecht. An uncle served as a medic in Holland while other uncles were artillery. My father's best friend and neighbour survived more than 2 years in a POW camp. Every family in the community sent fathers, uncles, brothers and sons to war, some never to return, many returning with mental and physical scars.
We were not only raised by veterans, they were an integral part of our lives, woven into the very fabric of our families and our communities in every sense of the word.
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| CFB Penhold, AB |
At home and at school, Boomers learned how to recognize fascism. During the 50s and even into the 60s, students practiced 'duck and cover' bombing drills. Our home was minutes from an airbase which served as a crucial training facility during World War II and the Cold War and later as a NATO training base, eventually becoming a radar station and a provincial emergency government headquarters bunker. As kids, we didn't give it much thought, but, like a good Catholic, who gives their child to the church, we were indoctrinated by veterans who taught us everything they knew about fascism; how to recognize it, fear it, resist it.
The US has been on a downhill roll for many years. The concept of fascism isn't new to the Republican Party. It's been readying itself for at least two decades, perhaps more. You might think I'm wrong. I hope I am. We make decisions and choices every day. Sometimes we get it right; sometimes we don't. I would rather risk being wrong than see Canada follow down the path of our southern neighbours. From where I sit, there's only one party that offers even a semblance of hope. That's the party I'll be supporting.
I'm not looking for your support; I'm certainly not looking for your opposing viewpoint. Take it or leave it.
