Decades ago, hundreds of thousands of Canadians answered their nation's call to arms, to defend their nation and the world against the tyranny of the Nazi war machine in Europe. Tens of thousands of them died.
Skip forward to 2022 where a different kind of threat, COVID-19, is endangering the lives and health of the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and other at-risk folks worldwide. A segment of Canadian society, well represented at a rally in Ottawa, won't even get a medically approved vaccination to aid their country and fellow citizens in time of need.
Instead, they dance on the National War Memorial, the nation's tribute to those who gave their lives for their country, and deface the statue of a true Canadian hero, Terry Fox. It seems fitting, somehow, in an ironic kind of way.
Vaccines against COVID-19 are not perfect. Some folks should not get them, for personal medical reasons. But they are approved by national and international medical associations across the globe, as being safe for the vast majority of people. They carry with them the hope if enough people get vaccinated, the spread of COVID-19 will be halted, and the disease will not have the opportunity to mutate into more contagious and deadly forms.
But a segment of the trucking industry, arm-chair medical professionals that they seem to be, profess to know better. They will not be vaccinated. And they are sufficiently well-heeled financially, that they can take time off work, and drive diesel guzzling big rigs halfway across the country to dance in defiance, and disrespect, on the site of the National War Memorial.
Times have certainly changed.
Decades ago, an American president inspired a generation of not only Americans, but citizens of other countries around the world with the directive, " Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." These words are seemingly lost in history. And, if they were resurrected today, they would probably be laughed at by the dancers on the National War Memorial, those false heroes who won't even get a needle to help their fellows. They are the epitome of what we have become -- the "me" generation, whose motto seems to be, "Screw you Jack, I'm OK".
Terry Storey,
Olds
