The Politics of Yellow Ribbons - MERGED

[FastEddy]

I wonder how many of them would become collaborators?

Not many, as my take of Collaboration, means Participation and they didn't have the Bollocks in the first place to do anything.

But it wouldn't surprise me to see them convert to a popular Region to try and save their sorry Butts.

Cheers.

 

[proudnurse]

An article I noted tonight. Very nice read

Article link/Kitchener Waterloo Record: http://www.therecord.com/home_page_local_story/home_page_local_story_1102227.html

Article shared in accordance with the fairdealings.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 | Updated at 7:23 AM EDT


Soldiers grateful for support
Yellow ribbons touch hearts of firefighters serving overseas
MELINDA DALTON

ROBERT WILSON, RECORD STAFF

 
KITCHENER (Jul 18, 2007)

Yellow ribbons are starting to make an appearance on emergency vehicles in Kitchener and Waterloo.

The ribbons, symbolizing support for Canadian soldiers overseas, were added to Waterloo's 15 fire trucks and support vehicles last week.

Yesterday, the Kitchener Fire Department affixed its first ribbon to one of 20 support vehicles.

The entire fleet won't be outfitted until a small kink is worked out. The ribbon magnets ordered by the city won't stick to the department's aluminum-sided trucks.

That problem has also delayed putting the decals on the region's aluminum-backed ambulances, though stickers ordered for those vehicles are expected to arrive before Aug. 1, said John Prno, director of Emergency Medical Services.

The Waterloo and Cambridge fire departments ordered the yellow stickers as well, a move Kitchener will follow, Chief Tim Beckett said.

The glitch didn't prevent the Kitchener department from holding a ceremony yesterday, where the first ribbon was stuck on a magnet-friendly vehicle.

Military families, politicians, soldiers and firefighters gathered at fire department headquarters on Strasburg Road to watch as Beckett placed a ribbon on a command vehicle.

"It means the world to me and puts a smile on my face knowing people care about this," said Ryan Filsinger, 23, a Kitchener native who is home on leave from his pre-deployment training out West.

Filsinger is a member of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Man. He will leave for Afghanistan in February.

"It's just great to come home and see the yellow ribbons and know people are thinking of you," he said.

"I always tell people, 'You don't have to support the mission but support the guys who are leaving their families behind to serve the country.' "

Filsinger's father, Paul, is a member of Families of Canadian Soldiers in Afghanistan, the local group that asked that decals and magnets be allowed on municipal vehicles.

The ribbons have sparked controversy locally and nationwide, with opponents arguing they imply support for the military mission in Afghanistan.

The family group has maintained the ribbons are a symbol of Canadians supporting Canadians serving abroad as well as their families at home and aren't politically motivated.

A number of the group's members were present yesterday as Paul Filsinger presented the fire department with several magnets and thanked the city and emergency services for their support.

"It really does mean a lot to the families," he said. "This is just another tangible way for the city to show their support."

Two members of the Kitchener Fire Department serve in the reserves -- one returned from Afghanistan earlier this year and another is set to start his tour in two weeks.

"It touches very close to the Kitchener Fire Department," Beckett said. "This is just a small token of what we can do to say thanks and safe return."

Tom Ruggle, Kitchener's chief fire prevention officer, is a reservist with the Lorne Scots and one of nearly 2,500 soldiers who will be deployed in coming weeks.

Ruggle is on military leave but returned to the fire station dressed in his sand-coloured fatigues to watch the ribbon ceremony.

The reserves are rooted in the community, he said, so it's nice to see community recognition of their efforts.

"It's nice to know when you leave, when you're over there and when you come back home, you've got something to come back to," he said.

More than 30 members of the Waterloo Region-based reserve units -- the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada and the 48 Field Engineer Squadron -- are preparing for a tour in Afghanistan in 2008.

Last week, Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge councils agreed to allow the yellow ribbons on all their vehicles. The region agreed to allow the ribbons on its ambulances.

The municipalities are waiting for the rest of the ribbons to arrive and they'll likely start showing up on vehicles next week.

The Kitchener Fire Department hopes to have its stickers in place by the beginning of the week, Beckett said.

Waterloo regional police have designed a yellow ribbon pin, which officers can wear on their uniforms to show support for the troops.

mdalton@therecord.com

 

[3rd Herd]

Mods feel free to move  ;D

Toronto mayor David Miller was roundly mocked nationwide for daring to suggest that stickers emblazoned with the message "Support our Troops" didn't belong on city-owned EMS and fire department vehicles. The move to have them removed was critiqued as politically tone-deaf, needlessly confrontational and a symbol of all that was wrong with "centre-of-the-world" Toronto.

So what does it mean when Calgary's mayor takes the same position? From the Calgary Sun:


Mayor David Bronconnier fears the decals will open divisions over the Afghan war.

Bronconnier said using a taxpayer-funded canvas for the yellow troop-supporting stickers would antagonize those who feel the message sanctions a war they oppose.

"I don't believe this council should be involved in politicizing a decision that wasn't theirs," said the mayor...................

"The debate deteriorates to whether Canada should have a role to play in Afghanistan."
http://communities.canada.com/nationalpost/blogs/posted/archive/2007/07/19/support-our-troops-decal-debacle-alberta-edition.aspx

Councillors disagree over troop-support stickers
CP

July 18, 2007

Calgary -- Calgary's mayor says there are better ways to support Canada's troops than to adorn city vehicles with stickers that say "Support our troops." Ric McIver, a city alderman, wants Calgary to follow Toronto's lead and allow city-owned vehicles to display the decals.......................................http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070718.NATS18-2/TPStory/National


Wed, July 18, 2007

Sticker proponents urge troop support
UPDATED: 2007-07-18 17:17:36 MST
By BILL KAUFMANN, SUN MEDIA
Proponents of slapping Support the Troops decals on city vehicles say they’re backed by a growing groundswell of support..............http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2007/07/18/4349963.html


Must be an election year  ;D

 

[peaches]

Bronconnier said using a taxpayer-funded canvas for the yellow troop-supporting stickers would antagonize those who feel the message sanctions a war they oppose.

What about those who support the military, the ones who want us to be successful, don't they get a say.  Why are we always catering to these whiny sniveling wimps in this country????

 

[freeze_time311]

All Canadian people should support out troops regardless of the opinion on the war. Those are born and bred Canadian men and women who are serving over there. I understand some people opposing the war, but don't deny the troops support. 

 

[Flip]

Personally, I think if people had the facts, very few would not support the mission.

I view any individual I meet who does not support the mission as someone
who simply hasn't been informed of the facts.( Usually holds up )

Calgary's mayor can cram it , as far as I'm concerned.
Why should anyone have to defer to the ignorant?

 

[3rd Herd]

Personally, I think if people had the facts, very few would not support the mission.

I view any individual I meet who does not support the mission as someone
who simply hasn't been informed of the facts.( Usually holds up )

Calgary's mayor can cram it , as far as I'm concerned.
Why should anyone have to defer to the ignorant?

Thanks Flip,
I was waitting for someone to mention this. Okay folks it is a election year and a certain alderman needs to get his name in the paper that is it. The Mayor has several initiatives on the go regarding the support the troops issue. How do I know, because on Friday at a fundraiser he was there with NO Press. Several of us got some quality dialogue with him, he even did an impromptu photo shoot that saw about two hundred more dollars suddenly be raised. So any of you in the Calgary are units want to lend the Mayor's office a hand in coordinating PM me and I will give you the contact name and information. As for the ribbons on the vehicles there their bought by the guys and gals who served, or have family in for example.

 

[Sassy]

I wonder how many of them would become collaborators?

Well the radical Islamists and the Socialist in Canada share the same idiology, no seperation of state and it's people.  They are very similar in ethos and idiology, both need to be told how to live and exist. Hitler started out as a socialist, I believe that's the original name of his party and Hitler admired and had some of his troops trained by the Arabs.  Sadly these same people who state we deserve to be attacked would be crawling over the elderly and children in the food and bread lines.

 

[old medic]

Bronco's firing blanks in the battle over whether city vehicles should don soldier support decals

By RICK BELL
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Bell_Rick/2007/07/19/4351443.html

Perhaps we're in a parallel universe or a black hole where a mysterious logic operates.

But what is the mayor of this city thinking?

Bronco almost always has an impeccable sense of which way the winds of public sentiment blow, but, on this occasion, he has somehow lost his direction.

What is the cause for controversy? What is the reason for him to spend any of his well-earned political capital?

Calgary's city-owned vehicles should display a decal indicating support for our troops, as Ald. Ric McIver suggests.

After all, who in the city does not support our fellow- Canadians in uniform, no matter what you may feel of the content of their mission or the politics of the prime minister or the decision of the U.S. president to invade Iraq rather than deal with Afghanistan properly and promptly after 9/11?

Don't we all stand behind our people in that faraway battle where the conflict is not marked by clear lines on a map and victory is not measured in a relentless march from point A to point B?

Don't we all wish them the best and hope they serve with valour and come back home to us? We all honour their courage and their devotion to duty, no matter the stripe of our politics, don't we?

So what's the problem with the city acknowledging this straightforward reality?

Bronco agrees we should back our forces to the hilt, but then somehow doesn't want the decal. And he's adamant about it. He says a decal is just symbolism and he wants to do more.

He wants to organize a significant send-off and welcome home to our soldiers. He wants to help raise money for military families. But he still opposes the decal. Why? Does having a visible sign on a city vehicle mean you can't do all those other important and meaningful things? Is it really a choice of one or the other? The answer is no and it's puzzling why the mayor doesn't appear to see it.

Yes, a decal won't somehow lift people magically out of our junk culture to an instant appreciation and respect for those who serve now, as other brave Canadians have served before. Many citizens can't find Afghanistan on a map and couldn't tell you what Canadians are doing there or even who we are fighting.

It's a tough slog.

Growing up an army brat, I've seen since childhood this country's military dumped on by successive governments while the populace yawned and took a good night's sleep for granted and thought soldiers should only run soup kitchens and run around telling idiots to play nice.

Even simple gestures were off limits. This page recalls the recent fight for a veterans licence plate when the provincial Tories didn't want one, the public didn't care and only the efforts of the vets themselves carried the cause to a final victory.

This page recounts every year the struggle to get people to observe Remembrance Day as something more than a day off, only to see bigger crowds at one mall than at all the ceremonies combined.

A decal is not a remedy. But, as Ald. McIver points out, it is a beginning, a step on the road to doing right.

"I'm not known as a touchy feely guy, but I have strong emotions about many things and this is one," says the alderman, who is lobbying other city council members to get the decal issue on the agenda Monday, the last civic gabfest before September and the second last one before the election in October.

"This is the least we can do. I'm suggesting we start here, not stop here. This is not about politics, this is about humanity, people putting themselves in harm's way for the rest of us."

Bronco, for his part, says Gen. Rick Hillier, the nation's top gun, didn't tell him to put decals on city wheels when they chatted. But did the general object? Not.

The mayor says the city could get all kinds of requests from charities to put their decals on city stuff. A charity is not the same as this nation's forces in combat. Try again.

Bronco says decals are important symbols for private individuals, but not for the city's government. Sounds like a cop out. Why doesn't the mayor tell us what's really on his mind?

Instead, the mayor attacks McIver's intentions.

"I don't believe in this type of quick hit, photo-op politics. Where is he supporting the military?" asks Bronco.

McIver claims the mayor is "grappling for an excuse."

"If you're proud of your support, do it through the front door, not the back door," says the alderman, who is quick to answer why he stands where he does on this issue.

 

[Remius]

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/2007/07/24/4363596-sun.html

At least Toronto reversed their decision.

 

[mudrecceman]

Personally I would be willing to kick this schmoo in the nuts.

But thats just me.  Support the troops...they maintain the freedom you enjoy.

 

[Disenchantedsailor]

and on goes the saga Calgary style, I happened to be burning some lve in my good o'l hometown during this debate and this comes from yesterdays Calgary Sun


Ribbons bought for cops
Woman buys 450 magnets  
By SHAWN LOGAN, SUN MEDIA
Angered over the city's stance against putting yellow ribbon decals on the civic fleet, a Calgary woman has purchased 450 magnetic decorations to adorn police vehicles.
Self-proclaimed military brat Marilyn Ermter, 68, said after hearing the Calgary Police Association (CPA) planned to provide yellow ribbon car magnets to any of its members who decided to defy the city edict, she decided to show support her own way.
"Nobody's for a war. What this program is about is individuals who are over there fighting for us," said Ermter, who has volunteered with city cops since 1988 and whose father, uncle and brother all served in the Canadian Forces.
"If we can put on signs for the Calgary Flames, why can't we do it for those men and women who are looking after our country?"
The retiree spent yesterday at the Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC), rounding up 450 of the $5 magnets she will turn over to the CPA next Tuesday, the same day it plans on holding a "yellow ribbon checkstop" at its downtown headquarters.
CPA president Al Koenig said he's more than happy to accept the donation.
"She phoned me out of the blue and you could have knocked me over with a feather," he said.
"I told her we have 450 vehicles and she said she'd buy all of them -- she thinks it's a great cause."
Ermter will deliver the magnets to the association's office at 428 6 Ave. S.E. the day of the checkstop, which will tag any vehicle, whether it's a squad car or civilian vehicle, with decals or magnets.
Koenig said police brass have shown no indication whether they will reprimand cops who put the ribbons on their vehicles and it will be up to individual members whether they don the symbol and risk disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, to help give further aid to troops abroad, city police will be able to donate money earned from overtime and court appearances to the Military Family Resource Centre as part of an initiative between the Calgary Police Service and CPA.
Ermter said she has no problem getting involved with the campaign and remains shocked the city opted not to deck out city vehicles with 5,000 donated decals, choosing to sell the yellow ribbons at city facilities to raise funds.
"When you look at buses, they're plastered inside and out with signs, so I don't know why one little ribbon is a big deal," she said.
"It's just a way to say we support the guys and women who are putting their lives on the line for us."


Seems some just don't feel Bronco's fear of reprisal, however he will allow anti-abortion, pro-abortion, anti drug, pro needle exchange ads to be run on the inside of busses, perhaps because the city isn't being paid to put the magnets on is the reason he doesn't agree (and before the attacks begin His worship is a Relative of mine (in an inlaw removed kinda way)

 

[Disenchantedsailor]

July 31, 2007
Cops support troops today  
By SHAWN LOGAN, SUN MEDIA
Drivers in the downtown core will line up today to purposely get pulled over by the cops.
While the city won't be slapping any Support Our Troops decals on its civic fleet, the Calgary Police Association (CPA) will hold a "yellow ribbon checkstop" at its downtown headquarters in hopes of raising much-needed funds for military families and showing support for Canadian troops.
CPA president Al Koenig said he expects to hand out hundreds of the magnetic decorations, including a donation of 450 that have been set aside for officers who wish to place them on their police vehicles.
"It allows everybody to participate and show support in a tangible way," he said.
The drive-thru -- which runs from 7 a.m. until the decals are all gone -- is a partnership between the CPA and the Military Family Resource Centre.
The idea was put forward after council last week decided against putting the ribbons on city vehicles -- a move that didn't sit well with some city employees.
Two military wives, who both have husbands serving in Afghanistan, will be on hand, including Devan Kublik, whose husband Capt. Kyle Clapperton serves with the Calgary Highlanders and is also a physical trainer with the Calgary Police.
"These are people he knows so it's a very emotional thing," she said, noting Clapperton is due home in a month after serving abroad since February.
"Those yellow ribbons really do mean a lot and I'm hoping to see a lot of people interested."
The $5 magnets will be available to anyone who drives by the CPA's office at 428 6 Ave. S.E.
Colleen Rowe, director of the MFRC, said she hopes Calgarians will line up to show support for the troops.
"We're thrilled -- this is a great opportunity for people in the downtown to swing by and show their support," she said. "It's really been inspiring to see the support of community members."
Since the controversy erupted, her office has been overwhelmed with requests for the patriotic decorations.
She said 1,100 of the magnetic ribbons were delivered last Tuesday and sold out by Friday while stickers are also a hot item.

Link to Article <http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2007/07/31/pf-4381749.html>

 

[Disenchantedsailor]

and the latest from Cowtown

July 31, 2007

Police association hands out 3,700 troop ribbons at checkstop
By SHAWN LOGAN, SUN MEDIA

Legions of patriotic Calgarians showed their true colours today, lining up to decorate their vehicles with yellow ribbons and donate much-needed funds to military families.

Thousands of commuters decided to show their support for Canadian troops, pulling into the “yellow ribbon checkstop” at the Calgary Police Association (CPA) headquarters at 428 6 Ave. S.E. to have their cars, trucks and SUVs adorned with decals and magnets that a week earlier were denied a place on city vehicles.

Ian Macdonald, a retired city cop who pulled in to grab a magnet for his truck and give a donation to the Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC), said he was unimpressed with council’s decision but will happily show off the ribbon on his vehicle.

“I’m here because city council didn’t see fit to show too much support for the troops and they keep us free,” he said.

“If (the soldiers) don’t see it, their families will see and they’ll know we’re supporting them.”

In addition to civilians, dozens of police cruisers, buses and city vehicles, rolled through the checkstop to grab magnets and decals in defiance of the council decision, which opted against using the ribbons but choosing instead to sell them in city facilities and donate the proceeds to the MFRC.

Police Sgt. Dean Vegso drove through to have a ribbon placed on the trunk of his squad car but wouldn’t say whether he intends to keep displaying it.

“We’ll put it on today and see what happens,” he said.

Calgary Police Service spokesman Kevin Brookwell said council’s policy will be followed but transgressors will not be aggressively pursued and decals will be removed when they’re returned to the district offices.

Colleen Rowe, executive director of the Military Family Resource Centre, was thrilled with the turnout and the wave of support shown through the honking of horns, shouts of encouragement and hefty donations.

“It’s a powerful thing and it really hits home,” she said, while waving a large yellow ribbon and waving passing cars into the checkstop along 4 St. S.E.

“It’s really moving to see the citizens get behind this — soldiers are always there for us so it’s nice to be their for them.”

By the end of the day, about 3,700 ribbons had been given out with the average donation of $5 apiece, with all the proceeds going to the MFRC.

Julie Gow, who helped hand out the ribbons and whose husband is due to deploy to Afghanistan later this month, said she was overwhelmed by the response.

“I’m actually really amazed — I didn’t realize people were so much in support,” she said.

“People seem to understand that it’s not just about the soldiers themselves but their families as well.”

Article link - - http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2007/07/31/pf-4383293.html

 

[Donut]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070811.BCRIBBON11/TPStory/National

With far less controversy then I would have expected (but watch for it!) the Vancouver Police Chief, Jamie Graham, has decided that all marked VPD vehicles will bear a MFRC-donated Yellow Ribbon.

He points out that 4 VPD members have served or are working up to serve with TFA.  39CBG Commander is a serving VPD Cpl, and about 30 plus members of the VPD are also 39 CBG members.

I'm sure a shit-storm will erupt shortly, but CUPE is too busy on the picket lines to take this one on right now.

I'll also add that Mayor Sam Sullivan was very supportive of the 12 Fd Amb members from 1-08 when we met him at the unit's Freedom of the City parade in May, thanking each of us personally and insisting on several photographs with us.

Thanks VPD; this city's a little short on support for us.

 

[medaid]

Go VPD. It's a nice initiative, and hopefully the other cities will follow suit here in the lower mainland. The RCMPs can do with some magnets on their vehicles.

 

[ms]

For the past few weeks patrol officers have been wearing the yellow 'support our troops' pins on their uniforms. Now with the official word from the Chief, all patrol cars have the decals as well.

 

[proudnurse]

Go VPD. It's a nice initiative, and hopefully the other cities will follow suit here in the lower mainland. The RCMPs can do with some magnets on their vehicles.

+1

Here is another thread to share with some articles included... on how some other cities have followed suit on the Support Ribbons here in Ontario, where I live. So far since reading the articles, I have seen a couple. One on an Ambulance in Waterloo Region here and one on a Public Works truck.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/63942/post-591340.html#msg591340

~Rebecca

 

[medaid]

Well... I saw them the other day, and today. They all have small yellow ribbon decals on the back of marked PCs. I even pulled up to one of them and yelled out "Thanks for supporting the troops!", it was a 2 member unit, and one laughed, and the other one looked at my car, found my decal, and smiled also.

It's nice... it really was nice. Hey, PMT, how bout starting an initiative to get them on the back of BCAS Ambs?

 

[Donut]

I've spoken to "our guy" in the union, no results as yet.

Keep in mind we're CUPE....those asshats aren't exactly supportive, even if the local and the service are. 

I think I'll just send them to stations I've worked in and see what the U/C has to say.