I have to admit, I got a little choked up when I saw that guy on the news this morning. You would have thought a grizzled old D-Day vet would be the type to do that, but it was a fairly young guy, dignified and unpresuming.

Maybe there are still a few younger fellow-Canadians who feel grateful respect for the sacrifices of greater generations?

How easy it is to forget that our freedom, prosperity and plenty didn't come about accidently, but was won by the blood of others. As a first-generation Canadian of German parents, at least I was tought what the alternative could have been.

Grrrrr. I wish there were more guys like Don Dawson.

The crowd was laughing and cheering as the punks did it. One of the thugs was from Montreal. Another Montrealer put up an award for his arrest and conviction.
I was surprised the unknown was left all by himself.

Canada has gone down hill since it swapped the Red Ensign for the Maple Leaf. And I really don't understand why. The Leafs were in third place that year. Why not a Hab flag?

As far as I'm aware, Canada never had a tradition of posting a full time honour guard at the tomb, in contrast to the awe inspiring American monument(s). I guess this country has always been rather of low-key about military history. Perhaps a part of that is because so many Canadians originally immigrated here to escape their own war-torn countries?

It's odd to think that even most Canadians nowadays are surprised to learn that we had the third largest navy in the world by the end of WWII, or that we designed and built the Avro Arrow interceptor jet in the late 50's. Ah, the glory that once was Rome.

I've heard it suggested in the news that we should have a military guard at the tomb, in light of the recent desecration. But it saddens me to think the motivation for placing an honour guard, would be merely to stop people from pissing on him.

That's OK. Our guard was created back in 1926 because people were using the tomb as a picnic table. I've always found it comforting that the sentinels never the leave the unknown's side.

"It is he who commands the respect I protect,
his bravery that made us so proud.
Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day,
alone in the thoughtful peace of night,
this soldier will in honored glory rest
under my eternal vigilance."

Well, there wasn't a Tomb of the Unknown in Canada until 2000, if I read the site correctly. The war memorial was there, but not the tomb. So, like us in the 20's, it's been up a few years and now you know it has to be guarded. I think Australia brought back an unknown at the same time as y'all, but he's buried inside an actual building.

Interesting development. The two minors apologised -- one, in person, at the Royal Canadian Legion offices in Ottawa, the other one apologised in writing throught the Ottawa police.

The 23 year-old apologised -- sort of -- and seemed to add that his being drunk at the time was some sort of mitigating factor, and that he has no memory of the incident. Uhhhhhhhh-huh.

He still faces criminal charges, and I'm guessing his real "remorse" is that he got caught.

The two teenagers aren't being charged since they were responsible enough and had enough of a spine to own up to their action -- especially the kid who went in person to the Royal Legion. They've also agreed to do community service for the Legion. Those kids didn't make cheap excuses and I think they deserve to be cut a little slack for their mistake, since they stepped forward.

The 23 year-old pissing on his pimpin' shoes is another story. Paradoxically, this fool would have been eligible to vote for the past five years, unlike his fellow public urinators. I think he'll probably continue to piss on his shoes for the foreseeable future.

Thanks, RG.