Sit down, shut up and be respectful.

Source: cms.burlington.ca

Tomorrow is November 11th.  Which means, if you have an ounce of respect in your body, at 11am tomorrow morning, you will take 2 minutes out of your busy life to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice (and for those who continue to do so) so that you can enjoy your freedom.

 If you remember from last year's post, I (like many of you) had family who served overseas during WWII.  My grandfather and grandfather-in-law both left their newly found families and headed across the pond to fight the good fight.  For years, they (along with so many other men and women) fought for and won freedom for the generations which followed.  And how do these generations say thank you?  Most wear a poppy on their left, many attend ceremonies and sadly, some opt out of Remembrance Day ceremonies all together. 

The Premier of Manitoba, Mr.Greg Selinger, ruled yesterday that it is OK for students to opt out their schools ceremony, if it conflicts with their religious beliefs.  (click here to read the full story).  And this is where my dilemma begins.

I stand by our right to religious freedom 100%.  Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or an Atheist, I believe it is your right to practice religion in whatever way you deem appropriate (of course that is as long as no one else's freedoms are infringed upon). 

But since when does Remembrance Day have any religious meaning?

The day is meant to be a day of reflection and gratitude.  It is a day which forces us to pause for just 2 minutes and REMEMBER the sacrifice which millions made for our freedom. 

But I don't think the story in Manitoba has anything to do with religious freedoms. I have a sneaky feeling that some smart-ass teenagers thought they could use "conflict of religious beliefs" as an excuse to stay home and sleep in, rather than having to put the texts on hold while their "stupid" teachers blabbed on about some old dudes from a gazillion years ago. 

And rather than giving the kid the good old fashion "sit down, shut up and be respectful" speech - some dumb ass politically correct wannabe thought "well golly gee, we shouldn't make these teenagers do something they don't want to, they might get upset" . 

The flip side of this story is, of course, that the soldiers which we remember tomorrow fought very hard so future generations could have religious freedom and freedom to choose.  Are we being total hypocrites if we force students to attend ceremonies?

So faithful readers, this is my question to you.....should Remembrance Day ceremonies be a mandatory event for students? 

Discuss amongst yourself....


P.S. Grandpa S. and Grandpa G.... I love you both and thank you.