yeah, it kind of makes me angry too. Angry that a war veteran was upset with people pouring beer on the memorial, and wanting the memorial closed to the public on Canada Day.
Wait... so a memorial to those who fought for our country, closed on the national holiday?
Asshats, both of them. Both the guy pissing on the memorial, because that's just stupid, and the veteran, for making such a ludicrous suggestion. Having grown up an hour outside the city, I'd have to say Ottawa's one of the few cities with spirit on Canada Day. After being the only one downtown wearing a *Canadian* flag this year, I sure as hell won't be in Kitchener on July 1st 2007 if I can help it.
From the article it doesn't seem clear to me that he wants the memorial closed. Not sure if you've visited the memorial on Canada Day, but it's literally crawling with people from dawn to the following dawn.
I think I'd be OK with an honour guard there, simply to encourage a bit more respect (99.9% of people there are very respectful), or a bit of fencing to keep the memorial less crowded by shifting pedestrian traffic around it. I would not be OK with it being completely closed off.
"he's written to politicians and various government agencies in the past to ask that the monument be kept off limits on Canada Day"
That still isn't clear. You can interpret as meaning that he wants armed guards and razor wire, or you can interpret it as meaning he wants people simply not allowed to climb on the memorial. I suspect he'd be satisfied with the latter, and I suspect his interview contained more than one sentence, and the reporter chose to boil it down rather than provide the extra meaning.
That makes me angry too. I was disheartened to notice the plaques near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reminding people not to sit on it. I'm angry that people need to be told something like that. On the other hand, I'm not to fond of that veteran's idea of cording it off. I think it'd lose much of its impact, if people are kept away. You should be able to stand beside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and contemplate what others have done for us. You should be able to walk around the memorial and feel just how huge and tremendous are past involvement in war is. We shouldn't let idiots like those drunk revellers cheapen our monuments by cutting us off from them. Go ahead and post guards, that'd certainly be fitting. But please don't build a fence.
Yeah. When the tomb was first installed, every Canada Day people started piling paper Canadian flags on it. Struck me as odd at the time, but now seems natural and almost necessary. I wouldn't want to restrict that.
Incorrect: there is an actual Canadian soldier buried there.
I don't want to kill a fly with a sledgehammer. But I sorta wish there was something that could be done to keep people from pissing on a national monument and gravesite.
I agree. Normally, I don't get all "society is in decline" at the thought of public urination, but it is the war memorial. It's pretty shocking. I don't care how drunk that moron was. I notice that they've posted his photo on the CBC Ottawa site (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/07/03/ott-warmemorialpee.html), and I hope the media drags him through the mud.
That's the thing -- I get frustrated by society and how crappy it is sometimes, but I'm fundamentally positive and optimistic. Or at least I think I am. So I don't want to contribute to the issue by putting bars on windows and guards on every corner.
I don't know what the solution is here. Maybe the solution is to ignore them (too late), otherwise the copycats will get into the act?
Placing guards at the war memorial would be a bad thing, I agree, because members of the public should feel welcome walking right up to it. Yes, it's a solemn memorial, but it should not be off-limits.
As for Mr. Pee, I don't know that charging him with some minor offence would necessarily incite copycats.
No, giving him a ticket won't. But having 1823 people blog about him, having his picture on CBC, and having the government foaming at the mouth over it will.
I don't know what what pisses me off more (tee hee, that wasn't even on purpose), that someone pisses on the monument, or that it has dominated the headlines for the past 5 days.
Isn't there more significant news to talk about? I hear there are people shopping on Sundays in Nova Scotia. Now that's a tragedy.
Although they are arguably a bunch of disrespectful boneheads, at the end of the day it was just another drunken act in bad taste by a group of morons. When considering that their pictures have been flashed on the national news 800 times, I'm sure that they will get more than their deserved punishment by the disrespect that they will receive in their communities.
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no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 01:49 am (UTC)Wait... so a memorial to those who fought for our country, closed on the national holiday?
Asshats, both of them. Both the guy pissing on the memorial, because that's just stupid, and the veteran, for making such a ludicrous suggestion. Having grown up an hour outside the city, I'd have to say Ottawa's one of the few cities with spirit on Canada Day. After being the only one downtown wearing a *Canadian* flag this year, I sure as hell won't be in Kitchener on July 1st 2007 if I can help it.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 02:07 am (UTC)I think I'd be OK with an honour guard there, simply to encourage a bit more respect (99.9% of people there are very respectful), or a bit of fencing to keep the memorial less crowded by shifting pedestrian traffic around it. I would not be OK with it being completely closed off.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 04:58 am (UTC)"he's written to politicians and various government agencies in the past to ask that the monument be kept off limits on Canada Day"
Not sure if you've visited the memorial on Canada Day
Spent every Canada Day in Ottawa until I moved here. It's a great example of people actually using public space.
I think I'd be OK with an honour guard there
I think this is where we agree - there'd be no harm done in putting a few cadets there on Canada Day just to make things seem more official.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 11:14 am (UTC)That still isn't clear. You can interpret as meaning that he wants armed guards and razor wire, or you can interpret it as meaning he wants people simply not allowed to climb on the memorial. I suspect he'd be satisfied with the latter, and I suspect his interview contained more than one sentence, and the reporter chose to boil it down rather than provide the extra meaning.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 02:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 02:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 03:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 03:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 11:36 am (UTC)I don't want to kill a fly with a sledgehammer. But I sorta wish there was something that could be done to keep people from pissing on a national monument and gravesite.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 11:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 11:56 am (UTC)I don't know what the solution is here. Maybe the solution is to ignore them (too late), otherwise the copycats will get into the act?
no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 12:43 pm (UTC)As for Mr. Pee, I don't know that charging him with some minor offence would necessarily incite copycats.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 12:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 01:55 pm (UTC)Isn't there more significant news to talk about? I hear there are people shopping on Sundays in Nova Scotia. Now that's a tragedy.
Although they are arguably a bunch of disrespectful boneheads, at the end of the day it was just another drunken act in bad taste by a group of morons. When considering that their pictures have been flashed on the national news 800 times, I'm sure that they will get more than their deserved punishment by the disrespect that they will receive in their communities.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 01:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 04:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-05 05:32 pm (UTC)