"If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha."— Indian Army Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.There is an old joke about the Gurkhas. The famed British fighting unit in the British Army composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers..They were taking parachute training and the instructor told them, “Your first jump will be at 5,000 feet.”.One of the Gurkhas stood up, and said. “Sir, should we not jump a lower height, to start off?”.“No, said the instructor, you will start at 5,000 feet.”.The Gurkha responded: “But sir, how will we land safely, from such a height? Can’t we start lower?”.The instructor responded: “The chute will protect you, should be no problem … you can do it.".“Oh” said the Gurkha. “I did not know we would have a parachute.”.It’s an old joke, of course, but … it expresses the amazing loyalty and ferocity, of this great fighting force..My friend Andy, his Dad fought in Burma alongside this unit in the Second World War..A nasty theatre of war. You didn’t want to be captured by the Japanese who were brutal torturers. He remembers one guard watch, at night, holding his rifle. His eyes peeled ahead into the darkness, waiting for a single movement..All of a sudden, a boot landed next to his head … thankfully, it was a Gurkha, returning from a commando raid..A successful one, in which he slit some Japanese throats..They are known for their khukuri, a distinctive heavy knife with a curved blade — very effective, shall we say. The brigade celebrated 200 years of service in the British Army in 2015. Andy’s Dad didnt’ have a single inkling that this Gurkha was so near him. He just saw the boot land, next to his head in the blackness of a Burma night..Thank God he was friend, not foe..I bring up this story about the Gurkhas, because they were part of the greatest generation. The generation that gave us freedom and democracy..What sparked my anger, was the latest woke and arbitrary decision by the City of Calgary that it would no longer hold a Canada Day fireworks display. Instead, the city will hold an enhanced pyrotechnic show that will involve lights and sounds from the main stage at Fort Calgary..According to media reports, the departure from the traditional fireworks display comes after officials “analyzed the cultural, community and environmental impacts from previous years.”.I don’t know about you, but they sure as hell didn’t call or analyze me! I would have told them to “get stuffed!”.But is anyone surprised? This, my friends, is how they roll at City Hall..Worse yet, the woke coalition grows stronger by the day and they are going to rule your life, whether you like it or not. You don’t stand a chance, pal. Because you don’t matter. You weren’t “analyzed.” So go to hell and shut the heck up..Just go along, with what City Hall says. Canada Day fireworks are bad. They are evil. They are not inclusive. They are “bad for the environment” and must be stopped..The tradition as we know it, must be exterminated. Get thee behind me Satan..And if you liked it? Well, you were bad too … no damn good!.My friends … our very culture is under siege. Everything we hold dear, is being dragged into the street by the radical woke mob, denounced, humiliated, torn to shreds..There are days to celebrate and mark everything, including First Nations truth and reconciliation, Chinese immigration, the detention of Japanese Canadians, gay rights and more. There is even a Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (“Holodomor”) Memorial Day. A day that I personally recognize on the fourth Saturday of every November..And these are all good things. But why can there not be, one day, just one single day … to celebrate Canada, with style, with elan?.With fortitude. With determination and assurance. A bold reckoning, of our history and unity going forward. Are we so bad, so awful, so terrible that we must beat ourselves up, when we try to recognize our crumbling Confederation?.How can it possibly be offensive to anyone? And who, my friends, gets to decide what we can and can’t watch?.Apparently City Hall is judge, jury and executioner. The decider of what is morally right and wrong..Is that what you voted for? Sounds much like Putin’s Kremlin to me..Can we not find some other solution, some compromise, to keep everyone happy?.I’m sorry, but this is a joke, of monstrous proportions. The Gurkhas were just one unit of many who fought fiercely and sacrificed their lives in hellish battles … sometimes, hand to hand. More than 110,000 men served in 40 Gurkha battalions in the Western Desert, Italy, Greece, Malaya, Singapore and Burma. Nearly 30,000 of them were killed or wounded..All to give us our freedom — the freedom to celebrate Canada Day with traditional fireworks. Or any way, we so choose..“We” being the operative word, not some overpaid, gutless, pencil pusher downtown..The Canada Day celebration is something families and children, of all creeds and cultures, have loved and enjoyed for decades..People all over the world celebrate in similar fashion, without guilt..In fact, the Montreal Fireworks Festival is among the most famous and prestigious annual competitions in the world..And yet, Calgary’s Canada Day has become just another victim of cancel culture — slain on the field of “cultural sensitivities.”.Make no mistake men died for this freedom. They fought and they died so you and your kids could have a better future..Some of you might think this comparison unfair, that it has no connection. But I strongly believe it does. Damn rights, it does..And the City of Calgary fathers, should be ashamed. Every single one of them, who made this irresponsible and flagrant decision..It is nothing short of a despicable betrayal of the greatest generation whoever lived..Sadly, I fear this is only the start, of their betrayal..More to come, folks. More to come.
"If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha."— Indian Army Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.There is an old joke about the Gurkhas. The famed British fighting unit in the British Army composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers..They were taking parachute training and the instructor told them, “Your first jump will be at 5,000 feet.”.One of the Gurkhas stood up, and said. “Sir, should we not jump a lower height, to start off?”.“No, said the instructor, you will start at 5,000 feet.”.The Gurkha responded: “But sir, how will we land safely, from such a height? Can’t we start lower?”.The instructor responded: “The chute will protect you, should be no problem … you can do it.".“Oh” said the Gurkha. “I did not know we would have a parachute.”.It’s an old joke, of course, but … it expresses the amazing loyalty and ferocity, of this great fighting force..My friend Andy, his Dad fought in Burma alongside this unit in the Second World War..A nasty theatre of war. You didn’t want to be captured by the Japanese who were brutal torturers. He remembers one guard watch, at night, holding his rifle. His eyes peeled ahead into the darkness, waiting for a single movement..All of a sudden, a boot landed next to his head … thankfully, it was a Gurkha, returning from a commando raid..A successful one, in which he slit some Japanese throats..They are known for their khukuri, a distinctive heavy knife with a curved blade — very effective, shall we say. The brigade celebrated 200 years of service in the British Army in 2015. Andy’s Dad didnt’ have a single inkling that this Gurkha was so near him. He just saw the boot land, next to his head in the blackness of a Burma night..Thank God he was friend, not foe..I bring up this story about the Gurkhas, because they were part of the greatest generation. The generation that gave us freedom and democracy..What sparked my anger, was the latest woke and arbitrary decision by the City of Calgary that it would no longer hold a Canada Day fireworks display. Instead, the city will hold an enhanced pyrotechnic show that will involve lights and sounds from the main stage at Fort Calgary..According to media reports, the departure from the traditional fireworks display comes after officials “analyzed the cultural, community and environmental impacts from previous years.”.I don’t know about you, but they sure as hell didn’t call or analyze me! I would have told them to “get stuffed!”.But is anyone surprised? This, my friends, is how they roll at City Hall..Worse yet, the woke coalition grows stronger by the day and they are going to rule your life, whether you like it or not. You don’t stand a chance, pal. Because you don’t matter. You weren’t “analyzed.” So go to hell and shut the heck up..Just go along, with what City Hall says. Canada Day fireworks are bad. They are evil. They are not inclusive. They are “bad for the environment” and must be stopped..The tradition as we know it, must be exterminated. Get thee behind me Satan..And if you liked it? Well, you were bad too … no damn good!.My friends … our very culture is under siege. Everything we hold dear, is being dragged into the street by the radical woke mob, denounced, humiliated, torn to shreds..There are days to celebrate and mark everything, including First Nations truth and reconciliation, Chinese immigration, the detention of Japanese Canadians, gay rights and more. There is even a Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (“Holodomor”) Memorial Day. A day that I personally recognize on the fourth Saturday of every November..And these are all good things. But why can there not be, one day, just one single day … to celebrate Canada, with style, with elan?.With fortitude. With determination and assurance. A bold reckoning, of our history and unity going forward. Are we so bad, so awful, so terrible that we must beat ourselves up, when we try to recognize our crumbling Confederation?.How can it possibly be offensive to anyone? And who, my friends, gets to decide what we can and can’t watch?.Apparently City Hall is judge, jury and executioner. The decider of what is morally right and wrong..Is that what you voted for? Sounds much like Putin’s Kremlin to me..Can we not find some other solution, some compromise, to keep everyone happy?.I’m sorry, but this is a joke, of monstrous proportions. The Gurkhas were just one unit of many who fought fiercely and sacrificed their lives in hellish battles … sometimes, hand to hand. More than 110,000 men served in 40 Gurkha battalions in the Western Desert, Italy, Greece, Malaya, Singapore and Burma. Nearly 30,000 of them were killed or wounded..All to give us our freedom — the freedom to celebrate Canada Day with traditional fireworks. Or any way, we so choose..“We” being the operative word, not some overpaid, gutless, pencil pusher downtown..The Canada Day celebration is something families and children, of all creeds and cultures, have loved and enjoyed for decades..People all over the world celebrate in similar fashion, without guilt..In fact, the Montreal Fireworks Festival is among the most famous and prestigious annual competitions in the world..And yet, Calgary’s Canada Day has become just another victim of cancel culture — slain on the field of “cultural sensitivities.”.Make no mistake men died for this freedom. They fought and they died so you and your kids could have a better future..Some of you might think this comparison unfair, that it has no connection. But I strongly believe it does. Damn rights, it does..And the City of Calgary fathers, should be ashamed. Every single one of them, who made this irresponsible and flagrant decision..It is nothing short of a despicable betrayal of the greatest generation whoever lived..Sadly, I fear this is only the start, of their betrayal..More to come, folks. More to come.
