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Flags at half mast outside CFB Gagetown.

Bzzliteyr

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On my way out for lunch I noticed the main flag at half mast, anyone know why?

As I type this I remember it is the anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique, hence the half masting.

My ignorance, sorry.
 
Bzzliteyr said:
On my way out for lunch I noticed the main flag at half mast, anyone know why?

As I type this I remember it is the anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique, hence the half masting.

My ignorance, sorry.

Correct expression is half-staff; masts are used by the Navy.

Ours were at half staff on Saturday; I still don't know why.  Pte Woodfield maybe?
 
Funny thing is I was going to write half-staff, as it has come up in discussion here before.. two brainfarts in one!! Yay me!
 
It is also the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre... that could be another reason.
 
CplKec said:
It is also the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre... that could be another reason.
Not trying to be too much of a jerk here, but the Ecole Polytechnique is the Montreal Massacre.
 
CplKec said:
It is also the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre... that could be another reason.

Yes and this would be the directive we recieved today,
 
Sorry I read the post this morning, didn't realize it was edited before I posted.. My apologies.
 
December 6, 1989. A Student of L'école polytechnique de Montréal opens fire on feamale students.
 
How many died in Montrea for it to be a massacre? It must have be lots, but i never heard of it?

:cdn:
 
So Ghamil Gharbi (Marc Lepine's name before he changed it so he could 'fit in') wins again.  How long must men in this country pay for his crime?  Two billion dollars and no end in sight.

In memory to the 2000 dead and 7000 wounded of the Halifax Explosion - may you all rest in peace.

Tom
 
There where men killed at the school as well. I believe three.
 
http://www.trentu.ca/arthur/archive/34/34-12/letters01.html

Read this....its another side of a complex story
 
mover1 said:
http://www.trentu.ca/arthur/archive/34/34-12/letters01.html

Read this....its another side of a complex story

There is no doubt that the anniversary of the Montreal massacre should be commemorated, and while I appreciate the articles on increasing awareness of gender equality and feminist issues, I think we need to explore other motives behind the slayings. Sometimes we get far too caught up in the labeling of people -sexist, racist, homophobe- that we fail to examine the reasons behind why people turn into these hate and anger driven individuals. Arthur failed to provide articles which addressed Marc Lapine as a victim just as any of the fourteen women he killed. The hatred of women was not the root cause of the murders. Perhaps it was witnessing his father bash his mothers' head off the brick wall of their suburban bungalow, or maybe it was the repeated beatings his father meted out on Lapine and his sister that caused it. Or could we possibly conceive that it was being locked in a room while daddy, dressed in his Sunday best (starched collar and cufflinks) sat for morning brunch free of his irritating children. Lapine's aunt stated in an interview that the children were never seen without the look of fear in their eyes. These experiences, left to fester, transformed Lapine into an unemotional and detached individual, so vulnerable that he latched on to women hating as a vehicle to vent all his pain.

I am not trying to excuse Lapine's behaviour or to suggest that he is somehow less guilty because of his disturbing childhood. What I am saying, at the risk of becoming redundant, is that by labeling people we tend to dismiss them as irrelevant and we sweep away the need to examine the fundamental problems of society, which perhaps is simply a lack of genuine human interaction. Yes, Lapine hated women and that is unfortunate, but all the lectures on the evils of misogyny and the oppression caused by gender roles would not have altered Lapine's state of mind. Intensive therapy dealing with the abuse itself would have had more of an impact. So instead of writing someone off as racist, homophobe, or sexist, ask what has led this person to these beliefs. Showing compassion and sincerity would be far more effective in preventing all the potential Lapines in the world from blowing people to bits in a final desperate attempt to be heard and express their pain.

Jenn Lynch


I hope this goes without saying.  I think there are a lot of guys who at some point might have known what was inside Lepine's head even if just briefly.  The answer is not violence, and there is no justification for what he did.  Sadly, had Lepine been able to get a date, or keep a steady job he enjoyed, all the other stuff he ranted about would have likely shrank to insignificance in his mind. 

How do you legislate against loneliness and despair? You can't.  I think it speaks to the idea that no matter what laws you enact, there will never be some utopia where everyone is happy and feeling well-done-by.  Lepine had issues that magnified over the years; he wasn't mentally ill, he was a product of his cumulative life experiences.  Everybody's life sucks a little bit.  I think it's a reason why we can't ever expect society to completely disarm itself.  Some people are just going to snap.
 
I was quite surprised to see the some companies with their flags at half-staff to commemorate the Montreal massacre.  Now normally I wouldn't be surprise as it is something to be remembered, and I certainly don't mean to downplay the significance of the event.  But I mean yes 15 people were killed that day in Montreal, but how many people were killed in the war?  Several thousand more!  And yet I was quite disappointed to see no flags at half-staff on Nov 11th 2005, or at least between my house and my unit (which is 40 km of highway going through the west island for those who know Montreal).

Don't get me wrong I think it is important to remember events like the Montreal massacre and all other tragedies of the sort.  I simply felt disappointed, but mostly insulted that these companies who put their flags at half-staff for the Montreal massacre did not feel compelled to do so on Nov 11.

Apologies if this brings the thread a bit off topic.  I simply felt it was an important point to cover.
 
What means more politically in Canada? 14 dead in Montreal on 6 Dec 19__, or 2000 dead and 7000 wounded in Halifax on 6 Dec 1917?

But if you REALLY want to be ignored, how about the guy who was wounded by Ghamil Gharbi (Marc Lepine).  He isn't even a statistic!

Tom
 
NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND ACTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

December 6, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did you know that December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada? Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day coincides with the sad anniversary of the death of fourteen young women who were tragically killed on December 6, 1989 at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal because of their gender.

Beyond commemorating the loss of these fourteen young lives, this day represents a time to pause and reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society. It is also a time to have a special thought for all the women and girls who live daily with the threat of violence or who have died as a result of deliberate acts of gender-based violence. Last but not least, it is a day for communities to reflect on concrete actions that each Canadian can take to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

Flags were half mast and half staff (we have both) here at RMC.

 
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