Military Social Workers

An interesting article appeared in the Ottawa paper recently, examing the stresses place on military social workers in Afghanistan. The article is worth reading in its entirety; here is the part that touches on American-Canadian differences through the voice of a Canadian social worker stationed there:

The influx of Americans here in recent weeks has brought a new dimension to problems with which the social workers must contend.

"The problems that we see amongst the U.S. forces are a reflection of the societal issues they have. In the U.S., there's more extreme poverty than you see in Canada. Poverty comes with its own issues -- abuse, alcohol and drug problems, domestic violence. People come from much more dire circumstances. I've never seen in my practice as a social worker so many people coming from such dire circumstances. They are very patriotic as well. Canadians are not less patriotic, but our patriotism is less overt. The Americans join the military to get out of poverty. But they also do it for God and country."

The article goes on to talk about how the length of deployment also puts increased pressure on U.S. soldiers; it's not unusual for them to be stationed in Afghanistan for a year, whereas Canadian deployment lasts six months. To read the full article: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Foot+soldiers+battlefield+mind/2013288/story.html

Abusing Eulogies

Ted Kennedy had been my U.S. Senator from the first time I could vote until his death a few weeks ago, so when I learned his funeral could be watched live on the internet, I did so. Anybody who has a beating heart would likely say the most poignant moment was Ted Kennedy Jr.’s touching story of his dad helping him walk up a snowy hill shortly after he had lost his leg to cancer. The eulogy Ted Jr. gave for his dad was lovely.

Thank God it was appreciated as a eulogy and nothing more. No one said it was a moment that proved he was ready for politics. No one declared him the “inheritor of the throne.” It was simply a son honoring his father and saying he was a great dad, I loved him and I’ll miss him (in a bit more detail, of course). If only it had been that way when Justin Trudeau gave the eulogy for his father, Pierre, a few years back. Justin also gave a lovely eulogy (though not--if I am to declare (it’s a bit gauche I admit) a “winner” in the eulogy sweepstakes--in the same class at Ted Jr.s). The problem was no sooner had Justin finished delivering the eulogy when pundits began declaring him the next Trudeau, the future leader of the liberals, the Prime Minister in Waiting.

Since when does delivering a eulogy qualify you for anything more than being declared a fine son? It doesn’t. How unfortunate then to see an article in this past weekend’s Boston Globe speculating about Ted Kennedy Jr.’s political future. At least he had a bit more time than Justin was given to remain a son rather than a future politician-savior. Of course this crowning of the next King was never about Justin or Ted Jr. but about us, about our belief that a name itself—Kennedy, Trudeau—contains magic, about our thousand year habit of putting our faith in patrilineal inheritance and the possibility that it frees us from the responsibility of choosing our King. The King is dead, long live the King…that’s easy.

I gave a eulogy at my dad’s funeral. Afterwards people came up and said how moving it was (what else could they say?), but not one of them said you’ve got a future in—take your pick— finance/ politics/broadcasting, etc.. They said, your dad would be pleased or you made your dad proud today. The next step was simply to grieve until I had no more grief left, and then to walk forward into the rest of my life. Justin and Ted Jr. deserved the same opportunity of anonymity in grieving.

Sad to say, Justin apparently believed the press after the eulogy, because he campaigned and won. He looks to be lighter than air, a fine young man with a last name who once gave a eulogy and landed in political office. I wish him well, I genuinely do. I only want us to let eulogies be eulogies and not a ticket for claiming the divine right of Kings.

If you’re interested in seeing the two, here’s Justin’s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NINxQLY-lsYAnd here’s Ted Jr.’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m86jKLjV7-I

We're Not Dead Yet

Remember that classical comedy scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail: it’s the Middle Ages and a cart is going through the village with men yelling “bring out your dead, bring out your dead.” Doors open and bodies of the dead killed by the plague are tossed onto the cart, but one cries “I’m not dead, I’m not dead yet,” at which point the people pulling the cart kill the man. Well, for years, English Canada has wanted to declare French Separatism dead. What could be better, they think, than to go into Quebec with their anglo cart and holler bring out your dead, waiting to see the dream of Levesque and Parizeau and Bouchard tossed onto the cart. Of course, Anglos seem tone deaf to the response, no matter how faint, of I’m not dead yet.

Somethings don’t go away. And so, the naivete of Anglo Canadians over the persistence of separatism seems to have been matched this past week by those leaning to the left in the States. It seems they thought that the rise of Obama signaled the defeat, eclipse and inevitable disappearance of the Republican machine. Pundits everywhere declared the Republicans out of touch, out of sync, lost in the desert and doomed by demographics. Now that Obama’s popularity is coming down from the stratosphere and the Republicans are actually showing signs of life—we’re not dead yet—liberal leaning Americans seem to be surprised. Given the popular vote last fall was not nearly as devastating at the electoral college results, why the surprise? The surprise--be it on the part of Anglo Canadians or liberal Americans--would seem to be proportionate to the strength of one's yearning. Your enemies are not dead because they weren’t killed. They’re back because they never went away.

Fake Canadians Go Home

Here's nifty little article on the phenomenon of Americans travelling while wearing the Maple Leaf: http://www.gadling.com/2009/08/30/fake-canadians-go-home/