Thoughts about Remembrance Day and modern Neo-Nazis.

So another Remembrance Day has come and gone, and hopefully we all observed it, if even only the 2 mins of silence part (I know a lot of people had to work at 11am).

I've had some time to think about it, and a couple questions have come to my mind...

Should Remembrance Day be a holiday? Now before you jump up and say yes (and up until I thought of the point I'm about to make, I'd have agreed with you if you are one of the yes camp), let me ask you this... Would making Remembrance Day a holiday help or hurt children's understanding of it? If it became a holiday, would children wake up for it, or just watch cartoons all day? At least with it being a school day, schools can have assemblies, or field trips to war memorials to take part in the day.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/cenotaph-vandalized-days-before-nov-11/article1357429/

Would more events like this happen if it were a holiday? Or would keeping kids in school help to make them understand why doing something like this is horrible?

Also on my mind, neo-Nazi boneheads. I've noticed on Facebook a lot of them have had Remembrance Day style photos on their profiles. If 364 days of they year you are walking around saying the Holocaust was a Jewish lie, and have Swastika tattoos on your chest, just who are you remembering on November 11th? And really now, should you actually be wearing a poppy?

I know some neo-Nazis would say that they are remembering the brave Canadian men and women who fought and died for their country. But if you live your life thinking Hitler was a great man, can you really honour the dead who fought, and beat him?

If Canada had been invaded by the Nazis, and they won the war, and Canada today were a part of the 4th Reich, and if I were running around trying to build Canada into what it is today against the Nazis who controlled Canada (yes, I know I would not have the freedom to do this if the Nazis had won the war) I don't think I could stop for one day and honour the dead Nazi soldiers who defeated the Canadian army. But that's just me. So it makes me wonder, on the 11th of all days, is there hope for these neo-Nazis? Will standing in the presence of the people who fought their idols help them see the light? Or are they silently mocking them?

All and all I had a good Remembrance Day. The service was respectful, full of Vets and school children, as well as adults of all ages and colours. It made me proud to be in Canada.

Hopefully yours did too.