MONEY, GREED, POWER AND WHAT MAKES A GOOD STRATEGIC INVESTMENT THESE DAYS?
I THINK, AS A TEACHER OF WORLD POLITICS, I WOULD JUST VAPORIZE TRYING TO EXPLAIN CURRENT EVENTS
I AM NOT THE KIND OF EDITORIALIST, OR POLITICAL CRITIC, WHO CAN ONLY SEE THE WRONG OF OTHERS. I SEE MY OWN WRONGS TWENTY TIMES EACH DAY. THERE ARE TIMES THAT I DON'T LIKE MYSELF VERY MUCH, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN SHORT WITH SOMEONE, OR ANSWERED ABRUPTLY WHEN I SHOULD HAVE OFFERED A KINDER EXPLANATION FOR MY OPINION. I GOT IN TROUBLE ONCE, FOR CRITICIZING MY OWN HOCKEY TEAM, WHEN IN A FOR-FUN TOURNAMENT, OF WHICH WE WERE SPONSORS, SEVERAL OF OUR PLAYERS GOT INTO A SERIOUS ON-ICE FIGHT. NOT VERY GOOD ROLE MODELS I THOUGHT OUT LOUD, AND THEY KICKED ME OFF THE BENCH. NOT BECAUSE I WAS WRONG, BUT BECAUSE I SPOKE AGAINST OUR "COLORS." I NEVER JOINED THE TEAM AGAIN. SO BELIEVE ME, WHEN I WRITE, THAT I WAS BROUGHT UP TO LOOK AT LIFE AS BOTH BEAUTIFUL AND EVER-INSPIRING. BUT MOST OF ALL, I WAS SHOWN BY DEMONSTRATION, THAT BEING CRITICAL OF WHAT SOME ACCEPT AS RIGHT, IN LIFE, CAN BE THE EXACT OPPOSITE IN REALITY. MY MOTHER AND FATHER CREATED AN EVER-QUESTIONING SON, WHO SINCE CHILDHOOD, ONLY ACCEPTED WHAT HE COULD WRENCH OUT OF A SITUATION BY INCESSANT ENQUIRY. IN THE RECENT WORLD CONFLICT, IN THE UKRAINE, WITH NEIGHBOR RUSSIA, BELIEVE ME, I HAVE MY SHARE OF CRITICISM FOR "THE WEST." I'M CONFIDENT, WE'RE NOT PERFECT ALLIES, AND WE'RE PRETTY GOOD AT ANTAGONIZING SITUATIONS BY BEING TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS, OF WAYS TO ANALYZE WHAT IS GOING ON IN RUSSIA, THE CRIMEA, AND THE UKRAINE. WHAT WE SEE, VIA THE MEDIA, ISN'T ALWAYS WHAT WE GET. WE HAVE TO BE DISCERNING ABOUT WHAT WE ACCEPT AS FACT, AND WHAT WE ASCERTAIN TO BE FICTION AND PROPAGANDA. THERE ARE SOURCES OF PROVOCATION WE HEAR ABOUT, AND SHIT DISTURBERS WORKING WITHIN, TO CREATE A SENSE OF INSTABILITY. IT'S A TOUGH RESEARCH COMMITMENT FOR THE SCHOLARS, POLITICAL AND MILITARY EXPERTS, AND I DO NOT FALL INTO ANY OF THOSE CATEGORIES. I AM BUT A LIFE-LONG STUDENT, WHO HAS NEVER TIRED OF LEARNING MORE, AND SHARING IT WITH OTHERS WILLING TO READ OR LISTEN TO MY STORIES. I GROW ANGRY JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE, WHEN EVENTS SHINGLE OVER HUMAN RIGHTS, AND PEOPLE DIE TRYING TO DEFEND THEIR LITTLE PATCH OF HEAVEN ON EARTH. IN THIS I AM A PRIVILEGED PERSON, AND WHILE I COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SHORTFALLS OF MY HOME MUNICIPALITY, PROVINCE AND COUNTRY, I KNOW HOW GOOD WE HAVE IT IN CANADA. OF THAT THERE CAN BE NO MISTAKE. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CROSS REFERENCE WITH OTHER PLACES IN THE WORLD. WE ARE SAFE HERE. IT'S WHY, I THINK, IT BOTHERS ME SO MUCH, TO SEE THE EXPRESSIONS OF BETRAYAL ON THE FACES OF UKRAINIANS IN THIS LATEST DEBACLE. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN HERE. HOW DO YOU NOT FEEL A LITTLE GUILTY, FOR HAVING OUR FEET SET IN THIS THRIVING DEMOCRACY, WE CALL HOME. SO AT TIMES, TAKING IT ALL INTO CONSIDERATION, THE HEART WINS OUT; AND THIS IS THE CASE TODAY. IT'S MY LAST LITTLE EDITORIAL, ON THE CRIMEA TRAGEDY, THAT HAS BEEN BUILDING SINCE THE EARLY 1960'S, THE FIRST TIME I SAT IN FRONT OF THE EVENING NEWS, AND HEARD ABOUT RUSSIAN MISSILES HEADED FOR CUBA. IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF MY INTEREST IN WORLD AFFAIRS, BECAUSE I WAS PART OF THE SO-CALLED WESTERN WORLD, SOVIET LEADERS REFERRED TO; SO THOSE MISSILES WERE AIMED AT MY FAMILY AS WELL. I KNOW THE MAJORITY OF RUSSIAN CITIZENS HAVE NO APPETITE FOR WAR. THEY WANT PEACE AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO THRIVE IN A PEACEFUL DEMOCRACY. BUT THIS IS WHAT CAN, AND HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST. I LIVED THROUGH IT, AND I'M NOT KIDDING, WHEN I SAY IT BECAME PART OF MY (OUR) LIVES, TO BE FEARFUL OF RUSSIAN AGGRESSION. SO AFTER MANY YEARS HIATUS, AND GOODWILL BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES, THIS LATEST INCURSION HAS SHATTERED IT ALL……AND FOR WHAT?
I WROTE THE FOLLOWING PIECE, AFTER WATCHING PORTIONS OF THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT'S SPEECH EARLIER TODAY. I ADMIT, IT WAS CHILLING. IT WAS LIKE BEING RETURNED TO THE EARLY 1960'S. WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO OUR WORLD?
IT'S TRUE. I'M CRANKY. I'M LIVING IN A HELD-OVER WINTER WORLD, JUST LIKE YOU, SO I'M SURE YOU GET MY POINT. I FELL TWICE THIS MORNING, COMING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, AND FOUND OUT WHY I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN CARRYING A TRAY OF BLUEBERRY MUFFINS WITH A POORLY FITTING TOP. THERE IS ANOTHER CRAPPY WEATHER WARNING FOR TOMORROW. MAYBE FREEZING RAIN. A SORT OF WIZARD OF OZ-TYPE CYCLONE OF BAD STUFF, WHIPPING AND FALLING FROM THE SKY. A RETURN TO THE ICE AGE. WHY NOT, THEN IT WOULD BE NATURALLY APPROPRIATE TO REFER TO "THE COLD WAR," WITHOUT WAXING POLITICAL. I CAN'T CLAIM TO BEING A HUNDRED PERCENT CRANKY, JUST BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER, HOWEVER; THERE'S THIS EUROPEAN STAND-OFF THING THAT HAS ME BUGGED. I HOLD NO SPECIAL PLACE WITH THIS OPINION, BECAUSE MOST CITIZENS ON THE PLANET, WHO HAPPEN TO DISLIKE NUCLEAR WINTER, ARE SIMILARLY BUGGED BY CURRENT EVENTS. I WAS THINKING ABOUT DIGGING A FALL-OUT SHELTER AT BIRCH HOLLOW, BUT THE WATER TABLE IS TOO HIGH. I'D HAVE TO RUN A SUMP PUMP CONSTANTLY, AND IF THERE WAS NO POWER, WE'D DROWN IN THE SOUP OF OUR BUNKER. ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK I'D WANT TO MEET THAT LAUNCHED MISSILE FACE TO FACE, RATHER THAN LIVE IN A HOLE WITH NOTHING LEFT OUTSIDE. DO YOU THINK I'M FEARFUL FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS? IF YOU WATCHED THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA, GIVING HIS OVERVIEW TO PARLIAMENT TODAY, YOU'D HAVE SENSE THAT EXTENDED FINGER TO THE WEST, OF WHICH, AFTER A LITTLE GEO-POLITICAL RECKONING, I FIND MYSELF SMACK-DAB IN THE MIDDLE. SO FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T REALLY THOUGHT OF WHAT "A SHOT ACROSS THE BOW," MEANS IN THE MODERN ERA OF SUPER POWER DEADLOCK, IT'S THE STUFF THEY MAKE MOVIES ABOUT; AND THEN WE GO HOME AFTERWARDS, WITH POPCORN AND LICORICE BREATH, MUTTERING SOFTLY, AND CONFIDENTLY, "THANK GOD THAT WAS ONLY A MOVIE!"
THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA IS A BILLIONAIRE. NO KIDDING. WHILE THERE IS STILL LINGERING ECONOMIC DESPAIR IN HIS OWN COUNTRY, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW HE'S NOT FEELING TAPPED-OUT LIKE THE CITIZENRY AT LARGE. A LEADER NEEDS SOME WIGGLE ROOM. A FEW BUCKS FOR A NIGHT OUT IN MOSCOW. SAVING FOR RETIREMENT? THINKING ABOUT HIS ESTATE PLANNING FOR THE FAMILY? NOT WISHING TO GET CAUGHT SHORT, I SUPPOSE.
THE ASSETS OF SOME OF HIS POLITICAL CRONIES, WERE FROZEN THIS WEEK, IN RETALIATION, FOR THE INVASION OF THE CRIMEA. HIS WEREN'T! I'M STILL TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THAT ONE! OF COURSE, I'M JUST A COUNTRY CRITIC, A LOWLY "MUGGLE" CHATTERING ABOUT WORLD AFFAIRS, SITTING UP HERE IN THE SPLINTERED BLEACHERS, OF SNOW-CLAD RURAL ONTARIO, CANADA.
MAYBE I'M JUST MISSING SOMETHING HERE. IT HAPPENS YOU KNOW, TO US OLD GEEZERS. BABY BOOMERS RELUCTANTLY RE-LIVING, AND RE-PLAYING, MUCH OF THE HISTORY WE'VE SPANNED THROUGH, ONCE ALREADY; FOR ALL THE EVENTFUL YEARS, WHEN WE THOUGHT OURSELVES LUCKY TO HAVE SURVIVED, SOME DANGEROUS, THREATENING MOMENTS. OUR OWN WATER UNDER THE PROVERBIAL BRIDGE. SOME OF IT, THE CURL AND SWEEP OF FAST, TREACHEROUS WATER, THAT COULD KILL AN INNOCENT INTERLOPER, QUICKLY, QUIETLY, IN THE POWERFUL ENTRAPMENT, OF ITS INVISIBLE, BUT RAGING UNDERTOW. IF THAT IS, WE EVER TOOK IT FOR GRANTED, AND WADED-IN WITHOUT CONSCIENCE, OR THE REAL LIFE RECALL, OF SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES WE SIDE-STEPPED, OR FACED-UP-TO PREVIOUSLY. OUR VULNERABILITY? THAT WE OCCASIONALLY LOSE OUR WAY IN THE CURRENT OF MODERN THINKING; SURVIVORS OF THE OLD WORLD ORDER, WHO COINCIDENTALLY, HAVE SOME INSIGHTS ABOUT THE LAST COLD WAR; AND COULD, IF SOMEONE ONLY ASKED US, SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE SAME ARGUMENTS MAKING THE ROUNDS TODAY.
RUSSIA'S ACTIONS, IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, OTHER THAN DEPLORABLE, HAVE BEEN SEEN MANY TIMES IN THE PAST. YET WE KEEP EXTENDING FAVORS AND A SHOW OF RESPECT; WHAT ELSE DO YOU CALL GRANTING THEM THE RIGHT TO HOST THE OLYMPICS? THE SAME COUNTRY, HAVING A RATHER REGRESSIVE APPROACH TO THE RIGHTS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION. I LOST ALL MY FAITH IN THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT, AFTER THEIR AVOIDANCE OF THE ISSUE, (AND THEY DEFINITELY AVOIDED IT), AND I REFUSED TO WATCH ANY OF THE COMPETITIONS; AND THIS CAME MONTHS BEFORE THE INVASION OF THE CRIMEA. WHICH WAS A WHOLE SEPARATE PISS-OFF.
SEEING OF COURSE, AS THE INVASION OF THE CRIMEA, WAS PRETTY MUCH AN ITEM OF PERSONAL HOUSEKEEPING, AND EVERY NEWS REPORT I'VE LISTENED TO, IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, HAS CONDEMNED ONE MAN IN PARTICULAR. SO YOU'D SORT OF THINK, AS A STRATEGIC FIRST MOVE, THAT FREEZING HIS INTERNATIONAL ASSETS, WOULD BE A SOLID COUNTER MEASURE, WITH A LOT MORE WEIGHT ATTACHED. HE'D HAVE TO TIGHTEN HIS BELT, THAT'S FOR SURE. I MEAN, WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO TAKE THE FIRST SHOT, IN THE MILITARY SENSE. BUT WHILE IT SEEMS PRUDENT TO FREEZE THE ASSETS OF OTHERS, THE WORLD'S PROBLEM COMES DOWN TO ONE RATHER AFFLUENT CHAP, WITH ATTITUDE, DICTATING THE COURSE OF HIS FEDERATION, INTO THE REALM OF COLD WAR PART TWO. WATCHING VIDEO FROM HIS ADDRESS TO THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TODAY, WAS CLEAR AND STARTLING EVIDENCE, THE FUTURE OF EUROPE IS PRECARIOUSLY RESTING, ON A FULL TO OVER-FLOWING POWDER KEG. THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH, WHICH GARNERED HIM NUMEROUS STANDING OVATIONS, HERALDED WITH BLUNT HONESTY, A FRIGHTENING, BUT ENTHUSIASTIC RETURN TO AN ERA, MOST FREEDOM LOVING PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, HOPED WOULD NEVER AGAIN RETURN. WHAT HAS RUSSIA DONE TO ITSELF, BY APPROVING AND ENABLING A PRESIDENT TO MORPH SO EASILY, INTO THE SUPREME LEADER? THE SHOW OF UNFALTERING, BLIND SOLIDARITY OF HIS PARLIAMENT, AND APPROVAL OF THE FRIGHTENED IN HIS SHADOW, IS WHAT HITLER RELISHED, IN HIS HEYDAY. IF EVER I EXPERIENCED A COLD CHILL, AND FEAR FOR THE FUTURE, IT WAS WATCHING THIS EMPOWERMENT SPEECH GET ITS UNANIMOUS, CHEERING ENDORSEMENT. THIS LIKE-MINDED APPROACH TO GOVERNANCE HAS LED TO MANY RAVAGING WORLD CONFLICTS, AND OF THIS, TODAY'S SPEECH WAS CLEAR EVIDENCE, THE LIMITS OF GROWTH HAVEN'T YET BEEN ACHIEVED. I BELIEVE THE WORDS OF THE ACTING LEADER OF THE UKRAINE. AN INVASION IS INEVITABLE. WHEN ECONOMIC SANCTIONS DON'T WORK, WHAT NEXT?
I AM GLAD THAT I NEVER FOLLOWED THROUGH ON PLANS TO BECOME A TEACHER. IF I HAD TO EXPLAIN THE CURRENT MOVE OF RUSSIA, TAKING CONTROL OF THE CRIMEA, AND THE GEO-POLITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES YET TO MANIFEST IN EUROPE, AT RUSSIA'S DISCRETION, WELL SIR, I'D PROBABLY ANGER MYSELF INTO THE SPIRALING SMOKE, AND ASH, OF MY OWN SPONTANENOUS COMBUSTION; DISAPPEARING QUITE LITERALLY, INTO MY SMOKING HOT RUNNING SHOES. THERE IS NO WAY OF STARTING OFF A LESSON, FOR WIDE-EYED STUDENTS, IN THE MOST RECENT CRISIS IN EUROPE, WITHOUT PUTTING A CRASS, ALMOST NAUSEATING PRICE TAG ON THE WHOLE AFFAIR. THIS ISN'T ABOUT ANYTHING MORE THAN WHOPPING AMOUNTS OF MONEY, AND OBSCENE VEINS OF POWER, FLOWING LIBERALLY INTO THE HANDS OF THE FEW. IT'S SHOCKING THAT INVASION AND THE RETURN TO COLD WAR POLICIES, HAS MONEY AS ITS SOLE PILLAR. I DO UNDERSTAND WHY ASSETS WERE FROZEN. I DO THINK THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT'S OUT-OF-COUNTRY ASSETS, SHOULD HAVE BEEN SIMILARLY COMPROMISED.
I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW A TEACHER, CAN STARE AT THE FACES OF THE YOUNG GENERATION, REPRESENTING OUR FUTURE LEADERSHIP, AND THEN INSTRUCT (AND ADMIT WITHOUT SHAME), THAT A POTENTIAL AND DEVASTATING WAR, ON THE CUSP, WILL HAVE AS ITS TRIGGER POINT, YET ITS CAMOUFLAGE, THE ENHANCEMENT OF FISCAL SECURITY. NOT FOR CITIZENS. BUT FOR THE INVADING COUNTRY. IT IS WITHOUT A SHRED OF DOUBT, A SICKENING, PERVERTED, CAPITAL-DRIVEN-CONFLICT, IF EVER THERE WAS ONE. I MEAN, WHILE INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT HAS ALWAYS HAD SOMETHING, OR OTHER, TO DO WITH POWER GRABS, AND MATERIAL ASSETS, SUCH AS LAND STRATEGY ITSELF, THIS ALL GROSSLY STINKS OF MONEY AND GREED. THIS TIME, IT'S ALL WE CAN SEE. ALL WE CAN SENSE ABOUT WHY RUSSIA WOULD INVADE, KNOWING WHAT THE CONDEMNATION OF THE WORLD WOULD MANIFEST, UPON THEIR COUNTRY. THEY DON'T SEE ANY THREAT BIG ENOUGH, TO RE-CONSIDER THEIR AMBITIONS. DAMN RIGHT WE SHOULD BE WORRIED. THERE'S NO SMOKE AND MIRRORS ABOUT IT. JUST MONEY. AS THE UKRAINE VOTED IN FAVOR OF AN ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION, RUSSIA DECIDED AGAINST, ON BEHALF OF THE UKRAINIANS; WHO APPARENTLY WERE MASS-DELUSIONAL AT THE TIME OF THE VOTE. OBVIOUSLY, RUSSIA WANTS WHAT RUSSIA WANTS! BUT THERE'S A CASH VALUE ON THIS, THAT TODAY, IN THIS NEW CENTURY, IS SICKENING IN HEART AND SOUL.
THE UKRAINE HAS BEEN DRIVEN TO ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE BY DECADES OF CORRUPTION. WHAT ELSE CAN YOU CALL IT BUT CORRUPTION? WHO BLED ALL THE MONEY OUT OF THE COUNTRY? WHERE DID IT ALL GO? SOMEONE MUST KNOW? I HAVEN'T GOT IT! DO YOU?
THE QUESTION NOW, IS WHETHER RUSSIA WILL CUT OFF THE UKRAINE'S ENERGY SUPPLY, IN THE COMING MONTHS, AS A FURTHER REASON, TO JUSTIFY A COMPASSIONATE INVASION; A SORT OF MUNCHAUSEN BY PROXY ARRANGEMENT; STRANGLE THEM TO WITHIN AN INCH OF THEIR LIVES, SO THEY CAN BE SAVED BY DOTING PARENTS, IN A PLANNED RESCUE. TO HELP THEM APPRECIATE WHO COMES THROUGH FOR THEM, WELL YOU KNOW; IN A PINCH. FORCIBLY APPLIED, MIND YOU! AND A REMINDER ABOUT WHAT SUPER POWER RULES THEIR WORLD. THE "CAN DO NO WRONG" RUSSIAN FEDERATION IS DELUSIONAL, IF THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE POWER TO RULE THE WORLD. BY NUMBERS ALONE, AND IT'S A BIG ONE, THE POOR AND DISADVANTAGED HOLD THE BALANCE OF POWER. AS WITH MANY REVOLUTIONS IN HISTORY, IT SHALL COME TO PASS, ONE LONG AWAITED-FOR DAY, THE POOR WILL SURELY INHERIT THE EARTH. WHAT A DAY THAT WOULD BE!
WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH ECONOMIC SUFFERING IN THE WORLD, HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY THE POLITICS OF THE DAY? HOW WILL INVASION MAKE FOR A BETTER ECONOMY? THE VERY ACT OF "INVADING" HERALDS THE IMPOSITION, "WE WILL DO WHAT WE WANT, WHEN WE WANT, AND HOW WE WANT, SO GET USED TO IT!" HOW DO YOU TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT THE WORLD, WITHOUT INFUSING, "YES BUT, WITHOUT SUFFERING AND DESPAIR, THE TOOLS OF BARTERING, ARE DIMINISHED, AS A RESOURCE OF CORRECTION AND COERCION." CORRUPTION, AS A POLICY, WORKS BEST, WHEN THERE IS NO CONSCIENCE. STARVING AND DESTITUTE PEOPLE CLUTTER-UP THE STREETS. BE GONE WITH THEM. ARE THERE NO WORKHOUSES? DEBTOR'S PRISONS? THE POOR LAW? IS THAT STILL IN EFFECT? GOSH, IT'S AS IF WE HAVEN'T ADVANCED A SINGLE DELIBERATE FOOTSTEP, NOT ONE, FROM THE TIMES CHARLES DICKENS WAS WRITING ABOUT, WHEN HE INTRODUCED THE THIEVING, COVETOUS OLD SINNER, EBENEEZER SCROOGE; GIVEN AS A MORAL TO THE UNCARING BUSINESS WORLD, VIA HIS STORIES OF HARDSHIP IN OLD ENGLAND. YET IN OUR WORLD TODAY, IT IS ALL STILL THERE; ALL THE GHOSTS OF THE PAST, WANDERING AS THE LOST SOULS OF THE PRESENT. SO NO, I WOULD NOT BE THE BEST CHOICE TO TEACH THE YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY, ABOUT THE POLITICS AND GREED OF GOVERNMENTS; THAT LEAD US TO THE PRECIPICE TIME AND AGAIN, ON THE ILL-CONCEIVED AGENDA, AND POISONED LOGIC, OF ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL. "ROBBING" BEING THE OPERATIVE WORD, AND NOT IN THE SPIRIT OF ROBIN HOOD, STEALING FROM THE RICH TO GIVE TO THE POOR.
RUSSIA IS NOT LOOKING OUT FOR THE INTERESTS OF THE CRIMEA, OR THE UKRAINE. IT'S JUST THE WEAK VERBIAGE THEY'VE WRAPPED UP IN THE CONUNDRUM OF A TANTRUM; WANTING MORE OF THE SANDBOX, ON THE PREMISE THEY ARE, AFTER ALL, ITS RIGHTFUL OWNERS. BASING IT OF COURSE, ON A CONVENIENT HISTORY THEY PENNED THEMSELVES. THE THOUGHTFULLY ABRIDGED VERSION. I KNOW WHAT THAT'S ALL ABOUT. I READ IT ALL THE TIME. PROPAGANDA BECOMING THE TRUTH, BECAUSE IT'S MORE CONVENIENT THAT WAY. ACCEPTING THE ADJUSTED VERSION, KEEPS ONE OUT OF THE GULAG.
FOR CANADA, WHILE I'M NOT CONSULTED ABOUT THESE MATTERS, BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY, I WORRY VERY MUCH FOR THE FUTURE OF THE DOMAIN OF THE ARCTIC, AND WHAT WE CLAIM AS PART OF OUR NATIONAL DOMINION. OUR NEIGHBORS HAVE BEEN THINKING OTHERWISE FOR SOME TIME NOW! CANADA AND RUSSIA ARE GOING TO FACE OFF IN MORE THAN JUST INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY.
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PONDERING TO DO IN THE NEXT MONTHS AND YEAR, ADJUSTING TO THIS NEW VERSION OF AN OLD AND NASTY COLD WAR. THERE WILL BE LOTS OF ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE ASSOCIATED WITH COLD WAR FENCES. AS RUSSIA THUMBS ITS NOSE AND HIGH-FIVES OVER STEALING CRIMEA, WE HAVE TO MOVE ON, SAFE-GUARDING WHAT'S LEFT OF THE FREE WORLD; AND BEING EVER WATCHFUL OF THE NEXT APPLE OF ITS FEDERATED EYE. WE LEARNED TO LIVE WITH RESTRICTIONS IN MY DAY; AND WE CAN DO IT AGAIN. WE JUST MIGHT HAVE TO SHARE SOME OF THE AUSTERITY AND SACRIFICE, WITH THOSE WHO LIVE HAND TO MOUTH AS NORMAL FARE; AS A MATTER OF DAY TO DAY EXISTENCE. THE REAL WAR HERE, WILL BE AN ECONOMIC ONE, AND IT WILL BE GLOBAL.
HAVE I TURNED FROM LOCAL POLITICAL CRITIQUE, TO COVER INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS INSTEAD? NO. I'M JUST GRUMPY, AND I REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THE OLD DAYS, OF THE LAST COLD WAR. LIVING IN FEAR IS LIKE AN EXTENDED WINTER. LOTS OF UPS AND DOWN ON A SLIPPERY SURFACE. I FEEL SORRY FOR THE RUSSIAN PUBLIC, WHO I DON'T BELIEVE SUPPORT THIS INVASION OF THE CRIMEA. THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, IS MORE SO, FOR THEM!
THE FIRST WORLD WAR SOLDIER IN MY SHOP - A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE OF REMEMBRANCE
ANTIQUE DEALERS COME TO EXPECT UNUSUAL EXPERIENCES WITH HERITAGE ITEMS
IT WAS JUST WEEKS BEFORE REMEMBRANCE DAY. I WAS WORKING THEN, FROM A SMALL BASEMENT ANTIQUE SHOP, ON THE UPPER END OF BRACEBRIDGE'S MANITOBA STREET. SO THAT PUTS THE TIME FRAME AT AROUND 1993 OR SO. I'M A LITTLE FOGGY THESE DAYS, WITH SO MUCH HUDDLING OVER THIS INFERNAL KEYBOARD…..AND STARING AT THIS WHITER THAN WHITE MONITOR. I PREFERRED, OF COURSE, WATCHING OVER A SHEET OF PAPER IN THE ROLLER OF MY OLD UNDERWOOD, THAT IMPACTED REAL INK ON REAL PAPER….FROM STRIKING METAL KEYS. AYE, THOSE WERE THE DAYS.
ON THIS PARTICULAR OVERCAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON, RAINING AND WINDY, I WAS LISTENING TO SOME FIRST WORLD WAR VINTAGE MUSIC, I HAD RECORDED EARLIER, TO PLAY IN THE SHOP DURING THE WEEKS LEADING UP TO REMEMBRANCE DAY. WE STILL DO THIS WITH WITH OUR PRESENT SHOP HERE IN GRAVENHURST. OFFER MUSIC TO SUIT THE OCCASION. AS WE HAD SOME CANADIAN MILITARY PHOTOS AND A MINOR AMOUNT OF MILITARIA ON CONSIGNMENT FROM OTHER COLLECTORS, THE MUSIC PROVIDED AN INTERESTING MOOD TO THE LOWLY LIT SHOP, THAT BY ITSELF, SEEMED TO BE A PORTAL BACK IN TIME. JUST THE BUILDING ITSELF, PROMPTED PEOPLE TO ASK IF IT WAS HAUNTED. OF COURSE IT WAS. WE DIDN'T MIND IT AT ALL. SPIRITS MAKE GOOD COMPANY. WE CHAT IN THOUGHTS SO IT'S NOT INTRUSIVE CONVERSATION, THAT MIGHT BOTHER OTHER CUSTOMERS BROWSING THE AISLES.
I SHOULD FOOTNOTE THIS POINT, THAT ALTHOUGH WE HAVE HAD MANY MILITARY PIECES FROM BOTH THE FIRST AND SECOND WORLD WARS, WE AREN'T MILITARIA DEALERS BY DEFINITION. SOME TIMES WE JUST RUN INTO ESTATE SALES AND AUCTIONS, WHERE THESE MATERIALS ARE OFFERED, AND BECAUSE OF OUR RESPECT FOR ITS IMPORTANCE, WE ARE LIKELY TO BRING IT ALL HOME…..AT LEAST WHEN WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE THE PURCHASES. THESE ARTIFACTS CAN GET PRETTY EXPENSIVE. I ALSO DON'T WANT TO MISLEAD YOU. THERE IS A HUGE MARKET FOR MILITARIA, AND IF YOU'RE A GENERAL ANTIQUE DEALER, IT'S JUST DAY TO DAY BUSINESS TO OFFER THESE HEIRLOOM PIECES FOR SALE. SUZANNE AND I, FOR DECADES NOW, HAVE REMAINED ON THE PERIPHERY OF THIS COLLECTING FIELD, AS I HAVE NO DESERVE TO INVOLVE MYSELF SELLING MEDALS OR MORE PERSONAL WAR-TIME ITEMS. I HAVE SOLD SUBSTANTIAL AUCTION LOTS OF MILITARY LETTERS, FROM BOTH WARS, AS PART OF AN ESTATE WE WERE EMPLOYED TO DISPERSE. I WOULD HAVE LIKED, IF IT HAD BEEN FISCALLY POSSIBLE, TO PURCHASE ALL OF THEM FOR MY OWN ARCHIVES, BUT THE FACT WAS, THEY WERE JUST TOO VALUABLE FOR MY BUDGET. THEY SOLD ONLINE FOR A COMBINED PRICE, IF MEMORY SERVES, OF ABOUT A THOUSAND DOLLARS.
THERE WAS AN OCCASION, WHEN I ACQUIRED AN ORIGINAL AND COMPLETE WORLD WAR I UNIFORM, ONCE BELONGING TO A FORMER CANADIAN SOLDIER, WHO AFTER THE WAR, CAME TO RESIDE IN THE BRACEBRIDGE AREA. IT WAS A WONDERFUL PIECE, AND WE USED IT FOR OUR REMEMBRANCE DISPLAYS, WHICH WE DID EVERY YEAR WITH WHAT ARTIFACTS WE HAD AVAILABLE AT THE TIME.
THE UNIFORM SUITED THE WEARER!
The problem for me, was whether to hold onto the uniform, which would likely be the only one I'd ever own in my life, or sell it to a collector as the antique dealer I was supposed to be. There is a fine line between collector and dealer, and sometimes our homes are far more jammed-up with stuff, than our actual shops. So I had pretty much decided, that following this particular year's Remembrance Day, I would finally attach a price sticker. Reluctantly, but it had to be done. I couldn't collect everything after all. Suzanne still calls me a collector instead of a dealer.
I looked up from my desk, that late October afternoon, and there was a chap I knew standing in front, with one hand fondling the uniform, which hung just above our counter showcase. It was a teacher I knew from one of our schools, and he seemed fascinated by the rough texture of the good condition uniform. "Ted," he said. "Is there any chance that you would be willing to loan me this uniform for a Remembrance Day play we're putting on next week?" As we were regular suppliers of theatre props, it wasn't an unusual request. The problem with this uniform, was its size. It was for a man of modest proportion. The young Canadian who had worn it, wasn't tall or heavy. I stopped myself from explaining this to my friend, because he was of the perfect size to don the uniform. I agreed that it would be great to have the uniform in use again, for a peace-time play…..especially as a Remembrance Day event. "I'd like to try it on first," he said, and I pointed him to a bathroom upstairs.
He was gone quite awhile and I wondered if he had just decided to leave after trying it on. That would have been okay, as he thanked me in advance, before he even went upstairs. So I just settled down with my writing work again, which at that moment was a war-time story for The Muskoka Advance, a Friday paper at that time. The music was sentimental and tear-jerking, and my story was pretty heavy and a little depressing, so when all of a sudden, my friend startled me again, I nearly fell off my chair. When I looked up, he had every right to ask, "Looks like you saw a ghost Ted." "I did," I replied. "I did." I really can't explain, just how ghostly he appeared in that Canadian soldier's uniform. It was as if it had been tailored for him. It had an aura that he couldn't have seen, as if the uniform itself was haunted by the past……but somehow, some way accepting, of this new body with a strong heart, re-animating history. Right in front of me. It seemed as if he had just then walked right out of a military portrait, to stand in front of me, for inspection. He even saluted. I'm very seldom at a loss for words, as you can attest, but I was spellbound by the way the uniform fit this man, who had literally, just come in off the street. He didn't know I had the uniform before he walked into the shop. He was just looking for a military hat or regimental photograph, his theatrical group could use as props on stage. Then he found the uniform that no one…..not a soul, in two years, had been able to fit into…..and yes many had tried and failed. It was eerie how it all came together that afternoon. Sort of reminded me of Cinderella and the special slipper. They were made for each other.
He was planning to wear it for the variety show at a local church, I believe, and I couldn't have been happier. But just seeing him in that uniform, made me appreciate the relevance of having kept it for those years…..gathering dust as Suzanne reminds me of my collections. This was just one of those poignant antique-dealer moments, that we all have in this trade, from year to year, that is a strange but adequate pay-off for our own brand of historical preservation. We don't get a lot of credit for this kind of conservation, because our critics only see the profit-taking as motivation. If that was the case, there would be a lot fewer dealers, because the "rush" we get from the trade, is largely "the discovery," from all the energy we expend embarking upon adventure after adventure. It is a grueling enterprise at times. Cut-throat. Indiana Jones type aggressiveness, to make the big finds. The profit aspect is necessary, of course. Show me a business that prospers without it. But to know dealers the way I do, is to appreciate that profit is never as important as experience and odyssey. This gentleman, wearing my World War I uniform, once owned by a brave Canadian soldier, brought the history I adore, back to life for that fleeting but memorable moment, down in a dimly lit shop, I used to call my adventurer's work space. It even gave me something more to write about, for my weekly newspaper column. My friend looked great on stage and he got lots of compliments from the audience. By all accounts, it was a hugely successful fundraiser, and a nice community-spirited show of Remembrance, for the sacrifices made by our citizens, in defense of home and country.
Had I seen a ghost? I don't think so. But as to whether or not, I saw the glow of an old spirit, when that uniform was full of life again……I think so. I don't see auras, but I do feel them. This one was warm and contented. As an antique dealer, it was just one of those important moments, when you give a little sigh of thankfulness, that you've once again, had a rare opportunity, to experience history all over again……but without bombs going off and machine gun fire over the battlefront trench.
A LITTLE HISTORY SHARED FROM MY COLLECTOR FRIENDS, JUST FOR YOU
This afternoon, friends of ours, who we deal with in the antique hunting enterprise, came in with a cigar box full of stereo cards from the vintage of the First World War. The "two parallel image" cards, which appeared as one view, when placed on the holding bracket of a stereo-scope, were mostly British, but there was one American, showing workers at an aircraft factory, and there may be a couple of Canadian troop photographs from the battlefield……although I haven't confirmed this. You could buy these general cards readily, but ones depicting world events, especially war, are very scarce these days……., and are coveted by collectors, especially of vintage photographs. I have included a sampling of these images, which I will carry-over several blogs, so you can have a chance to see what antique dealers get to handle on a fairly regular basis. Fact is, these happenstance discoveries keep us hanging onto the business, even when we become excessively old farts, who should know when to retire. We don't. We die on the job. So here are some of the images, including photographs taken of the trenches in France, and some timely news photos, which likely would have run in the international press, at the time. I don't know how long they have been in this old cigar box, but it's the perfect time to bring them out in recognition of Remembrance Day. Hope you enjoy them. Keep in mind, many were taken under adverse conditions, and while the men were under fire, making some of the images, taken with shattered nerves, less than crisp. Some are a little faded but we think you'll be able to appreciate the circumstance, and situation, of the photographer capturing the image. And just how nervous they were, half expecting their next photograph, may have also been their last. There are a few images that are artistic impressions of war scenes, done by front line commissioned painters.
In 2014 it will be centennial of the commencement of the First World War.
Thanks so much for joining me for this little story of personal Remembrance. Please come and visit again soon.
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