Project Hero – Baloney!

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Today’s Blog Post

Project Hero – Baloney!

“We think that the death of individuals is always a tragic matter, but we think that heroism is something different.” – quote from Professor Joyce Green, University of Regina

The professors at my old school have just launched a volley that has tipped their ship. 16 of them to be exact have stood up and made a statement. Yikes.

And to put it bluntly the ships around them are lobbing volleys of political shells back at them. The prime lobbers are Politicians – Provincial and Federal volley experts.

These smart professors should have thought this through before going off half caulked or half cocked. Are they dumb or something?

If you live some where else than in Saskatchewan you will not likely be following this confabulation taking place in the U of R. Actually there was very little confabulating with the outside world when the 16 profs signed their names to the letter. Their letter was objecting to the University placing itself in the popular mode of joining the rest of the Universities in Canada to give the children of Soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

A couple of things disturb me as well – but do I dare speak out about them?

I cannot see the sense in the Western World trying to change the minds of a people in the many different tribes of Afghanistan with a war. From where I sit it appears that US lead War against Terrorism has gone way too far. Our young men are being killed left, right and centre for nothing.

The big ad campaigns keep mustering for support for our country to keep pouring millions into something that cannot be won – or changed. And to top it off the ones that pay the most are the families that lose their young men.

It is insane.

It is impossible for anyone to object at this stage. The war mindset is just too big. The players that are involved are too many. We have a greater war back home than we have overseas. And not much can be done about it either.

Now the greatest players are the War Vets and the groups that have lost someone… the families. There is nothing more powerful than grief. They feel it and so I.

From where I sit watching what has gone on it is amazing. The movement in many local situations, Community Colleges and Universities, is to help others by providing scholarships in memory of a fallen community member is admirable.

In Peterborough a young man that graduated from the Community College had entered the arm services thinking he could make a difference. Tragically he was killed. The college has used this deep grief to help the family and has set up a special form of future funding for students attending their college in days to come – in memory of this young man. This is smart and very helpful.

There is a good feeling about this… in the community. It is also a brilliant ad campaign on the part of College Strategists to make the college’s profile better than ever. They didn’t have to pay a cent.

As I see it the extension of this Dead Soldier Memory Funding is to make an offer to give the children of the dead soldiers a free education at a University. The University strategists jump on board and announce that they are giving any children, in this sad situation, their schooling – FREE… and then calling it “Project Hero”.

The notorious 16 from the U of R have stated their strong feelings for the way that the U of R administration(University strategists) has gone about this.

Now being an ordinary citizen of Canada that has not fought in a War, has not lost anyone to it yet, and doesn’t always believe what my leaders are saying… I question it too. In fact I have lots of questions. But dare I voice them out loud?

Like, has the University strategists thought this through all the way? Many of the soldiers that have died are single men. They don’t have kids! So their kids will not attend the University – plain and simple.

Many of the other soldiers that did have kids, are all so young that the present University strategists will be long gone when these kids grow to adulthood and get any where near the university age.

There may be a few that had children that were University attendance level. But that is few.

The other major questions are also simple. What are we doing for families of the fallen soldiers? In fact how do we treat the married families during the time that a soldier is away? How is their housing? What conditions do they live in? Then after their loved one dies, who helps them in the years to come… a single mom living with three kids… that has lost her source of income… her stability with the death of her spouse… and now left to raise three kid – ALONE?

The fact is if these young ladies(for most are just that – young) will struggle endlessly in days to come. In Ontario we will offer them something called “Ontario Works” – which is our fancy name for welfare.

Here is a new idea for University strategists!

Why not invite the young moms of the fallen soldier to come to your University to study and get a degree with you! If she hasn’t completed her schooling yet, Help HER!   Then provide her with FREE DAY CARE and FREE HOUSING and a GOOD ALLOWANCE to feed herself and her kids – ALL FREE!!!!

If we don’t help these young ladies, the families, the young kids, and all that are involved has as much chance of making it as a Snow Ball in a Hot Furnace.

When the kids have been helped by the University in that way – they just might attend some day.

If these kids are not helped now – they will pretty much follow what mom’s way of living has been. That is horrible to think through. They will be trapped, but somewhere their father’s death was used by University strategists.

And 16 professors dared to stand up and say this isn’t right. And dozens of politicians scream out their offence to someone that is thinking.

Today I want to thank the University Profs for thinking. Also thanking them for standing up for what they believe. When the rest of the public finally sees what is happening – truly – they will see all the noise now is just simply ridiculous.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/criticism-of-scholarships-for-children-of-fallen-soldiers-draws-sharp-rebuke/article1512784/
http://www.audioenglish.net/dictionary/confab.htm