Willowmist's Wanderings

This is Canada's Peace Tower. Pretty, isn't it? It was erected in 1927 as a tribute to the Canadian soldiers who died for their country in WWI.
Will someone please explain why Stephen Harper's administration has decided not to lower the flag atop the Peace Tower to honour the Canadian soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan recently? According to the Department of Heritage: there are some very clear scenarios for flying the flag at half-mast.

on the death of a Lieutenant Governor;

on the death of a Canadian Privy Councillor;

a Senator, or a Member of the House of Commons;

on the death of a person whom it is desired to honour.

Some of my American allies may not understand all of these positions. The Lieutenant-Governor is the Queen's representative at the provincial level. The Privy Council is meant to be an advisory body to the Queen. Neither appointment is particularly strenuous these days. Still one must serve one's country according to one's skills and talents and service is service. The Senate and the House of Commons, are not unlike your own Congressional houses. Surely Canada would desire to honour those who willingly risk and lose their lives in the course of the service which they render to their country..?

In fact, as the Opposition party, the Conservatives insisted on flying the Peace Tower flag at half-mast under not dissimilar circumstances. Now Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor wants us to believe that NOT flying the flag at half-mast is actually MORE respectful to our fallen soldiers. He says that Chretien was in error for ever lowering it in the first place and that the Liberals often applied the protocol inconsistently.

Interestingly, the first recorded instance of a flag flown at half-mast occurred in July 1612 in Canada. (although it wasn't officially 'Canada' at the time.) Lt. Cdr. Leland P Lovette wrote a book called Naval Customs, in which he states,

"the half-masting of colors is in reality a survival of the days when a slovenly appearance (untidy, careless) characterized mourning. Even in the British Merchant Service today there are recent cases of trailing rope ends, 'slacking off' of rigging, and scandalizing yards as a sign of mourning."

Apparently, Stephen Harper thinks himself above a centuries-old tradition. I'm sure that it has nothing to do with a desire to downplay a political albatross. Maybe he just isn't in mourning.