TORONTO TALK EXCHANGE SOUND OFF REMEMBRANCE DAY
LETTERS PEACE & COMMUNITY → Articulate and mindful, Brian Phillips’ article (Toronto Is Your City, In Toronto, Oct 2010) thoughtfully nudges us in a direction of peace and community. These are values many of us possess. Hearing about them and how they can be applied doesn’t just reinforce their power but also inspires optimism through the realization that, by making the right choices as to who will next govern our city, we can be who or what we value. Mike Didier, Toronto
TAKE A BOW
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servicemen and women in past and current wars. But war exacts a terrible toll on everyone, even generations later. We asked community members to talk about how war has impacted their lives. “Being deployed overseas highand current Canadian Forces members have made. The separation from my boyfriend leading up to the Christmas holidays was challenging; I had taken so much for granted. Seeing the blessed we are in Canada.”
LIEUTENANT (NAVY) STEPHEN CHURM
“My nephew enlisted at 18 and stayed in the army for six years, during which he did two tours in Afghanistan. It was a harrowing time for his family: We felt constant dread, fearing the worst, a dread that lay underneath everything we did. Because the war in Afghanistan is so uncertain, so hard to be sure of its purpose or validity, it was doubly hard to feel he was risking his life... for what? And for whom? I remain impressed, however, with his commitment, determination and focus, how he excelled at what he set out to do. Now that he is safely home, we are able to read newspapers again, though it remains extremely upsetting when a soldier’s life is lost in this (or any) war.”
“The biggest challenge for me as a pastor at a church where we strive to apply our spirituality to life’s events has been ‘Is there such a thing as a just war?’ I believe it is a moral duty to ensure that any war we enter into is morally defendable. In my opinion, that standard was met but not in the Iraq war. I was proud of Canada for staying out of Iraq. We have a wonderful country with many protections for gays and lesbians and we owe this in part to those who defended our country in World War II.”
→ I like the Luke Macfarlane interview so much (Brother in Arms, In Toronto, Oct 2010). I think Luke is the best actor ever and a wonderful person. In my site dedicated to him (lukemacfarlane.tk) you can see how much he’s a great person. Michela Garau, Cagliari, Italy
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REV BRENT HAWKES, METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF TORONTO
FILMMAKER LAURIE LYND (BREAKFAST WITH SCOT)
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