Got back in from a cold and frosty morning as the Good Padre officiated at the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge... April 9th 1917 - Easter Monday... Canadian troops attacked German entrenched positions taking the hill that the British and French forces had been unable to capture in previous attacks... Cost the new young country 3600 dead and 7000 wounded..but proved that Canada could hold its own...

today we mourn another loss..Easter Monday, April 9th 2007...6 Canadian soldiers killed and others injured by Taliban IED that took out a LAV III travelling on a Kandahar road..

still fighting in foreign lands to free people from oppresssion..and still trying to make the world a better place.

brings history back around and makes us notice..

The Good Padre did a great job, made the local TV and, I hope, touched a few hearts with her words of comfort...

sad that the world hasn't yet figured out how to stop those who would exploit and oppress others, who seek to dominate and repress a downtrodden people...

when will we learn?

Loss diminishes us all...

here we have the best all terrain vehicles available to anyone and yet we insist on driving on roads to go everywhere. All these IED's are predictable because we are predictable. Apparently we still haven't learned enough.

Sorry to hear about those six that were lost in this manner.

I see that the CBC did a special on the battle (or the war?). I taped part of it.

Canada lost 2 more in Afghanistan.. week shaping up as a nasty one for the troops.

On the ' bright' side, Australians are sending more soldiers into the fray and the US is extending tours so that more American grunts can be on the ground to deal weith the Taliban.. now, if only the other ' nato partners' would let their guys get in on the action rather than sit and watch from the bench, maybe the Talibanites might get the thumping they deserve.

until then...taking notes on how history might repeat itself..