Maine wreaths go to Arlington cemetery

PORTLAND, Maine — Thousands of Maine-made wreaths are being distributed at Arlington National Cemetery.

All told, 11 truckloads of greenery from Worcester Wreath Co. made their way to the cemetery outside Washington, D.C. Maine first lady Ann LePage planned to be on hand Saturday as the wreaths are laid on headstones.

All told, the nonprofit Wreaths Across America expects to ship 470,000 to 500,000 wreaths to adorn veterans' graves this holiday season. Last-minute donations bumped the number of Arlington wreaths from 100,000 to 120,000.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King say the Senate has passed a resolution designating Saturday as "Wreaths Across America Day."

Via: Politico

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The ‘White Poppy President’

The same president, who barely two months ago tried to keep 80-plus-year-old war veterans from visiting their open-air Washington war memorials, will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Veteran’s Day this Monday.

The same president, who is gutting the U.S. military, will host a breakfastto honor veterans and their families that is closed to the press. (White House Schedule)

For reasons above and more,President Barack Obama fully qualifies as ‘The White PoppyPresident’.

The White Poppy is the symbol of the ‘conscientious objector’.

Both here and overseas, the White Poppy is piggybacking the Red Poppy as an equal symbol for public displayon Remembrance Day and Veterans Day.  The pacifist and bedraggled White Poppy has much in common with politicians of the day who piggyback the internationally celebrated day to honour the world’s war dead with the same empty words and photo-ops.

Around since 1926, the White Poppy has never, in any way that can be called significant, come down off the shelf. (Canada Free Press, November, 2006)

“In 1926, a few years after the introduction of the Red Poppy in the UK, the idea of pacifists making their own poppies was put forward by a member of the No More War Movement (and that the traditionalblack centre of the British Legion’s red poppies should be imprinted withthe words “No More War”). (Wikipedia).  “Nothing seems to have come of this, until in 1933 the Women’s Co-operative Guild introduced the White Poppy; their intention was to remember the war dead (as with the red poppy), but with the added meaning of a hope for the end of all wars.

Via: Canada Free Press

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