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Peace-keeping veteran says only the red poppies please

Published

5 years ago

4 minute read

Submitted by Mark E. Meincke

About those white, and rainbow poppies……

Here is what the poppy means, and why I implore people to STOP with both the white poppy, and the rainbow infused poppy.  Contaminating the poppy through co-opting, is NOT ok.

The Poppy was first adopted as a symbol of recognition, and remembrance for soldiers in WW1 and was inspired by the poem, In Flanders Fields. Since then, the poppy has become such a sacred symbol, that it has formed part of the Canadian Military uniform during Remembrance Day ceremonies.

The poppy is a very specific symbol, meant to be used exclusively to respect the ineffable sacrifice of our Military and Veterans, especially the soul gouging sacrifice associated with battle. Any co-opting of the hallowed flowered symbol can do nothing but diminish the original intentions for the poppy.

The White Poppy, though arguably ill conceived from it’s outset, is almost as old as the Veteran’s poppy. The altruistic original intent of the white poppy however, stands in opposition to the unwelcome perceived meaning which it tends to emit. Today the white poppy stands as a beacon of anti-veteran sentiment, which makes it very disrespectful to wear on November 11th.

Pro-Peace is a noble pursuit, however wearing a white poppy to promote peace is a risk free lip-service which spits in the face of those who actually risked it all to physically fight for peace.

If you wish to promote peace, wear a white dove on your lapel, or better yet, sign up for the Military Reserves and jump aboard the next peace-keeping mission that comes along. The dove offends no one, so please wear that instead of slapping Veterans and Military members in the face.

And now, about that rainbow infused Poppy….

Seriously, WTH? Is the point of this sacrilegious co-opting to acknowledge the fact that within the military, and Veteran community, we too have a segment who identify themselves as being within the LGBTQ+ community? If so, then you have NO idea what being a soldier is all about. We are the most pro-LGBTQ advocates ever!

When a soldier is in battle, NOTHING could matter less than the sexual, or gender orientation of their fellow soldier. All we care about is whether or not you have buddies six. The rest is totally irrelevant. Co-opting the poppy by infusing the rainbow creates DIVISION, not inclusion.

The battle field is the most inclusive environment on earth. If you are shooting in the same direction, then you are included as an equal…period. Nobody cares about who you are attracted to, or which gender you identify as, the only salient measure is your character, and ability to do your job. Be brave, do your job, and you have the respect of your peers. It’s that simple.

So, wear your rainbow flag, get a rainbow tattoo, commemorate the LGBTQ+ community any which way you wish, and we will ALL stand firm for your right to do so. But, please leave our poppy alone. The poppy is a hallowed symbol which must remain pure.

Mark E. Meincke
Peace-Keeping Veteran

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Army Veteran, Multi-Award Winning Author, Podcast host, and PTSD survivor / advocate

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Opinion / 5 years ago

Peace-keeping veteran says only the red poppies please

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Daily Caller

NEWT GINGRICH: Europe’s Elites Were Finally Told To Take A Look In The Mirror

Published on February 22, 2025

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From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Newt Gingrich

In an amazing show of courage, Vice President J.D. Vance offered an intervention for some of our European allies.

That is the best way to think of the two historic speeches he made in France and Germany last week.

In Paris, Vice President Vance pledged the United States would do whatever it takes to lead the world in the development of Artificial Intelligence. He went on to assert that Europe’s automatic response to regulate technological change rather than adapt to it was doomed to fail.

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Vance warned the Europeans that the Trump administration would retaliate to protect American high-tech companies from being fined and regulated by the European community.

Then, Vance went to the Munich Security Conference. It is the annual meeting of European leaders concerned about defense and threats to peace. The Vice President shocked the Europeans by launching a frontal assault on the decay of their political system.

As Vance put it:

“But while the Trump administration is very concerned with European security and believes that we can come to a reasonable settlement between Russia and Ukraine, and we also believe that it’s important in the coming years for Europe to step up in a big way to provide for its own defense, the threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor.  And what I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values — values shared with the United States of America.”

He then went through a litany of specific complaints about the behavior of different European countries. They ranged from failing to control immigration, suppressing free speech, and Brussels seeking to control and define futures of independent countries such as Hungary and Romania.

The leading French newspaper, Le Monde (their equivalent of the New York Times) asserted that the American Vice President was declaring “ideological war on Europe.”

Le Monde was right. The European elites have been decaying for at least two generations. They hide behind their privileged status and take ideological positions that feel good but are destructive. Europe’s failures are devastating for most everyday Europeans.

I have personal knowledge about this. I have a Ph.D. in Modern European History – and I have lived in France, Germany, Belgium and Italy. As a young Army dependent, we were living in France when the French Army came back from Algeria, killed the French Fourth Republic and brought back General Charles de Gaulle to establish the Fifth Republic.

It is now the longest serving non-royal government in French history.

The European elites value each other’s opinions more than they value serving the people of Europe. The European elites live in a fantasy world of green policies that destroy industries and jobs, welfare policies which destroy the work ethic, and immigration policies which undermine the popular culture. They simply hope for a peaceful world without a strong military.

Meanwhile, state enforced speech codes protect Islamic extremists at the expense of local citizens.

The result has been a steady decline of European culture, economic development, and defensive capacity.

The Afghan Islamist who wounded more than two dozen people and killed a mother and her two-year-old daughter with a car two days before the supposed security conference signals the willful avoidance of reality at the heart of the elite European worldview.

To be clear, I admire European civilization. I believe America is far stronger and safer if Europe is healthy and capable of growing and defending itself.

I hope vice president Vance’s intervention at least starts European elites thinking about what must be done to revive their continent.

For more commentary from Newt Gingrich, visit Gingrich360.com. Also subscribe to the Newt’s World podcast.

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