VIDEO: Remembrance Day 2019 - Lest we forget

I was going to write the customary platitudes about remembering and honouring those who made the supreme sacrifice in defence of freedom, democracy, the right to boo the umpire and so on. But after listening to Don Cherry (see previous post) I have something more to get off my chest.

Sure, I'm wearing my poppy, and shame on those who don't pay at least a little attention to this day and its meaning. But that doesn't mean that I approve of, let alone encourage war. I am familiar with the concept of the "just war", but IMHO most of the wars fought by the AABC countries (America, Australia, Britain, and Canada) since 1812 have been fought by the wrong people, in the wrong places, for the wrong reasons. I'll except World Wars I and II, which America, to its everlasting shame, entered late. And maybe Korea. But I've never felt that any war since Korea has been worth one drop of the blood shed by so many, or one dollar of the billions spent.

That doesn't mean I won't remember and honour those who gave their lives. When duty calls, you have to go. If you volunteered to serve in the armed forces, what did you sign up for? Many were misguided. Many were misled. But they did their duty and kept the promises they'd made. As was famously said of the British Army, they were "lions commanded by donkeys." And there they lie, in Flanders fields, at the bottom of the south Pacific, buried within a numbered hill somewhere in Vietnam.

Was it all worth it? Listen to John McDermott's excellent rendition of "The Green Fields of France". The visuals are from the "Great War", World War I, "the war to end all wars".

VIDEO: Mugabes under house arrest as Zimbabwean army takes over

This is an update on yesterday's post predicting a military coup in the failing state of Zimbabwe. Yesterday, Zimbabwean National Army commander Constantino Chiwenga issued an unprecedented statement saying purges against senior ruling party officials linked to the 1970s liberation war should end "forthwith". "When it comes to matters of protecting our revolution," he said, "the military will not hesitate to step in." And lo, it has come to pass. Lifetime pct .992.

Today a spokesthingy for the army announced on state-owned radio and TV stations that they have President Robert Mugabe and his wife in custody, and are securing government offices and patrolling the streets of the capital, Harare, following a night of unrest. In an address to the nation after taking control of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, Maj.-Gen. Sibusiso Moyo said the military is targeting "criminals" around Mugabe, and sought to reassure the country that order will be restored. Without saying where Mugabe and his wife are being held, Moyo said, "Their security is guaranteed."

Although these events have all the hallmarks of a coup, supporters of the military praised their actions as a "bloodless correction". In the video, you see armed soldiers in bakkies (= pickup trucks) and armoured personnel carriers stationed at key points in Harare. Walt notes that the personnel carriers are the same antiquated vehicles in use when he lived in the country, twenty years ago. Then, as now, they were seen broken down or out of diesel at the roadside! Meanwhile, Zimbabweans formed long lines at banks in order to draw the limited cash available, a routine chore in the country's ongoing financial crisis. People looked at their phones to read about the army takeover and others went to work or to shops.

Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa, says he has spoken with Comrade Bob, and that the 93-year-old dictator is confined to one of his homes -- which one was unclear -- but is "fine". A statement from Mr Zuma's office says, in his capacity as Chair of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), Mr Zuma is sending South Africa's ministers of defence and state security to Zimbabwe to meet with Mr Mugabe and the military. The purpose of the meeting is unclear, but may be to arrange for the Mugabes, Bob and the lovely Grace, to go into exile into the neighbouring country. The problem with that is that President Zuma's hold on office is slipping. If he is deposed, where will he and his several wives, along with the Mugabes, run then? It is said that SADC will continue to monitor the situation closely. So will Walt. Stay tuned.