Posted on 08/15/2007 5:31:41 PM PDT by exg
Pro-troop decals removed UPDATED: 2007-08-15 02:54:03 MST
Calgary garbage trucks pulled into the garage to have yellow ribbon stickers scraped off
By SHAWN LOGAN, SUN MEDIA
Yellow ribbon decals were removed from a handful of garbage trucks as some city employees continue to defy council's decision that shot down a plan to adorn civic vehicles with the patriotic decorations.
A foreman for Calgary's waste and recycling services sent about a dozen trucks to the garage yesterday to have the offending decals -- proclaiming Support Our Troops -- scraped off the bumpers, leaving one worker, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal, questioning why the city would step in to prevent him from showing support for soldiers in harm's way.
"We're driving down laneways picking up everybody's garbage and I'm sure there's a few people out there with family and friends in Afghanistan and this is just a good shot in the arm," said the employee, who said he was upset when he heard the yellow ribbons were to be removed.
"This really bothers me -- what's the harm in putting a sticker on a truck?"
The worker said the stickers were picked up at union headquarters last week and placed on the vehicles but when they were noticed, a foreman ordered the trucks into the maintenance yard to scrape them off with tools and solvent.
He added he's not sure if they will defy the order and place new stickers.
Rick Valdarchi, manager of collection services, said the foreman was simply following council's policy.
"This is a sensitive issue but at the end of the day we were given direction by council and the policy is decals will not be displayed on fleet units," he said.
"The foreman was correct to remove them -- I'm not sure (our employees) were aware what the policy was."
Valdarchi said the workers won't be disciplined in this case and he wouldn't speculate on what action would be taken should there be further defiance.
Dozens of city vehicles, including police cars, buses and ambulances, showed up at a "yellow ribbon checkstop" earlier this month at the Calgary Police Association headquarters, contrary to last month's council decision.
Ald. Ric McIver, who pushed to have the entire civic fleet emblazoned with yellow ribbons, said he was disappointed the stickers were removed.
"This is a shame -- it's a poor decision by whoever made it," he said. "I appreciate the staff did this to say they support the men and women who are putting themselves in harm's way. Previous
Letter to the editor in the same days paper
A HERO’S WELCOME
A big thank you to Cpl. Jeffrey Taylor for going to Afghanistan so we can continue to enjoy our freedoms in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the world, “Welcome home, soldier” (Aug. 14). Taylor could have quite easily returned to his family wrapped in a body bag, laying in a pine box from overseas. Thanks again, Jeff, for your role in the Canadian military.
DONALD K. MUNROE
(We owe all our troops gratitude and admiration.)
Sorry it was today’s paper, not yesterdays.
Nice article—thanks
Thats the thing with some people, they don’t so much mind the elderly veterans, its the young live ones they don’t like.
A letter regarding this issue from a mother of a soldier serving in Afghanistan
***
To the Mayor of Calgary
I am so upset at your decision. I called your office the day I heard about it. I belong to numerous groups on facebook and this has been circulated your lack of concern and caring for my son and the other brave women and men serving this fine country. HOW DARE YOU NOT CARE FOR MY SON! Do you know that the support from home is so important to these men and women and that they are heroes. Yahoo you give the locals a send off ceremony but when they are down and need to know that fellow Canadians and government officials support them, they can say to themselves—— Some cities and towns support us BUT Calgary Alberta does not give a hoot as to how we are doing. Their Mayor does not support us.
As to the ribbons supporting the war. How the heck do you get that. They say “Support our Troops”. Where the heck does it say “Support the War”. I am not a political woman by far but I do vote every year and am disgusted to let others know I am from Calgary. Please explain to me why I should tell people to move to this city for jobs when the Mayor does not care about our heroes?????
I ask you again Mayor HOW DARE YOU NOT CARE ABOUT MY SON ADAM. I am sure you would care if he came home in a body bag then you could get your picture taken for a photo op about how much you care. I am in tears over this what kind of human makes a decision like this????? Are you a human being with feelings or has the political life taken over and you don’t care about your men and women.
I realize this email will not do a thing as you will send out the same generic responce you have before and yes we have compared the emails. You can not be bothered to answer us yourself rather get someone to do it for you and they just cut and paste.
Sincerely
Susan
You are a very important person there is only one you in this world
Prayers for the troops and my son, Adam, who is in Afghanstan.
I used to work in ‘The People’s Republic of Madistan’ in the downtown/campus area where all the smelly, moonbat, hippie throw-backs from the ‘60’s still live.
My Bush/Cheney stickers were keyed off my car while I was at work one day in 2000.
I hate smelly, moonbat, hippie throw-backs from the ‘60’s. And their moonbat offspring are just as whacked.
HOWEVER, the corner of my brain where I run this stuff out to it’s logical conclusion (a curse we Republican minds must bear!) tells me that there should be NO political affiliation stickers on ANY publicly owned vehicles. Those are tax-payer owned vehicles, just so no one misunderstands me. What you put on your privately-owned vehicle to project your beliefs is your own d@mn business, and like me...you pays your money and you takes your chances.
Come on, Freepers! Think! Take this to it’s logical conclusion.
Why open it up to “IMPEACH BUSH” bumper stickers on cop cars? ;)
Dear Mayor,
One of your promotional pictures show you with “thumbs up” while wearing a poppy on your lapel.
Why are you wearing that poppy?
Is it because brave Canadian men sacrificed their lives to save civilization over 60 years ago?
Do you think that the serving members of our Armed Forces deserve any less respect from you than those veterans?
Do you, for one minute, think that our troops are doing anything but their best to help the people of Afghanistan?
Do you think the people of Afghanistan were better off under the Taliban?
What exactly are you trying to accomplish by voting against support our troops decals on city owned vehicles?
Surely you do support Canada’s troops?
Do you want to demoralize our troops? You have.
Do you want to encourage the Taliban and Al-Queda? You have.
Please reconsider your vote on this matter.
Thank you for your attention.
Yours Truly,
Fanfan.
It wasn’t up a week before someone complained to HR who asked me to take it down immediately. I went up a couple more layers of management to get permission to place it back up. It is still up.
Wow—I guess its not jsut here that we’re having this problem.
Get the magnitized ones and put them on after the truck leaves the yard. That way, the driver can make his point and the foreman doesn’t have his tender sensibilities upset.
I will always maintain that yellow ribbons are not a poltical statement. We have worn/displayed yellow ribbons for years regardless of where our “guys” are serving (way before this conflict).
They are a symbol of hope.
They are not for the displayer’s comfort or state of mind, but rather for the solder’s families comfort. In a conflict that effects so few of us here, it is nice to know that we (the famileis)are not alone in this.
Thanks fanfan! Much appreciated!
Wow, commies run Calgary?? Do the people who attend the famous Calgary Stampede know that?
Among the most excellent experience I had was my 2 day excursion with the Canadian Forces based in Lahr which was in the Scharzwald (black forest.)
I was so impressed with the wonderful treatment that I received there that I find myself endeared to Canadians forever.
If they don’t, they will.
Thank you for your very kind words.
Thanks. That’s exactly what I was thinking...hopefully the drivers of these vehicles will think of it too.
I’m Retired Army. I served in Operation Desert Storm. I understand the “patriotism” aspect of it, but in my opinion, support for the troops stickers are also support for the war stickers, and ARE political by their very nature.
In my experience, when you give the Left an inch, they take a mile. I know I support the war and the troops (many serving now are the children of those of us that served in ODS) and I know civilians and my family members supported my decision to serve for 20 years, stickers or not on Taxpayer Owned Vehicles.
A sticker on a garbage truck means nothing in the long run if we turn over the smallest advantage to the Moonbats. Feel free to decorate your own property, person and vehicles with all the yellow stickers and flags and pins that you want. They don’t belong on Taxpayer Owned Vehicles.
I understan what you are saying, but agree to disagree. I am also a taxpayer.
Sticker shock over support for soldiers
Fri, August 17, 2007
By Neil Waugh -point of view Section
The yellow ribbon controversy hit a new low in Calgary this week when city garbage workers were ordered to scrape the “Support Our Troops” stickers off their truck bumpers.
This is the latest incident emanating from Calgary’s loony city council and its bewildering Mayor David Bronconnier after a majority of councillors voted against the patriotic bumper stickers.
Edmonton city council gladly accepted the pro-military decals.
It was the right thing to do considering what these brave men and women are committed to these days in Afghanistan.
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach also sensed a moment of political opportunism when he allowed provincial employees to put them on government vehicles after strong lobbying by the provincial sheriffs.
Unfortunately, union politics reared its ugly head and he was forced to make the bumper stickers voluntary for fear of a backlash from certain segments of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.
But it’s the Calgary situation that is the most disturbing and troubling, especially after the Calgary Police Association defied offensive municipal politicians and held a “yellow ribbon check-stop.”
Police officers, transit drivers and other city of Calgary workers could simply drive up and get a ribbon.
In recent months, Bronconnier has been out-performing Liberal Leader Kevin Taft as the thorn in the Alberta Tories’ side with his constant carping about infrastructure money.
He appears to have political ambitions beyond civic politics. But his logic-defying opposition to the ribbons clearly has hurt his chances.
The whole debate - whether coming from Calgary city council or cynical federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion - seems so silly and frivolous.
Remember, it’s our troops who are in a distant and dangerous land putting their lives on the line for their country.
Supporting our Armed Forces has nothing to do with whether you agree or disagree with the Afghan mission. It’s about the men and women who risk their lives to protect our way of life.
Why quibble over putting a sticker on the back of a Calgary garbage truck? Shame on Cowtown.
Lets see if they print letter that was sent.
Dear editor
There are more than 2,900 Canadian soldiers, sailors and Air Force personnel deployed worldwide on operational missions. On any given day, about 8,000 Canadian Forces members - one third of our deployable force - are preparing for, engaged in or returning from an overseas mission (according to the Defence Dept). Maybe the city should also tell all the military members not just in Iraq, everybody else in the rest of the world that we don’t agree with their choice of job as well? Maybe the city should tell the all families and troops in November what they really feel as well, by cancelling Remembrance Day ceremonies since our military’s contribution to the maintenance of our freedoms doesn’t deserve the support of the city. Come on city officials why hide your feelings and be forced to be politically correct hypocrites on Nov.11. Sleep in till 11:30 on Nov 11th, I’m sure the worldwide troops will appreciate your indifference.
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