what a tribute to a police officer fallen in the line of duty
national TV coverage
Internet on CTV.ca
national TV coverage
Internet on CTV.ca
15thousand file into Sgt Ryan Russel's funeral
- Thread starter Greg a
- Start date
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normofthenorth
Well-known member
I very seldom turn off CBC Radio during the day, but after a few hours of the funeral, I felt like I'd gotten the point. Sgt. Ryan really seems like a wonderful guy, and it's a tragic loss, and I feel for his wife and 2-year-old kid, and his colleagues. (I really do mean all that, though you may doubt it when you read the "grinch" part that follows.)
But I think there's no soldier who was killed in Afghanistan who doesn't deserve a similar over-the-top tribute. They face much higher risks, and they get much less in return. But we don't give them a funeral that stops traffic all day, mostly because there have been over a hundred of them killed during the last couple of years, so we'd never get any work done. Ironically, it's been 8 years since a Toronto police officer has been killed on the job, which makes it seem reasonable to hold one of the country's biggest funerals in Canada's history. But the theme of the huge outpouring of public support is that they all lay their lives on the line every day and run this huge risk on our behalf. . . except that you don't have to go to Afghanistan to find a job where more people actually get killed.
If (God Forbid!) another Toronto police officer dies in the line of duty within the next 6 months or so, I think our local government and the CBC will be stuck with a very hard act to follow. And the next time a dead soldier is "repatriated" from Afghanistan, a bunch of us may have a funny taste in our mouths. I'm just sayin'. . .
But I think there's no soldier who was killed in Afghanistan who doesn't deserve a similar over-the-top tribute. They face much higher risks, and they get much less in return. But we don't give them a funeral that stops traffic all day, mostly because there have been over a hundred of them killed during the last couple of years, so we'd never get any work done. Ironically, it's been 8 years since a Toronto police officer has been killed on the job, which makes it seem reasonable to hold one of the country's biggest funerals in Canada's history. But the theme of the huge outpouring of public support is that they all lay their lives on the line every day and run this huge risk on our behalf. . . except that you don't have to go to Afghanistan to find a job where more people actually get killed.
If (God Forbid!) another Toronto police officer dies in the line of duty within the next 6 months or so, I think our local government and the CBC will be stuck with a very hard act to follow. And the next time a dead soldier is "repatriated" from Afghanistan, a bunch of us may have a funny taste in our mouths. I'm just sayin'. . .
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