Red Ensign Standard #43

Genealogy is the only first hand knowledge I have of addiction - difficult to give up with every brickwall a greater challenge than the last. I’ve yet to make the trek to Stone Arabia, New York, but one day I will as the roots of my family tree both maternal and paternal can be found there and about.

It remains to be seen whether a trip to the Mohawk Valley would provide answers to long- asked questions. Like what a German- speaking, Swiss mercenary soldier with the British army was doing in New York state in 1815 - other than the obvious which would be to wed a German-speaking wife. And he did - then promptly headed north to British North America and a settlement of loyalists with ties to his bride’s family.

These men believed as passionately in their cause as the patriots. The stakes were the same: their rights as property owners and citizens of the land. As in any war, there are winners and losers. The loyalists lost, and soon found there was no place for them in their native land. America's loss was great; Canada, however, grew due to the talents and strengths of these men.

I like to think that there I might find, in an old Palatine church, a still legible marriage register that will tell me once and for all what that soldier’s family name was. Not the anglicised name we use today but the German name he was given at birth in the canton of Solothurn, before he lived under the Ensign.

I asked the brigade to embrace a theme. Not necessarily the names and dates of a family chart but the stories that they tell. And a couple actually did just that.

Ruth writes about her nanny, a home child.

In 1939, England declared war on Germany. My Nanny lied about her age and joined the WRENS, the Women's Royal English Navy.

From Jason, an account from his dad, the cowboy poet, about the Percheron 'old Ned' and the tornado of 1899.

"And ’til his dying day, when rains came, he was a short ton of quivering"

From Anthroblogogy - They're - baack

My dad recounts an experience late in the War when he got leave from Annapolis and hitched a ride part-way cross-country in a B-25 Mitchell, to see his Mom at home in San Jose. "That thing was so loud, you couldn't even hear yourself think!" He took his leave from the aircraft somewhere in Nebraska, and continued on by train...

From Absinthe and Cookies the story of a pioneer woman, her great-grandmother Annie Anderson Heal.

Most of the early women arrived with only the supplies their horses and wagons, or boats, or backs could carry. The first white woman to settle was Ann Anderson Heal, who arrived here in 1903. Her trip from Victoria to Tyee Lake included six days on horseback, six by riverboat , and six days on foot!

Darcey talks about his grandfather the chainsaw carpenter.

Being also a lumberjack in the winter he kept his toolbox fairly simple as being out in the bush taught you to improvise. A measuring tape, string, hammer and of course his faithful chainsaw. I can’t recall the brand as the damn thing was all rusty and covered in oil stains. Toss in a few flathead screwdrivers and that was all he seem to ever need - big or small jobs.

From Argghhh a post about crazy aunt Ida.

Every family has one. The 'odd' relative. The one that makes you know your family is unique, among all those others.

And then on to other things ...

From Albion's Seedlings a post on citizenship and belonging.

We need to glory again in the name of Scotsmen or Welshmen or Englishmen and in the name of Britons, but in a multi-racial society we can only do this through fostering a sense of civic nationalism and pride in our collective and separate identities.

In keeping with the season at Quotulatiousness a couple of posts on summer wine.

At Abraca-Pocus - People think they know you.

Naturally, a stranger in a strange land (you don't have to go too far to feel like a foreigner, trust me), feels strange. In turn, one withdraws a little. One becomes the observer. I felt withdrawn. I observed.

At Bound by Gravity everything you need to know about equalization.

The Conservative Hipster's two cents, in case anyone asked, on an elected senate.

And more on the Senate from Phantom Observer.

And frankly I don’t think the provincial governments would give an argument against the idea of term limits for the Senate, since they care more about how a Senator is chosen than how long that appointed ass occupies a seat in the Upper Chamber.

From Beaverbrook at the Monarchist - more a Commonwealth Loyalist

I think when it comes right down to it, I'm more of a Commonwealth loyalist than a monarchist. I know this because I am rather indifferent to the plight of Nepal's monarchy, or whether one is restored in Serbia. I am by no means convinced that monarchy is a superior system of government, only the evolved British one. I am for the British Crown and tradition, full stop. If that makes me a loyalist more than a monarchist, so be it.

Because we just can't get enough of Joe Volpe. From London Fog - Keep Your Children Inside

"We have no record of any contact between CIRA and Mr. Volpe or his staff. Furthermore, CIRA does not deal with website content. This is and continues to be a guiding principle underlying our operations."

At Bumfonline, Huck had a birthday.

If you happen to be having a birthday this week celebrating at least 40 years of life, this is a reminder to take your daily dose of Ginkgo, shut off your car's turn signal, and quit boring people with tales of the pre-electricity, dinosaur-hunting days of your childhood.

And John the Mad, celebrates the birthday of G.K.Chesterton

... today, April 29th is the 132nd birthday of that great Catholic apologist, writer and journalist and one of my heroes, Gilbert Keith Chesterton.

From Canadianna's Place : Canada - Great place to be a pedophile.

We tell ourselves we're a civilized society. We are shocked by the Dutch political group that would legalize child pornography, and eventually child-adult sex. We ask ourselves 'how could they?' and yet our judges are treating child rape as a non-violent crime and finding excuses to give child porn collectors house arrest and community service.

The Conservative Canadien goes digital.

On home-grown terrorism

From Stephen Taylor, guess who's coming to Kingston.

While Loney's objectives are legitimate (though I disagree with them), he should be wary of taking up the cause of those that sought to destroy his freedom to advocate on their behalf.

At ESR's Musings - When are Canadians going to grow up?

I've spent much of the day watching coverage of the terrorist cell capture and I've been dumbstruck, not by the size of the alleged operation -- though it was impressive in its apparent scope, but by the attitudes of Canadians interviewed by the media.

At GenX at 40, why a common fertilizer was designed to go boom.

Still more on ammonium nitrate from Angry in the Great White North.

Toronto Tory supports the mission in Afganistan because .... ? "There are a number of reasons, and here's a hint - Terrorism isn't even in the top 5."

From John Murney's blog - Toronto Mosque vandalized

I won't say what famous event this vandalism reminds me of, but I hope never to see its like in Canada again.

Bits and Pieces

Grandinite meets the antonym of the ugly American. And he didn't like 'em much.

Apologetic Americans are, in my experience and opinion, one of the worst kinds of Americans you will ever meet.

From Taylor and Company - Airport noise in Toronto

I know this is all very complex stuff -- hard for mere mortals like a mayor and journalist to comprehend -- but let me run a simplified version past you that might make sense. Back when this territory was first colonised by Europeans, they set up towns all across southern Ontario wherever the land was bountiful and commerce and communication were not too onerous.

From Hammer into Anvil a leukemia primer here here and here.

At Italics Mine -The United Nations Tax Department. It may be time to start planning the next party.

Is this is the way of the new world order? Countries awarding the United Nations (one dictator, one vote) the authority to levy taxes on transnational activities originationg with-in their borders. The mythological Boston tea-party is associated with the phrase, "no taxation without representation".

From Minority of One, outrage at wife-tossing and child-tossing.

At High Places - Shane had a feeling.

However, despite vicious and blatant statements calling for the destruction of Israel, I thought there was no way that Iran’s President was that stupid. I guess he really isn’t

Raging Ranter is optimistic about ethanol.

And finally. Something you don't see every day from the Robot Guy.