On November 11th.
11 Nov 2021 09:19![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
In Flanders Fields
John McCrae - 1872-1918
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
We have broken faith with those who die. The doctors and nurses who put their lives on the line on the front lines. The people who tried to keep themselves, their families safe. We've let the collaborators take over and they, not us, will determine how this all ends.
Another quote for today, one written by Camus, about a different plague, a different war:
Je dis seulement qu'il y a sur cette terre des fléaux et des victimes et qu'il faut, autant qu'il est possible, refuser d'être avec le fléau."
Translation by me:
All I am saying is that on this earth there are scourges and there are victims and we must, as much as possible, refuse to side with the scourge.
(For those who might want to look it up, Camus, _The Plague_ and it's one of the conversations between Rieux and Tarrou. Tarrou, of course, is the one who made that statement.)
Almost 50% of Americans have decided to side with the plague. Think about that for a moment. Half of us are Vichy.