I certainly don't mean to criticise, but I think it makes more sense to do the poppy appeal in November, because "In Flanders Field" was what started it all, and it's for the Veterans of Foreign wars. But on the other hand, I suppose all wars might result in poppies, and they do tend to bloom in spring, war or no. Perhaps they are planning on doing it again in Novemeber. We could do worse than having more remembrance. In Britain the poppy appeal is a matter of social conciousness. Everywhere one goes there are young city bankers in their suits wearing poppies, quite pleasing to the eye and heart. The tube posters--a young mother and her child, widowed and orphaned by the First Gulf War, standing in a field of poppies--always brought tears to my eyes, and I thought to myself, as I did earlier today in the grocery store: I'm not against the men [and women] who fight wars, but the ones who make them. Tony Blair has a poppy on every night when he appears on the news. Rubert Grint was wearing one at the Harry Potter premier. I think if ever I were to get a tattoo, it would be a Flanders poppy. That's how much of a nerd I am.
Thu May 25 2006 22:29 PST Between the crosses, row on row:
They have started a poppy appeal-ish thing here in the US now, too. At least I think they have started, it may not be new but it is the first time I have encountered it. There were a bunch of cute old veterans in the grocery store handing them out and I gave them a dollar.