Canada has given itself over to honouring the ninety-year anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, recognizing the sacrifices made by so many of Canada's finest young men and women.

Not only do we remember our nation's horrible losses, but here and there in the ceremonies we hear the refrain, "Never again!" as though we are determined to avoid repeating these sacrifices. But does just saying the words, "Never again", mean anything?

How do we know this will never happen again?

What will it take to stop, or slow down, this bloodshed?

Certainly it is important to recognize the losses our soldiers have suffered and to honour their sacrifices on our behalf. But it is just as important to understand why those sacrifices had to be made.

Vimy may mark Canada's "coming of age", but that cliché may also obscure a much-too-expensive loss of life for what was gained.

Was a single hilltop worth the deaths of so many?

It is not treasonous or dismissive to analyze and question that war and that battle. This is a wise course if we really wish to avoid repeating the debacle.

Most of us are not military analysts or historians and so we cannot answer the complex questions about the origins of World War I. But we can ask those questions, and we can insist that they be answered by more than clichés.

If it turns out that World War I was a clash of imperial powers, of Britian and France trying to deny Germany a colonial empire such as they themselves enjoyed and exploited, it is quite proper to ask if our youth should die to defend the imperial ambitions of other nations, even allies.

Not supporting the empire-building of others would be one way of assuring "never again".

If it turns out that the military brass on all sides were arrogant and inept -- as many experts have argued -- it would be, again, a way to assure "never again" by refusing to blindly follow militarists and drum-bangers who are always eager to lead us to battle and death.

If it turns out that Canadians so eagerly signed up for military service because they were led on by politicians who promoted the war for the benefit of their own careers, their business friends, or for the benefit of individuals who profit from war, then it would be wise to distrust any politician who insists on drawing us into new wars.

We can avoid future tragedies if we discuss the causes, the decision-making, the war hysteria, and the opportunities for war profiteering without being stampeded or blinded by slogans and empty notions like "coming of age," "securing our place at the table," or "making our allies proud."

Wouldn't this show genuine and profound respect for our fallen soldiers? We say they did not give their lives in vain, but this would only be true if we do not vainly repeat their staggering losses.

How do we do that?

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Copyright © 2007 Fred Ryan/Log Cabin Chronicles/04.07