Following the tragic death of Trooper Mark Wilson in Afghanistan in October of last year, one sports artist (a friend of Wilson’s family) was hit hard and decided that something should be done to show appreciation for the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. Well, David Arrigo up and did just that in his own, very Canadian, way. Patrick Maloney had the story in today’s Freeps, which is reproduced in its entirety below:

Goalie mask soldier tribute

Mon, January 8, 2007
By PATRICK MALONEY, FREE PRESS REPORTER

Trooper Mark Wilson’s death in Afghanistan has inspired a special piece of art that’s being passed among elite NHL players and may become part of the upcoming all-star game.

Sports artist David Arrigo, a friend of one of Wilson’s relatives, was hit hard by the October death of the London soldier and inspired to design a military-themed goalie mask.

“It just sort of pushed me — this is going to be my addition to thanking the soldiers,” said Arrigo, who has done work for years for the NHL, NFL and other pro sports leagues.

“(But) I didn’t want this piece to be about any one person — it’s more about all the soldiers in Afghanistan.”

The detailed mask design, Arrigo explained, has two distinct sides: The right is called “the mission,” and features images of an Afghani girl reading and a Canadian soldier. The left side, called “the memory,” includes a bagpiper and a soldier pinning a poppy on a wreath.

What could have been a quiet tribute, however, is getting much more attention thanks to the contacts Arrigo and Wilson’s cousin, NHL photographer Dave Sandford, have throughout pro hockey.

The pair are in discussions with at least one goalie to wear the mask in Dallas on Jan. 24 during the all-star skills competition or in the all-star game.

They have also photographed the mask with hockey celebrities such as Don Cherry, who mentioned the project during Coach’s Corner on Hockey Night In Canada. Sandford was to photograph Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby with it.

Those photos will eventually be posted at nhl.com and on Arrigo’s own website, darrigoart.com. Arrigo’s mask will then be auctioned off on the NHL’s website with the money raised going to the families of fallen troops.

“I’m looking to put a call out to corporate Canada,” Arrigo said. “If they’re not going to bid on the mask, (they could) create some other programs of awareness.”

NHL officials in the U.S. were so impressed, they have asked Arrigo to make a mask with an American theme.

Wilson, 39, was killed in an October roadside bomb attack while serving in Afghanistan. As London’s first combat casualty of the mission, his death rocked the city and sparked an outpouring of support for the family.

The attention the mask is generating is further proof that support continues, his cousin Sandford said.

“They’re not forgetting this,” said Sandford. “While everybody may not agree with why they’re there (in Afghanistan), the fact . . . is they’re there. You have to support them.

“Whether it’s in the form of a little yellow ribbon or a goalie mask, it’s one of those things that keeps (it) in the forefront.”

…That’s how the Edmonton Sun’s Mindelle Jacobs summed it up in her latest column, and I think the description is bang-on. As for me, I decided that I would bide my time and give some consideration to this whole issue — or, as a friend of mine put it, “sit back, have a beer and cool your jets for a bit” — before writing about it.

By now, everybody and their dog knows about the latest in the long line of Stupid Judge Tricks to come out of the Ontario Court of Appeal. For either of you that haven’t heard yet, here it is: thanks to three social-engineering, can’t-resist-screwing-with-it, legislating-from-the-bench, judicial-robe-wearin’ shitskulls in TO (Chief Justice Roy McMurtry, Justice Marc Rosenberg and Justice Jean-Marc Labrosse), a five-year-old London boy now has one dad … and two moms. All three legally and equally his parents in the eyes of the law.

Uncharted waters, indeed.

Homosexuality lobbyists and advocacy groups, naturally, were practically dancing in the streets at the news. Other groups however, perhaps remembering history’s lessons about monkeying with society, were not amused at all. Me? I think this is a recipe for disaster.

And before any dickheads out there even think about lobbing some of that “keeping up with the times” bullshit at me: don’t even try it. You want to know what I think of that kind of bullshit logic? Do you? Just click on the pic on the left here and tell me what you think you see. Want to know what I see? I see about ten thousand socialists, all of them keeping up with the times. That’s what I think of the “you should change with the times” argument, so shove it up your ass. Just because a thing can be done does not automatically mean that it should be done and most of the monkeying with our society that I see going on in the last few years definitely should not be done if for no other reasons than that a) no one has bothered to seriously consider the long term effects of such tinkering with the very foundations of our civilisation and b) they serve no good purpose whatsoever other than catering to the self-centered “it’s all about me” types who stand to gain from these changes with no regard at all for the possible impacts on others.

You think child custody cases are an emotional meatgrinder for kids now? Wait till you see what happens when some poor kid, or kids, find themselves as the rope in a tug-o-war between 6 moms and 4 dads. What do you think will happen then? And don’t tell me that such a thing will never happen. Every bit of judicial idiocy in this country over the past 30-35 years — and its cultural backlash — has been predicted by socially conservative “fearmongering Chicken Littles” just like me and we’ve been right every God damned time!

So please piss off, shove that red herring up your ass and answer the God damned question: WHAT WILL HAPPEN THEN? Do you think these sociological busybodies even give a damn? Don’t count on it. All they give a shit about is whatever gives them a warm fuzzy feeling right now and to hell with anything else.

Maybe I’m wrong — and I hope I am — and this kid will grow up to be a perfectly happy, productive member of society with his head screwed on nice and straight. But what if I’m not wrong? What if, as a result of this little grand experiment, this kid ends up completely screwed up? As Jacobs put it:

But there are two troubling aspects to this ruling. First, the court of appeal wielded the inherent common-law power of judges to reinterpret the law.

This may be necessary in exceptional circumstances but in this case, surely our lawmakers are best suited to rewriting the law.

Secondly, the future consequences of such a profound redefinition of parenthood are unknown.

Unknown is one hell of an understatement. But hey, what’s the future welfare, mental health, etc of a bunch of snot-nosed brats worth when we’re busy casting off the tyranny of thousands of years of basic truth? Obviously not much. Some people, however, do give a shit:

The Institute of Marriage and Family Canada has called for a royal commission on the future of the family. Considering the furious pace of social and reproductive change in recent years, it’s a wise idea.

“It’s time to hit the pause button – especially as courts redefine basic terms like parenting – to analyze what the long-term outcomes of family-related policies are,” says Dave Quist, executive director of the institute.

“Any gap in existing legislation should not be filled solely by one court. Rather, it needs to be debated in the appropriate public forum – our legislatures and parliament,” he adds.

On a whole host of social issues with potentially far-reaching implications, however, our courts have been stepping in where our legislators fear to tread.

This may be to the tactical advantage of politicians – who can then blame the judiciary for uprooting traditional norms – but it’s a terrible way to set social policy.

You’re damned right it is. To voice your objection to this reckless endangerment to the future wellbeing of an entire generation of Canadian children, call or write your local Member of Parliament.

Okay, knock off the “redundancy” jokes already. Ha, ha. I get it. For those of you that haven’t heard — and I was one, until a few minutes ago — of this silliness yet, here it is.

Politicos in Paris, the capital of France and mecca of hoitytoityness, have had their collective culottes in a bunch lately over… wait for it…
Racist soup.

Why the hell can I never be making this stuff up? :roll:  Yes, ladies and gents, it seems that in the faraway fairy kingdom of France, beggars can not only be choosers, they can take food out of the mouths of others as well.  And if they can’t have their way, well then, all those damn dhimmi sacks o’ crap can bloody well starve, for all they care:

Last week, the Paris police issued a prohibition on the distribution to the homeless of soup containing pork meat or fat. According to the police authorities – the same ones who are incapable of restoring law and order in the Paris suburbs – distributing soup containing pork or lard is a racist offence since some people in need might be Muslim and hence not allowed to eat pork.

As if things weren’t already shitheaded enough, just when a French court (of all damned things) was showing some signs of having been smacked with a brainstick, along comes none other than the mayor of gay Paris himself, head firmly in arse:

Yesterday’s court ruling, which again allowed the serving of pork soup, was criticized by Bertrand Delano‘. The Paris mayor said he was “astonished” to learn that the court tolerates an initiative which “knowingly excludes Jews and Muslims.” “Confronted with this xenophobic initiative, I want to express again that the city denounces and opposes every form of discrimination, racism and anti-Semitism,” the mayor said. He asked the police prefecture to appeal the verdict.

It’s been said that, in a democracy, the people will always get exactly the government that they deserve.  Bearing that in mind: sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy the show as these croissant-crunching, chain-smoking surrender monkey continue their mad dash for the first-ever National Dawin Award…

Dipshits.

There’s been a lot of handwringing lately on behalf of the late Iraqi tyrant, Saddam Hussein. Letters have been written to editors, Europeans — never ones to pass up an opportunity to wag their fingers at the US — tut-tutted over it (even the British, if you can believe it, had some criticisms), the usual suspects have blabbed off, and the Vatican has repeated the Church’s stance on all capital punishments, not just Saddam’s.

While my own opinions on capital punishment are neither secret (I’m Catholic and oppose it) nor absolute, it seems to me that there are being just a few too many croc tears splashing about on behalf of someone who was, after all, a murdering sonofabitch in every sense of the word. This is the guy who:

• Used chemical weapons in the Iran-Iraq war
• Gassed over 5,000 civilians in Halabja
• Killed between 50,000 and 100,000 Kurds in the “Anfal campaigns”
• Invaded Kuwait
• Killed somewhere between 30,000 and 60,000 Iraqis, most of them civilians, while suppressing the 1991 uprisings
• Cleansed ethnic “Persians” from Iraq to Iran
• Instituted a terror campaign of kidnappings, murders, torture and rape against political opponents or anyone else he found inconvenient

And these are just the ones that I can think of off the top of my head. So, before we go and twist ourselves up too much over the death of this dictator, take a moment to think of just what he did. Try and get our brains around just why some people feel this is a good thing.

Ottawa Sun columnist Earl McRae managed to find one Iraqi expatriate who has no such difficulties concerning Saddam’s fate:

“You cannot understand unless you are an Iraqi father, mother, brother, sister, and child who lived in the hell he created. If Canada went through what we did, maybe you would understand. If Canada had a dictator who tortured and murdered his own Canadian people because he was Catholic and they were Protestant, you would understand.

“It makes me sick to hear Canadians say it was cruel to hang him. There were letters in newspapers from people feeling sorry for him because the executioners insulted him to his face just before he hanged and danced around his body.”

Johnny stands up and paces. “Hanging that bastard was too kind. He should have been slowly tortured to death. They should have done to him what he did to people, they should have put him in a box with poison gas. All the people of Iraq should have been invited to watch him die. Saddam Hussein should have been executed in public like Mussolini was.”

Not everything is so black and white as some would have us think. Perhaps this really was the lesser evil. I simply don’t know. What I do know is that he was tried and he was convicted. He was sentenced to be removed from his place of confinement on the 30th day of December in the year 2006, from there to be taken to a suitable place of execution and be hanged by the neck until he were dead. This has been done. This was no innocent man.

As a Catholic, I deeply believe in the grace of God, redemption and the forgiveness of sins.

I also know that Hell is not an empty place.

Well, now; doesn’t this just look like it has all kinds of interesting little possibilities? Gee, whiz, I wonder how long it will be before the religion of perpetual outrage gets wind of this and starts cranking out fatwas calling for Andy Donato‘s head? After all, if it’s good enough for Jyllands-Posten, then why not for the Toronto Sun?  Yes indeed, they should be rioting like chimps any day now because, remember, if you draw a picture of Mohammed, his peace-loving followers are going to want to saw your melon off on one of Baghdad’s unfunniest home videos.

Let the indignation begin…

Well, it’s that time of year, isn’t it? No, I don’t mean National Thank God That Hangover’s Finally Gone Day. I mean that it’s the time of year when journalists, pundits, cranks and crackpots the world over pipe up and risk making utter jackasses of themselves by telling all of us just what it is that they think is going to happen over the next 12 months.

You’d think that they’d learn by now. I mean seriously, folks, any predictions that you try to make about the direction that the planet’s affairs are going to head — in amidst the perfect storms of instability and political convenience that are currently blowing here and there across the globe — are one hell of a lot more likely to come back and bite you on the ass than they are to come true. Why someone would take such a risk of making an utter dolt of themselves in front of the whole world is beyond me.

So, here I go…

• The Tories will win… BIG time.
  I know, I know; I’m really risking sticking my balls in a bear trap by starting off with this one, but I can’t help it. In spite of what and how I usually rant and write, I really am an optimist. Stephie D, the new Grand Grit, will turn out to be a flop and disappointment on a scale that will rival Mr Dithers. His command of the English language will leave the ROC wistfully longing for the dulcet tones of Jonny Cretin. Dion and Duceppe will spend the election — which will likely come in March or April — sniping back and forth while the NDP and the Greens go after the eco-extremist loony Left vote like two seagulls squabbling over a dead fish. Harper will stand back, looking very Prime Ministerial in the wake of another tax-cutting budget, and pick up a majority. The CBC will totally blow a gasket.
• Stringing up Saddam isn’t going to change things much.
  Not really. Putting the Butcher of Bagdad on the end of a rope may or may not have been justice (that’s another post entirely) but the fact is that the US seems to be slowly but surely running out of the political will to put the needed military resources into the Iraqi front. Without those resources, especially manpower, arms and fighters will continue to seep in from Syria, Iran and the likes, and anything even remotely resembling a US withdrawal will be seen as a victory for the extremists. And if the US does pull out, then you’ll see things really start to circle the bowl. Understanding this, look for the Yanks to start taking a serious look at reinstating the draft. On the bright side, at least American high school grads will finally be able to find Canada on a map. 🙄
• Caledonia will go kablooie.
  This idiocy has been going on for nearly a year now and it’s only a matter of time before some damned hothead — on one side or the other — does something drastic. When that happens, look for the army to move in. Also look for Ditherin’ Dolt McWimpy to get knocked off his perch for his utter lack of leadership in this friggin’ fracas.
• We’ll finally get hit.
  Canada has been on Osama bin Hidin’s Al-Quaeda shitlist for years now and let’s not fool ourselves folks, our continued namby-pamby, half-assed attitude towards security means that it’s only a matter of time before our luck runs out. The effectiveness of our troops in the field in the Afghan theatre is an ongoing source of frustration for the lunatics who want that country reduced to a medieval hellhole and if they can’t break our troops in the field, they’ll damn well make for a softer target; likely hoping that if they can’t break the resolve of our soldiers, they can make a try for the resolve of the country that sends them.
• Multicultism will begin to slide away.
  Until recently, anybody that dared to point out that multiculturalism has its flaws was instantly tarred and feathered as a closet — or not-so closet — racist and dismissed as a knuckle-dragging neocon redneck neanderthal. Not so anymore. That bullshit has run out of gas in Europe in the wake of attacks in London and Madrid, and (especially if the previous prediction pans out) the same debate will begin in earnest here. John Q Public is going to start asking the hard questions about just who and what we are and are not willing to tolerate in our country. Europe, meanwhile, will continue to see an escalation of multicult-related ethnic violence, particularly in France and possibly the Netherlands as well.
• Lethal fighting will continue in Afghanistan.
  The question is not so much of “will we continue the mission” as it is of how many troops will we keep sending. If we do, in fact, have our first major domestic terrorist strike, look for the numbers of troops to swell, not dwindle. Canadians will be looking to send the message that such tactics will only accomplish the opposite of what the terrorists want. Look for Harper to dig in his heels, the Librano$ to stay divided and Smirkin’ Jack! to keep absurdly banging away on the bring-’em-home drum while he slides down into irrelevance.
• Alberta will keep on booming.
  Duh!
• Chicken Little will keep at it.
  Every little cold snap, heat wave, blizzard, lack of blizzards, hurricane or lack of hurricanes will be said to point to global warming, regardless of whether there is any hard scientific evidence or not. Look for the Lefties to holler themselves green in the face about it and tell us that it’s all our fault, even though we make up less than 2% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Watch them try to turn you into a social leper for having a woodstove.
• Same old same old from CBC.
  Look for the CBC to keep sounding the “scary Tories will be the end of the world” alarm, as usual. Also look for serious budget cuts to the Ministry of What You Should Think after Harper gets his majority.
• The Leafs will win the Stanley Cup.
  Anyone caught laughing will be shot.