And now for my opinion (Tess, Michael, and all other "Al haters" may as well 'demote' me right now...
): In my mind, veteran is something you become, like retired or a widow(er). Can't be retired while you still work, can't be widowed while you're married. Shouldn't be a veteran until you're out of the service. I don't look at the Veteran's plate as something that is designed to increase our (the CF) visibility to the public. It is meant to acknowledge the service you gave to the country. What we have accomplished, particularly in areas with the big bases, is diluted the meaning of what a veteran is to the civilians in the local communities. When one sees a veterans plate, it should mean something.
Here's a hypothetical question for those that say all CF members (that are eligible) should put the plates on their car: if the plates give you some special sort of priviledge, like special parking rights (like handicapped people or expectant mothers), would you use it for that gain? If I recall correctly, Nova Scotia (or maybe just Halifax) is allowing pers with Veterans plates free parking. Free parking is one thing, but for a 20 year old able bodied "veteran" to take a premium parking spot (near the entrance to a mall entrance, or by a hospital entrance, for example) would be another, at the expense perhaps of an 85 year old WWII Veteran, who would now have to walk a few hundred meters. And don't tell me that people wouldn't. I see young people parking in handicapped parking spots now because they are to lazy to walk the extra 20 meters.
If they wanted a means of increasing visibility, or pride, in the CF, they should have created CF plates, along the lines of the "conservation" plates here in NB, or the sports teams one's in Ontario. That way ANYONE who supports the CF that wants the plate can get one.
And I disagree with the use of the poppy for use on the plates. In my mind, the idea of the poppy is to be used to remember those that made the supreme sacrifice, for their families, their buddies, and ultimately their country. I think that a CF crest should have been used, not unlike the crest that firefighters use on their plates. Nova Scotia uses a Canada flag (for veterans), which I am more partial to for serving pers, but I have heard tell that a lot of people don't like that, because anybody who supports Canada should be allowed. We will never make everyone happy. Going back to one of my earlier points, if they produced plates for anybody who wanted to support those that died or were wounded in service of our country (i.e to raise funds to help look after those that are in Veterans hospitals), then I think the poppy should be used for that. But I personally am very uncomfortable with placing myself in the same lofty category with those that did pay the ultimate sacrifice. Hence that is why I do not have the plate on my car.
Al
