Moving On

Well, here I am on Anzac Day, still mulling it over. The road was quiet on my walk, not one car went past all the way up to the town. It's a public holiday, most people don't work and still get paid today. Not me.
I picked up four empty 'Woodstock' Kentucky bourbon and cola cans and five 'Jim Beam' and a number of empty bottles. And a pot beer glass in J.A.C. Russell Park, a full, unopended can of 'Woodstock' near Puffing Billy station and a tax invoice for a $5 Anzac Day badge. My lucky day. There was more litter than usual in the main street, most of which I picked up and binned, including three broken beer glasses. It seems there were celebrations on Anzac Eve with the prospect of a holiday today. There were cars parked outside the RSL hall, from where I saw a few people walk down the hill and past the pub. They didn't pick up the litter.
I've had three days to think about my problem with Anzac Day. The conservative government of the 1960's and the 70's, pre Gough Whitlam's landmark Dec 72 election, went all the way with LBJ in Vietnam. The nation was divided, I was in the conservative camp. It took quite a while, but I had to admit I was wrong as time went by. Gough came like a wave and went with a bang. The USA pulled out of Vietnam. There was no domino effect. I was wrong.
We have a conservative government again, which has coincided with the revival of Anzac Day. We have joined the USA again in war. I don't think we should be in Iraq, as we shouldn't have been in Vietnam. No less than we shouldn't have been in Turkey in 1915. That's my problem with Anzac Day. It glosses over, or gives a sense of legitimacy, to bad politics, which results in people being killed. Soldiers, and civilians, who don't get much rememberance.
It troubles me that another generation is being brainwashed into blindly following bad politics. Like I was in my youth. That's my problem with Anzac Day.

I'm over it. Till next Anzac Day.