Poppy Monopoly

In recent news, The Royal Canadian Legion has threatened to sue PEACE activists over the use of white poppies! Apparantley unbeknowst to the rest of the world the poppy or better known Papaver rhoeas ; a showy flower, borne one per stem, belonging to the poppy family (and comes in yellow, white, pink, red and blue) was developed, created and designed by the Royal Canadian Legion and not God as we know it.

The story goes that after John McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields was published in 1915 the poppy became a popular symbol for soldiers who died in battle. Three years later an American, Moina Michael, was working in a New York City YMCA canteen when she started wearing a poppy in memory of the millions who died on the battlefield. During a 1920 visit to the United States a French woman, Madame Guerin, learned of the custom. On her return to France she decided to use handmade poppies to raise money for the destitute children in war-torn areas of the country. In November, 1921, the first poppies were distributed in Canada.

So at what point did the poppy become a trademark and property of The Royal Canadian Legion?? It seems to me that it's just a symbol that's been used over time and NOT just by the Royal Canadian Legion, in memory of the fallen war heroes.

Someone should warn Arnold in California, whose state flower is the golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica) that the The Royal Canadian Legion is coming to stomp out his flowers.

Hopefully none of the "Ribbon" organizations will pick up on this trend. Can you imagine what kind havoc will ensue when the people behind the Red Ribbon Project, who use a RED RIBBON as a symbol in support of the fight against AIDS wake up and realize WHOA?!?!? Yellow Ribbons? Blue Ribbons? White Ribbons? Purple Ribbons in support of the end of all interpersonal violence? the AUDACITY!!