Never before did it seem that rooftop snipers and the presence of an enlarged police force was necessary when Canadians annually recognized the sacrifices of our Armed Forces in a November 11 tribute at the National Cenotaph. It is a sobering reminder of the world we now inhabit.

The murder of two members of the Canadian Military two weeks ago reminded us of the menace that lurks not only outside the country, threatening to topple human rights enshrined in all democratic countries of the world, but within the country with members of our own civilized majority choosing to ally themselves with the nihilistic creed of Islamist imperialism.

Envisioning a totalitarian conquest that will install those fundamentalist religious pathogens throughout the globe they are wreaking death and destruction wherever they go. While Canada commemorates the courage and dedication of our military men and women who are assigned to global danger spots even now throughout the world, from eastern Europe to the Middle East, our dream of a world united seems to have evaporated into the mists of the future unknown.

Meanwhile, here in the nation's capital, nature smiled benignly on this auspicious day of venerated ceremony and remembrance which usually as the gateway between fall and winter is miserably cold, windy and overcast, if not giving us one of the first snowfalls of the impending season. Not so this day of moderation, with the sun smiling in a clear blue sky, gentle breezes and mild temperatures.

The panoply of the ceremony, in its solemn devotion to recalling past wars and sacrifices among the unspeakable carnage drew out tens of thousands of Canadians of all ages, a colourful and touching display of youth becoming engaged in respecting the history of their nation and its place in the world of yesterday, today and tomorrow in defence of freedom and democratic values.