Jean Sibelius’s Finlanfdia: A Song of Peace for Their Land and for Mine At my 6th grade graduation from Samuel Gompers Elementary School in Philadelphia in 1962, we sang Finlandia, by Sibelius. We also sang George M Cohan’s patriotic song, “Over There
Thank you Diane—Excellent analysis. Finland and Sweden will indeed eventually regret joining NATO, if it happens. Perhaps cooler heads will prevail as long as Turkey is putting the brakes on this folly. Time to resolve the conflicts, not exacerbate them!
During the Iraq War a good friend of mine (from the West Coast) took a suitcase full of strings for instruments for the Baghdad Symphony Orchestra, donated by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, when she went to Iraq as a journalist.. Later the city was bombed and she received a message from the orchestra leader that the bombing destroyed all the Symphony Orchestra’s instruments and the only item that was retrieved from the bombing was a cassette of Finlandia. A few years later, on a tour of Helsinki, we stopped at the statue of Sibelius, the composer, and I told the tour guide the story. She said she was going to tell all her tours and thanked me profusely.
I saw the "Top Gun Maverick" movie this weekend. It was entertaining but i couldn't help think it was setting the nation up again like they did with the movie "pearl harbor" in 2001 right before 09/11. It felt like a recruitment film for the military very "USA, USA, USA" get everyone riled up to fight for our "freedom" and spread democracy with drones. Wonder what they have in store for us all to suddenly want us to feel good about US and military. Prayers for all people of the world except for the narcissistic psychopaths
Growing up in Finland, a granddaughter of men killed and maimed during a war fought to defend the country against attacking Russians, I experienced so much fear (absorbed from the adults around me) of the Soviet Union and a potential invasion that I would literally hide under the dinner table when I heard planes overhead. There was and is absolutely no sense that "Russia poses no threat" whatsoever. Finland is, as a matter of fact, extremely well prepared for a Russian attack, something that is always treated as a possibility. Whatever the reason for their attack on Ukraine - and I agree the the behavior of the US has a lot do do with it - Russia has essentially shown that they will not respect their neighbors, that the schoolyard is not safe, even if countries, like Finland, always do their best to placate the bully. Finland is therefore, understandably, tempted to create an alliance with the other big kid in the yard. There is no narcissism involved.
Thank you Diane—Excellent analysis. Finland and Sweden will indeed eventually regret joining NATO, if it happens. Perhaps cooler heads will prevail as long as Turkey is putting the brakes on this folly. Time to resolve the conflicts, not exacerbate them!
Finland will essentially be declaring war on the Russian Federation if it joins NATO. Because it will be breaking the treaty of Paris.
https://en.news-front.info/2022/04/26/if-finland-joins-nato-it-will-return-to-war-with-russia/
Thank you for this. I also loved the lyrics....
Excellent survey. Thank you.
Here is a touching message I got by email -
During the Iraq War a good friend of mine (from the West Coast) took a suitcase full of strings for instruments for the Baghdad Symphony Orchestra, donated by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, when she went to Iraq as a journalist.. Later the city was bombed and she received a message from the orchestra leader that the bombing destroyed all the Symphony Orchestra’s instruments and the only item that was retrieved from the bombing was a cassette of Finlandia. A few years later, on a tour of Helsinki, we stopped at the statue of Sibelius, the composer, and I told the tour guide the story. She said she was going to tell all her tours and thanked me profusely.
Lavina Shaw
Port Coquitlam, BC
I saw the "Top Gun Maverick" movie this weekend. It was entertaining but i couldn't help think it was setting the nation up again like they did with the movie "pearl harbor" in 2001 right before 09/11. It felt like a recruitment film for the military very "USA, USA, USA" get everyone riled up to fight for our "freedom" and spread democracy with drones. Wonder what they have in store for us all to suddenly want us to feel good about US and military. Prayers for all people of the world except for the narcissistic psychopaths
Russia aint isolated. Tis a grand ole country with no need for the West.
The US of Arrogance and Hato war against Russia to the last UKroNazie has been lost. Poland won.
Finland is the prime target of many nukes.
Cold.
How come amerICaNS are unable to pronounce the word Nuclear.
Tis always Nuke-You Lar.
Don't nuke me with the Arrogance of the US Hato please.
Thank you
Regards
Growing up in Finland, a granddaughter of men killed and maimed during a war fought to defend the country against attacking Russians, I experienced so much fear (absorbed from the adults around me) of the Soviet Union and a potential invasion that I would literally hide under the dinner table when I heard planes overhead. There was and is absolutely no sense that "Russia poses no threat" whatsoever. Finland is, as a matter of fact, extremely well prepared for a Russian attack, something that is always treated as a possibility. Whatever the reason for their attack on Ukraine - and I agree the the behavior of the US has a lot do do with it - Russia has essentially shown that they will not respect their neighbors, that the schoolyard is not safe, even if countries, like Finland, always do their best to placate the bully. Finland is therefore, understandably, tempted to create an alliance with the other big kid in the yard. There is no narcissism involved.