Every year at this time it happens.

Every year some bonehead decides to take on our vets.

And every year the result is the same.

You see it's a really, really bad idea to try to pull one over on our veterans.

This year a couple of bright lights at two local malls decided to restrict the poppy distribution campaign.

They treated the vets like they were selling chocolate bars for a school trip, only allowed to set up a table for a couple of days.

Well after a few calls from CTV, other media, and from the Legion, there was a sudden change in policy.

"Sure we will welcome the veterans," they said, just like that.

It's hard to tell how much the change of heart was motivated a sudden surge to do the right thing or by dollar signs.

Is it a lack of education? Or just stupidity?

We owe so much to our veterans of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Since 1921, the poppy has stood as a symbol of Remembrance to never forget Canadians who have fallen in war.

Wars were fought so that uninformed middle managers at stores and shopping centres can live in freedom to work and go about their daily lives and have the freedom to make dumb decisions -- and have them corrected every year.

Everyone in this country should know these lines by heart, and know what they mean:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row…

Yes we should all know and understand.

Reasons to be proud

Every Canadian should be proud of our troops.

They do remarkable work in a very tough situation

But I for one will be glad when they finally get out of Afghanistan.

Everyone in this province got their knickers in a knot a few weeks back when Maclean's called Quebec the most corrupt province, but here is something we should really be upset about.

The country that is the number one recipient of Canadian foreign aid is Afghanistan.

Your hard earned money is going to the country which has been named the second most corrupt country in the world, just behind Somalia.

$1.9 billion dollars from Canadian taxpayers goes to that country in development aid.

To a country which also admits to getting bagfuls of cash from Iran, which is not exactly a friend to us or our friends in that part of the world.

So let's wake up and admit we can't save Afghanistan from itself despite the fine work of the Canadian military.

We have lost too much there. Too much money, too many lives.

152 soldiers. Remember them this November.

It is time to come home. December 2011 won't come soon enough.