Memorial Day ~ Consider Diplomacy

San Juan Island National Historical Park ~ Photo, Stuart Goodin

While we honor our war dead today with parades, poppies and speeches lets remember the legacy of our very own history. The Pig War, a border dispute between the United States and Britain that lasted for ten years and never came to violence. We like to joke about our little war where the only casualty was the pig. Two armies faced each other and could have easily come to bloodshed. Why didn't they? Diplomacy works. We should try it more often.

American Camp 1859 ~ Photo, Provincial Archives, Victoria, B.C.