It seems to me, for those who take exception to the White Poppy–and reading the newspaper over the last few days there seems to be a good deal of exception taking–a consideration of the origin is in order.
The idea of an alternative poppy dates back to 1926, just a few years after the red poppy came to be used in Britain. A member of the No More War Movement suggested that the British Legion should be asked to imprint ’No More War’ in the centre of the red poppies and failing this pacifists should make their own flowers.
In 1933 the Co-operative Women’s Guild produced the first white poppies to be worn on Armistice Day (later called Remembrance Day). The Guild stressed that the white poppy was not intended as an insult to those who died in the First World War – a war in which many of the women lost husbands, brothers, sons and lovers."
Consider the sacrifice of those who remain alive after losing the relationship that was in fact their life. 
Isn’t it possible to respect and honour veterans of war and care deeply about the welfare of our troops and at the same time be passionately committed to non-violence?
’My pacifism is an instinctive feeling, a feeling that possesses me because the murder of men is abhorrent. My attitude is not derived from intellectual theory but is based on my deepest antipathy to every kind of cruelty and hatred.’ Albert Einstein
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It’s totally possible to honour war veterans but still be committed to non-violence…..which is, like you reminded us, exactly why the white poppies were produced back in 1933……am I the only one who feels bone-deep fatigue about all this? Why are we so totally weird about things like this? The message is that we’re naive and trouble-making not to go with the status quo on things like that…those silly activists, nothing better to do, probably don’t have real jobs or worries, that’s why they get so carried away with causes…(sorry, I’m done now)