Fourth of July

Happy Independence Day, all! In honor of the day, I will stray from the topic of writing and wander into the fields of patriotism and politics. It just seems appropriate. To begin with, the realtors came by a few days ago to put little plastic flags in our yards. It looks very festive and patriotic, but I’m afraid that I’m pretty old-fashioned. I know enough about flag etiquette to know that flags should not be disposable nor should they be used as advertising. Besides, we had wind and rain yesterday, and ours (along with several others) ended up in the street. In these nationalistic (not to be confused with truly patriotic) times, I even see people at the pool drying off with towels that look like flags. This is the thing that bugs me, and I don’t know, maybe it happens whenever a nation is at war, but we have gotten so confused about what it means to love America. There is this prevailing attitude that patriotism demands that we support our country’s leaders whether we believe in what they are doing or not. Blind acceptance is about the LEAST patriotic quality we can promote. Our forbearers did not fight, die, and sacrifice to ensure free speech only so that we would stifle it when it is most needed. While we are at war, people sling the phrase “freedom isn’t free” with no more thought than they would any advertising slogan. No, freedom is not free. When we are attacked, we have no choice but to defend ourselves against those who attacked us. I understand that. The problem is, we are at war with people who did not attack us. There were no Iraqis on any of the planes in the 9/11 attacks, and there have been no confirmed ties between Iraq and Al Qaida prior to our invasion. The key phrase there is “prior to our invasion.” We’ve done a lovely job of building bridges between the two with our actions. The tragic thing is that, while we could have chosen not to go in, at this stage in the game, we can’t just pull out. Iraq may not have been an imminent threat before, but it is now. Saying all of this does NOT mean that I don’t support our troops. I tell my children that a nation cannot be safe without soldiers, and that soldiers must follow orders. They cannot be given the luxury of making their own decision to go into combat or not. I respect these people tremendously. Now, if America really wants to support these brave men and women, we can’t just slap yellow ribbons on our cars and pat ourselves on the back for our patriotism. Freedom may not be free, but what right do we have to squander the lives of our countrymen who have stepped up to the plate for us? Of course, if you are keeping abreast of the stories about our prison camps and our progress in Iraq, REALLY staying informed, and you still support our presence there, so be it. Use your first amendment right, speak out on why the war is such a raging success or at the very least, why the cost in human life has been worth it. Just bear in mind that dissent is the truest expression of patriotism. Don’t cast aspersions on my loyalty to America because I disagree. I love my country. I’ve read the writings of the founders, and I believe in all that the flag stands for. I believe in it passionately. Today, while we all watch brilliant fireworks displays and wave our flags, maybe we need to remember what real patriotism is. It means treating the flag as a symbol of all that our people have fought and died for, not a cheap advertising logo. It means remaining knowledgeable about what our elected leaders are doing and holding them accountable, rather than just accepting it all under the guise of “supporting our country.” It’s been nearly 230 years since the Revolution, but America needs true patriots now as much as she ever has.