Blue Notes from a Red Zone

Fervor or Fever?

I should probably make one thing clear: I had a really lovely birthday. My son fixed bacon and pancakes with fresh berries and whipped cream; my parents came over for a grilled lunch; friends came over for a dinner cooked on the grill. I had family and friends and presents and fireworks all day.

Now back to 4th-of-July-inspired griping. When did militarism and patriotism become synonyms? Why does every patriotic speech extol only our wonderful men and women in uniform, restricting the notion of sacrifice to that of fighting a war? Why is the highest standard of service to kill and be killed, God Bless the USA?

I'm sure most of our men and women serving in Iraq are wonderful people, just like most of my friends and family members are wonderful people. Most people strive to do the best with what they are given, within and without the military. As a rule, people in the military give up a great deal in terms of comfort and companionship, and to a much higher degree than I am capable of handling at this point in my life. I'm pleased and proud for them.

But serving in the military is hardly the only way to serve one's country, or to secure our freedom. In fact, due to the insanity of our foreign policy, our military is counter-productive when it comes to maintaining our freedom. Iraq was not a threat to our liberty, and fending off terrorist attacks there is not what is keeping us safe from terrorist attacks here. If anything, our presence in Iraq threatens our safety and our liberties. What is truly keeping us safe and free are our long-term diplomats, our generosity to others, and our ability to make the American Dream a reality for people from all over the world. The people holding out hope and opportunity are as worthy of praise as the people holding onto rifles.

Falling in love with war and power is the most corrupting of all passions. As a nation, we are diverted by pre-occupation with shock and awe, and lose our sense of what really makes us great. Our Declaration of Independence holds three rights to be inalienable: the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It doesn't mention our right to stride the globe in arrogance and disdain as the world's only superpower. It wouldn't have made such a stir if it concentrated on military might rather than human rights.

What lit a torch around the world was our dedication to preserving human dignity and equal justice under the law, not the power of our bombs to blast desert nations into bits. All the fire power in the world cannot save us, if we abandon the principles of individual rights, and a society that works for the general welfare.

I'm pleased to honor our young people who have chosen to bear arms, and to salute the hard work that comes with that. I'm equally pleased to salute our young people who are teaching our children, caring for our aged, seeking to shape our government in order to form a "more perfect union." I'm proud of those who are challenging themselves through vocational training and professional schooling; who are immersed in philosophy and literature in order to enrich our political and social discourse. I'm proud of my son who spent hours each week during his senior year in high school working with the homeless, and I'm proud of my daughter who just finished her master's degree in accounting. I'm proud of my husband the doctor, my daughter the future nurse, and the daughter who is the mother of my grandson. There are hundreds of ways to serve our country, and I'm thrilled that there are millions of people trying to do just that.

Let's remember that when we salute the flag, we are not just saluting people in uniform. We are saluting an entire country of diverse people, talent and beliefs. We can be fervent in our love for our country, without being fevered by our love of power. Let's use our military strength with restraint, and the power of our ideals with abandon.

That is, after all, what makes Old Glory a "Grand Old Flag."

posted by Lenore Wilson @ 12:14 AM