Holden is not a very patriotic kid. The little excerpt above should demonstrate this fact. It's part of a much longer passage about war, the Army, and his brother. The upshot of the whole couple of pages is that Holden isn't a big fan of authority, doesn't know much about poetry, and really hates the idea of war.
Today, on this inaugural A Piece of My Mind Thursday, I want to talk a little bit about patriotism. You see, I get a little tired of Republicans and Democrats accusing each other of being unpatriotic because they hold opposing view points. Just because I believe in universal health care doesn't mean I'm a communist, and just because my father is a member of the NRA doesn't mean he's any better of an American than I am. We simply disagree.
At the height of the last Iraq War, I attended a local Fourth of July parade. A local contingent of anti-war protesters were marching as a unit in the parade, carrying signs, wearing tie-dyed clothes, smiling, and waving. Most of the protesters were old enough to have been Vietnam War protesters. The rest of the parade consisted of the normal array of dump trucks, fire engines, and demented clowns.
I was sitting with a group of people who were, to put it lightly, highly conservative. They considered themselves very Christian and very moral. When the Iraq War protesters passed by, this entire group of people stood up from their lawn chairs and turned their backs to the parade, walking a few steps away. I heard a few of them saying things like, "If you don't like America, why don't you move somewhere else?" I was a little embarrassed to be standing by this group.
After the protesters had passed, everyone sat back down in their lawn chairs. I looked at one of them and said, "You know, just because they don't believe in the Iraq War doesn't mean they hate America."
"I support our troops," he said.
"So do they," I said. "One of them was carrying a sign that said so."
"How can they support our troops and be against the war?"
"How could George W. Bush invade a country that had no weapons of mass destruction?" I said.
The rest of the parade was pretty quiet.
I support the members of America's armed forces. I don't support the idea of war. My parade pals, in their red-white-and-blue shorts and tee shirts, somehow equated being patriotic and Christian with being Republican and jingoistic. Those two things simply don't go together in my head.
But that's what's great about the United States of America. I can hold my beliefs; my parade pals can hold their beliefs; and we can still be patriotic Americans. My patriotism has nothing to do with my political affiliation or religious affiliation. It doesn't matter whether I'm pro-life or pro-choice. Support gay marriage or oppose gay marriage. Watch American Idol or The Voice.
I am an American. On Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, I fly my flag. I sing "The Star Spangled Banner" at sporting events (when I'm forced to go to them). There have been times when being patriotic was difficult. The first eight years of the new millennium were quite challenging for me. However, I still think the United States is the best country to live in, because of its diversity of people and beliefs.
So if you see me marching in a Fourth of July Parade this summer, wearing a George Clooney for President tee shirt and passing out DVDs of Syriana, don't turn your back. I'm simply exercising my rights as a patriotic American.
Saint Marty just gave you a piece of his mind.
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| They're just exercising their rights, folks |
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