I do but ask, my call is not to answer.- Henrik Ibsen
Smokin’ Dope and Watching Teletubbies
while the Tanks Roll in:
~ The big problem in the nineties was that everything was ok. Bill Clinton had
everything America wanted in a president, an unprivileged background, a reassuring
grin, a slightly amusing and overwhelmingly meaningless scandal, not the least
bit scary. The economy was strong. The commies were gone. Even the conservatives
seemed less threatening. One couldn’t help but imagine cartoonishly elephantine
republicans bumbling into one another as they spilled through yet another flustered
woman’s bedroom door; only to find another open window, and once more
to look out and see Slick Willie doing up his pants as he dashed across the
lawn.
~Though they persisted to get re-elected, old bastards like Helms and Thurman
had reached a stage in life at which they could be condescendingly ignored.
Liberal self-satisfaction swelled like Newt Gingrich’s head. Every unchallenging
year that passed, Americans’ unused minds grew duller. It was only a matter
of time before someone came along and took advantage of the poor shmucks. Kurt
Cobain aside, the most illustrative icon of the era might be Iron Mike, talking
shit when he wasn’t stuffing his face with ice cream and watching kung-fu
movies late into the night before a title bout, and then getting his ass handed
to him by a no-name.
~Grungy apathetic jeers are returned by empty token laughter these days when
even the most determinedly independent rationalists can sympathize with the
intensely languid desire for unquestioning belief in anything, even an obvious
lie, for just a moment’s respite from ceaseless doubting, as long as the
lie has a happy ending. We are weary from the search for truth because it is
being buried much faster than we can dig under a growing landfill of disposable
culture, and the only reward we can hope for is a fleeting glimpse of how fucked
up things really are, things completely beyond our ability to influence but
that exercise unimaginable influence over us. It is easy to get apocalyptic
these days. Everyone is doing it.
~Evil of the most abject and petty sort has forced, not just the will of men
but even their consent. Before now, only the Catholic Church and cigarette companies
could claim to have wielded such power, but their reach was never as great as
America’s military strength, nor was their grasp as tight as the current
system’s thus far unbeatable strategy of simply sustaining their reliance
on popular inertia.
~The beast that will open the seals and release hell upon the earth is us. Often,
while giving some of the best expositions against Democracy ever presented,
Socrates compared the mob to a beast. That’s the thing stalking up on
us while we check under the bed for mujahedin, mob mentality, the accumulation
of a people’s worst tendencies. Man’s dark side manifests itself
in his combined will as it grows larger and more vulnerable to statistics. When
that beast rears its head in the crowd, it is the downfall of every Democracy
and all but the best fortified, most ruthlessly upheld tyrannies.
Patriotisn’t:
~ Objection to US policy in Iraq is unpatriotic. It does not exhibit appropriate
sympathy for our troops. The objectors are spoiled, ungrateful and unrealistic,
freeloading off the accomplishments of their forefathers, while they themselves’
are unwilling or just too lazy to make the kind of sacrifices and hard choices
that their forefathers had to make for the sake of the nation.
~Such misconceptions underlie catch-all phrases like ‘love it or leave
it,’ and the undignified manner in which war mongers rattle the bones
of 9-11 victims at their opposition until objectors start to feel responsible
for causing all the disrespect. They almost believe it’s true that they
hate America, and that they are inconsiderate of their own friends and relations
in the armed service, as well as those who died in the World Trade Center attack.
Even they can sometimes feel like they lack respect for the selfless efforts
of previous generations that provided them with the way of life to which they
have become so accustomed: a way of life that at times seems to have left them
so soft that in fact, they are not inclined or possibly unable to endure and
suffer for the good of their country.
~In truth, these hidden claims reveal themselves to be utterly insupportable
when laid bare before any rational consideration. First, fellow countrymen,
you must simply acknowledge that blanket approval of our country’s involvement
in military conflict is not at all patriotic. Undeniably, war always means putting
fellow citizens in harms way, primarily the armed forces. Though war sometimes
is an unfortunate necessity, it is never entered into lightly, and the only
time it is not patriotic to question that necessity is when war clearly is required
for the nation’s immediate defense. Recently, the committee appointed
by the senate for the expressed purpose of patriotically questioning the necessity
of our war on Iraq failed to find that clear.
~Even in the nostalgic heyday of clear choices, the American people were not
motivated to enter the Good War because Adolph Hitler was a bad man, or because
he was trying to get weapons of mass destruction. Guilty as Hitler was on both
charges, public awareness of these things settled in slowly, and largely after
we were already at war. What convinced Americans to roll up their sleeves and
go to war was an unprovoked attack on American soil on December the seventh
of nineteen-forty-one.
~On September the eleventh of two-thousand and one, thousands of American lives
were lost in another unprovoked attack on American soil. Worldwide, no human
being with a soul was unmoved. The more closely we identified with the victims
as Americans, New Yorkers, acquaintances, or relatives, the more starkly we
felt that loss. However, it is unworthy of the lives taken in the attack that
we should ever attempt to compensate ourselves for their loss with misdirected
retribution. The attack on 9-11 was carried out by al-Qaeda operatives who were
not affiliated with Saddam Hussein. The al-Qaeda presence in Iraq was no stronger
then it is in many other countries. The few cells that were there benefited
at least as much from the fall of Saddam’s regime as we did. Now, new
terrorist attacks against US citizens happen with painful regularity in Iraq.
Civilian and military personnel die, and none of them would be there if we simply
had not invaded. This is the kind of situation that gives rise to very patriotic
reservations.
~Faced with an enemy like terrorism, which is not confined by national borders,
Americans may have to sacrifice what we did not have to sacrifice for World
War II, the satisfaction of beating our enemies on the battlefield. This kind
of sacrifice may lack glory, but it is painfully selfless to accept the consequences
of terrorism without the solace of expending our righteous anger, justifiable
as it may be. The greatest glory in these circumstances is reserved for the
victims, but that glory is stripped from them if we allow their deaths to deprive
us of the freedoms, rights and liberties guaranteed us as Americans, that so
many before have given their lives to protect. Make no mistake, our freedoms,
rights, and liberties are the things about America worth fighting for, not safer
air travel and an inflated economy. In our present circumstances any of us may
unexpectedly get the chance to die for these causes. We must be brave for the
sake of the country.
~In the complexity of the modern era, our patriotism might be as intricate as
working to decrease our dependency on the one resource that draws American diplomatic
interest to a region prone to respond to our involvement there with acts of
terrorism. There is nothing unpatriotic in doubting the incentives for a wealthy
oil-man’s policy on the Middle East. Today’s patriotism may be as
unglamorous as taking the bus. Wasn’t rationing fuel one of the great
sacrifices made on the home-front by the generation dubbed greatest by Tom Brokaw?
Since when is keeping gas prices low patriotic, or the right to drive a Hummer
constitutional? Any patriot would forego a little luxury, convenience, or added
expense before he would see America at war. Certainly it falls short of patriotism,
just to tell our friends and family that theirs is a good fight no matter what,
as we send them off to die.
~In the United States of America specifically, patriotism does not equate with
devotion to the government of the moment and every decision it makes. In America
patriotism is faith in the will of the people. For this reason, formal governmental
censorship of any expression of that will is unconstitutional, and informal
suppression by the media is unpatriotic. There are some who would obscure the
results of war, such as the returning coffins of our fallen heroes. Can this
be due to any cause other than fear that if the bill were shown to the public,
who must ultimately pay the price, they would find the cost of war too high?
It is not morbid to look upon the face of the wars our country wages. It is
cowardly to look away. Another inglorious patriotic effort that has fallen to
us is aggressively assessing information and actively pursuing the truth about
our leaders’ motives and actions, instead of comfortably relying on what
we are spoon-fed. This is harder then it sounds for the generation that elected
Clinton because he appeared on MTV and played sax on Arsenio. Of opportunity
for such sacrifice, the times provide a-plenty.
One pre-requisite for patriotism is a profound respect for one’s country.
A person with self respect takes responsibility for his mistakes and is concerned
about how he is perceived. A person with self-respect does not make excuses
for himself but takes criticism under advisement, and makes changes in himself
to avoid repeating mistakes. Likewise a patriot takes responsibility for his
country and cares how the world sees her, because he believes his country is
good. Patriotism is confidence in our country’s ability to persevere without
exploiting her neighbors. Patriotism is not childish impatience with the pace
of global politics.
~Dissent is more than anticipated by our system of government, the founding
fathers counted on it and incorporated dissent as a cornerstone of our democracy.
Our forefather, Thomas Jefferson, exhorted us Americans to so much as ‘a
little revolution now and then.’ Most of us are not Thomas Jefferson’s
caliber of patriot, but we should aspire to be his type of patriot.
Patriotism is simply love of country. It is a burden that rests on the shoulders
of anyone raised here. The responsibility of patriotism falls evenly on all
Americans, because we are protected by America, and we profit from America.
Love of country is like any other kind of love. When it is strong it can weather
the most heated difference of opinion. The easiest way to negate love is through
neglect.
~So, protestors can not only proudly wear hats and buttons with patriotic slogans
like ‘God bless America’ or ‘Support our Troops,’ but
they can do so without a trace of irony because, voicing opinions about the
actions of our government is not just allowed, it is demanded for our democracy
to work. There will always be those who try to pervert the cause of patriotism
to their own ends, but those who truly love their country will judge most patriotic
whoever gives highest priority to the interests and protection of one’s
fellow nationals. Preserving American lives is the most obvious and common reason
for an American’s objections to war. God bless America and guide her through
troubled times.