Patriotism Still Lives

Down with a very bad cold over the 4th of July weekend, I had the chance to watch the national Independence Day celebrations on TV. Yes, that was plural. I watched the shows from New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. I TIVOed them actually, but managed to get them all watched by the morning of the 5th.

It was a bit much, but not too much. I enjoyed the music, contemporary as well as patriotic, and was stirred as always by Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever. That, and the National Anthem and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic still brings me to shed a tear or two.

During these very tough times for our country, it might seem hard to rally the "rah rah" patriotic spirit of past years. Across the U.S. many fireworks displays were cancelled for lack of funds. Yet, as I watched all three shows, I made a point to watch the people attending. Many were adults, but the majority in my estimation were under 30. And while you might say that every one loves a party for whatever reason, I watched as people, old and young, sang along to "Yankee Doodle", or "It's a Grand Old Flag", and more than a few had tears after hearing and singing the "Star-Spangled Banner". That was a good sign that, "our flag was still there".

The many tributes to our Armed Forces, serving now and in the past, might seem a little worn after eight years of war, but what American cannot be moved by the sight of our wounded warriors, many still wanting to return to their units after losing an arm or leg.

Besides the obvious fun of a holiday, and the oft-heard complaint that most do not appreciate the real reason for celebration, I must disagree.

Despite some who have understandably given up because of the continued, unbelievable assaults on the Gulf states, or because they cannot find a job to support their families, there are exponentially more who still feel that the U.S.A. is the very best place to live, despite what we hope are soluable problems.

In fact, we cannot give up even if we have few or no real statesmen in Washington anymore. We cannot let those who signed that Declaration in July 1776 have all their work and real sacrifice be for naught after a relatively short 234 years.

There is lots to do, lots to think about, and much more hard work, and maybe even higher taxes to get us out of the current pickle, but I am sure that we will do it. The Stars and Stripes. Forever.

Say Something Good About America

Say something good about America! That was on a bumper sticker I spotted on the rear of a Toyota yesterday. What an idea - to actually speak about the country we love in postive terms. I know that lately it is hard not to complain. The economy is faltering, gas prices are almost higher than Evian bottled water, the presidential candidates are not acting very presidential with their nitpicking and parsing of every word uttered.



We are spending $12,000,000,000 a month on the Iraq war, which could go to prop up Social Security or Medicare, could build and repair more roads, and could fund the repair of most of deteriorating bridge infrastructure.

Yet, the reality is that the cost of our two wars, as a percentage of GDP, is at near historical lows. In other words, we seem to be able to afford it despite how counter-intuitive that may seem. So despite all our woes, and they are real, we have been in worse shape many times before. We just cannot give up hope for our great country and must do what we can, however small, to help our economy recover, our wars end, and our flag again fly with pride and respect around the world. It'll take some doing, but we might already be working toward that goal.


We are a resilient and optimistic people. We are survivors and compared to most countries of the world, our suffering is miniscule compared to most in the Third World. And despite our own woes, we are often the first to help others around the world when calamity strikes. We ARE the world.

State of the Union

Well, I have to give it to President Bush. Despite his low 30% approval rating, he came across as self-confident in his last State of the Union address tonight. He was cordial, accomodating, but forceful where he needed to be and essentially challenged Congress to get some things done.

Noting that he had laid out a plan to save Social Security that was not accepted, he challenged the members to come with their own plans to keep the massive entitlement programs from going under.

Although the Dems did not applaud at some points, I always hope that other regimes across the world are watching this gem of our democratic process. It is good for them to see that political opponents can come together, and even pull together when it comes to any attacks on our country and its basic principles.

We certainly have our troubles these days, but I am confident we will prevail as a country. Now on to picking the best person to be our next leader who will inspire us to further greatness. I am beginning to see who that will be. What do you think? Oh, and did anyone see who was wearing the U.S. flag lapel pins?

Flying the Flag for All

Just something I've noticed. Maybe it is just anecdotal, but on the street where we live in our winter home in Arizona, there are a number of people who display the U.S. flag outside their homes every day. If I were to ask, I'd bet any money that the majority of those households would have a conservative bent, or maybe even be Republicans.

The same goes for those who wear little metal flags on their lapels. The more I think about it, the more I believe this is true. And if so, what a shame. What a shame that displaying our flag as a sign of support for our country, dare I say patriotism, is seen as a conservative trait.

For those who don't believe this, take your own poll in your neighborhood, office, school, and ask this question: A person displays a U.S. flag pin on his or her clothing. Is that person more or less likely to be a conservative?

You will be surprised, or if you are like me, maybe not.