Via Huffington Post, I read this article by Emily Weinstein in which she recounts her shame at actually standing for the National Anthem.
Last weekend I did something I haven't done in a long time. Something I swore I'd never do again. Something I'm deeply ashamed of.I stood during the singing of the national anthem.
Now the only reason for refusing to stand, and indeed, writing a post about it, is to provoke a reaction from those, like me, liable to be offended by it. Normally, I ignore deliberate attempts at grandstanding, but since this is Christmas, the season of giving, I've decided to give the lady what she wants.
But she probably won't like it.
First let's hear more from the lovely Ms. Weinstein
I won't stand for the American flag because I won't stand for what is done in its name. I won't stand for the current war in Iraq, I won't stand for the last war in Iraq. I won't stand for all the wars before that. I won't stand for its selectively faulty elecotral[sic] process and I won't stand for its unelected, renegade government. I won't stand for its medieval attitude towards sexuality and privacy, for its violent misinterpretation of Christianity, for its refusal to deal sanely with AIDS and all other global health crises, for its environmentally suicidal stance on climate change, for the hypocrisy of its practices, for the torture of its prisoners, for its executions and its drug wars and its oil wars.
Wow. That's some interesting stuff right there, boy. She won't stand for any of our previous wars? Let's do a quick run down on some of the causes the US has fought for.
Yet Emily will not stand for any of that. That's all far outweighed by the facts that America rejects same sex marriage and didn't sign Kyoto. Freeing millions from tyranny, saving more millions from the gas chambers is nothing compared to not allowing Jeff and John to get married.
I can see that.
OK, so what are we really talking about here? Does Emily hate America or is it just the current administration? Is she engaging in political protest, or does she hold all of America in contempt?
I'll let her answer that: "In my seventh-grade heart I felt no allegience to the flag of the United States of America, nor to the republic for which it stands, because I did not believe it had ever provided liberty and justice for all."[Emphasis mine]
Well, that's pretty much all inclusive there. Not just the current gov't, but the republic itself, whole and entire. Because America fails to live up to her lofty expectations, she's ready to wash her hands of it. Which makes me wonder: What is she doing about it?
Most of us will take some action to fix a problem we see. Instead of just living with it, we fix it. So what does Emily do to fix the terrible problems she sees in America?
She sits during a song.
Brava, dear lady, brava!
Isn't it odd how many liberal tactics involve doing nothing at all? What is a strike but a bunch of employees doing nothing instead of their jobs? A filibuster is a group of politicians doing nothing instead of...well, they don't do all that much most of the time anyway, so the distinction may be hard to make. Sit ins, lock downs, walk outs, strikes, marches; they're all ways to do nothing and feel really good about it.
The next qestion that springs to my mind is this: Is Emily alone in her disdain for everything American, or does she speak for a fair number of liberals? Isshe an isolated whack job, or are her opinions shared by others? Well, let's take a quick tour through the comments to her post and see:
- Even though I am no longer proud to be an American and have been telling people I'm Canadien
- I too hadn't stood for it for quite a while, before I expatriated myself. Honestly, leaving the country and seeing other places that are more civilised is the thing to do. Forget protests - Amerikkka's rotten, always has been, always will be.
- they're showing that america isn't worth fighting for
- Our nation is being nudged toward fascism on all sides
- this nation is as deeply flawed, if not more so, than any other, and that it's certainly not the world's "last best hope."
- Wow, Emily, you really got it right! I wonder how were you able to remain so untouched by the brain-washing national machinery.
- We are viewed as hypocrites and likely so. We pollute more than any other country. We have a sickning[sic] habit of telling everbody how great we are. The truth is as a populace we are stupid...Oh by the way did I mention I served my country in Vietnam. I did not shirk my duty. I took a bullit[sic] for my fellow idiotic Americans and am not proud of it any more. I waisted[sic] my time.
You get the point I'm sure. Emily certainly doesn't represent the opinions of most liberals, but she's not an isolated voice either. A significant proportion of the left does indeed share her disdain for America
Getting back to Emily, the obvious question to ask is, "If you are so miserable here, then why are you still here?" Of course, if you ask the question, the champions of free speech and dissent will immediately label you a fascist for daring to suggest that Emily might be happier in a country that doesn't disappoint her quite so deeply even if you explicitly acknowledge her right to protest as she sees fit.
The answer to the question is equally obvious; despite her protest, she, just like Alec Baldwin, understands that America is indeed the freest country on the planet, as well as the richest, and she's not willing to give up the freedoms and creature comforts that go along with being an American, albeit a disappointed one. Or as another commenter said, on why he stayed in America despite everything Emily points out:
Personally, I love almost everything about America, ample parking, 200 channels on TV, loud sports fans, trailer parks. This is my kind of place.
Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it?
I'm going to close this not with my words, but with another commenter, who shows exactly how wrong Emily and her ilk are:
In April of 2003 I and my Army unit began a 12 month deployment to Baghdad. We fought, in our opinions, for many things, including freedom and and country. We fought so that people could in Iraq, and America (again, our opinon), could sit if they so choose during their countries national anthem. As much as the concept disgusts me, I will fight as often as necessary to protect your right to do so. All that I ask in return is that when you intentionally disrespect all of us who sacrifice on your part you remember that all the supposed courage you show through sitting pales so shamefully in comparison to that which I have seen firsthand. You might condemn me as a fascist, because yes, I cannot stand liberals due to their ridiculous acts such as this. But I will fight for your right to condemn for the rest of my life, no matter how often I wonder how it is that your type is capable of looking in the mirror.Posted by: tcourter on December 15, 2005 at 03:23pm
Posted by Rich at December 15, 2005 9:04 PM | TrackBack