History Forum / General / British History / April 2006

Hmmmmmmmm...

This man has strong feelings.

DSH
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"I've made the comment several times that I simply don't consider most
of the left to be my countrymen.

We may occupy the same bit of real estate but our vision of the
nation - what it was and what it should be - are so divergent as to suggest
that we inhabit parallel universes. As some may have noticed, I'm not
terribly interested in finding common ground with the left because I simply
do not believe most of them are capable of acting in good faith and I fear
for my nation whenever they get their fingers on the levers of power.

It isn't just the anti-war crowd. Take for instance, in its mildest
form, an essay in Salon by Nina Burleigh.

Read on.

Streiff
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Apr 20th, 2006: 16:26:07

Nina Burleigh burst into fame a few years ago with her famous offer to
fellate Bill Clinton for his defense of abortion. I guess on one level I was
appalled at that statement while at the same time I was amazed that she
thought she was proficient enough to sway public policy, but I digress.

Here I want to emphasize that I don't think Nina Burleigh has lauded Osama
bin Laden for building daycare centers in Afghanistan, I don't think she has
compared our troops to Nazis, and I don't think she marched in solidarity
with the noble defenders of Falluja. I think she is basically a
run-of-the-mill liberal.

For those who don't want to sit through the mandatory ad to read the
article, she essentially summarizes the time she, her husband, and her son
spent in a small town in upstate New York.

Streiff
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"Still, for the first few months, we felt uneasy.  Eighty of Narrowsburg's
319 adults are military veterans and at least 10 recent school graduates are
serving in Iraq or on other bases overseas right now. The school's defining
philosophy was traditional and conservative, starting with a
sit-down-in-your-seat brand of discipline, leavened with a rafter-shaking
reverence for country and flag. Every day the students gathered in the gym
for the "Morning Program," open to parents, which began with the Pledge of
Allegiance, followed by a patriotic song, and then discussion of a "word of
the week." During the first few weeks, the words of the week seemed
suspiciously tied to a certain political persuasion: "Military," "tour,"
"nation" and "alliance" were among them.
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Those of you who are made uneasy by 80 of 319 adults being veterans raise
your hand.  Ditto for those queasy about the Pledge of Allegiance.

Streiff
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That November, at the school's annual Veterans Day program, the children
performed the trucker anthem "God Bless the USA" (one of the memorable lines
is "Ain't no doubt I love this la-aand, God bless the USA-ay!"), as their
parents sang along. About a dozen local veterans -- ancient men who had
served in World War II, and men on the cusp of old age who had served in
Korea and Vietnam -- settled into folding chairs arranged beneath the flag.

When the students were finished singing, the principal asked the veterans to
stand and identify themselves. Watching from the audience, I wondered if
anyone would speak of the disaster unfolding in Iraq (which was never a word
of the week). [.]

In simple language, I told my son that our president had started a war
with a country called Iraq. I said that we were bombing cities and
destroying buildings. And I explained that families just like ours now had
no money or food because their parents didn't have offices to go to anymore
or bosses to pay them. "America did this?" my son asked, incredulous. "Yes,
America," I answered. He paused, a long silent pause, then burst out: "But
Mommy, I love America!  I want to hug America!"
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Lest I be accused of Dowdifying this essay, I will admit that Burleigh
purports getting teared up listening to God Bless America though she doesn't
stand during the Pledge of Allegiance and apparently would really, really
love America if only the right people were running it from the local level
to the top and those veterans and religious zealots would just make
themselves scare.

Streiff
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We are told over and over that we can't question the patriotism of those on
the left, yet when you read this how can you come away with any other
thought?  She may be a nice person, perhaps even a competent mother, but
there is nothing here that speaks of anything but contempt for the nation
that has nurtured her, provided her with opportunities, and, yes, has
struggled mightily to make life better for a lot of people throughout the
world.

So yes, I do question their patriotism.  No, I don't believe we are on the
same side in this war.  Yes, I do believe they would dance the Macarena if
we are defeated in Iraq.  No, I don't believe they support the troops. And I
will vote for my dog before I'll ever vote for a Democrat."

Streiff
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DSH

Lux et Veritas et Libertas

Fortem Posce Animum