Too much of a good thing is scary

In my opinion, I’m a good citizen. I think America is a great country and I feel lucky to have been born here. I love fireworks and draught beer and apple pie. And the sight of the American flag swells me with pride.

But … there comes a point where patriotism becomes nationalism. And that scares the heck out of me.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with waving the American flag and cheering on our interests and working towards the best for the good ol’ U. S. of A. But wrapping yourself in it and shaming others for not doing so isn’t the least bit patriotic. In fact, it’s downright wrong.

This is a great country that we live in. And we do a lot of great things for ourselves and the rest of the world. We should revel in that and shout from the rooftops the great things that we do. We should all be proud of our endeavors in fighting world hunger and poverty. We should be ecstatic over our scientific accomplishments that have helped all of humanity.

Unfortunately, however, I find that we tend to rally around the wrong things. We rally around war. Death brings us together. Consider the fact that all of our national holidays are centered around war.

This past Sunday I stood along East Avenue in Lockport watching the Memorial Day parade — an annual event put together to honor the soldiers who have given their all in battle to keep this country safe. It was a great reason to be proud to be an American.

I watched as politicians walked by. Police. Firefighters. Girl Scouts. Boy Scouts. Bands. Dance troupes. All grinning from ear to ear, proud to be Americans. There was even a group from Thorold, Ontario — but American by choice … at least for the day.

But alas, too much of a good thing. A sign put me over the edge. Maybe you were there and saw it. Maybe you thought nothing of it. Maybe it irked you, too.

“IF YOU DON’T STAND BEHIND *** OUR TROOPS *** PLEASE STAND IN FRONT OF THEM”

Maybe I’m touchy but here’s my breakdown of the sign: “If you don’t stand behind our troops” is really a way of saying “If you don’t support the war — any war” … and “Please stand in front of them” can easily be construed as “take bullets for them” or “sacrifice yourself.” An uglier interpretation could be “kill yourself.”

I’ve seen variations of this sign as bumper stickers for years. It’s nationalism parading as patriotism. It’s crass on a bumper sticker. It’s disgraceful in a Memorial Day parade.

To those of you thinking I’m overreacting or misinterpreting, please tell me what you think the sign means. I’d love to be wrong. But I don’t think I am.

Scott Leffler supports the troops. That’s why he wants them brought home. Today. Send him nasty-grams or notes of agreement on twitter @scottleffler. Or feel free to write a letter to the editor.

Have you already forgotten what Sept. 12 felt like?

I started my “career” as a newspaper columnist 10 years ago Sept. 3.

My first column ever was about the fact that I was going to be writing a column — groundbreaking stuff, I tell you. My second column, however, which ran Sept. 10, 2002 came with the headline “Happy Patriots Day?” and bemoaned the eventual “holiday” that Sept. 11 would turn into.

See, it was only a year after the tragedy had struck New York, DC (Arlington, Va., actually), Pennsylvania and the country as a whole and already I had seen signs of fatigue by the American people. The patriotic fervor that consumed us in the days after Sept. 11, 2001, had subsided. Of course there were memorials across the country mourning the losses from that fateful day, but many people had simply gotten on with their lives.

The column, available at tinyurl.com/8zstvat, suggested that by 2072, we’ll have picnics, much like we do for Memorial Day, and we’ll have as little comprehension what the reason for the day is as we do for Memorial Day.

We’re now 11 years out from the day that al Queda struck at the heart of our financial district, the heart of our political district, and — unintentionally — the heartland of America.

Surely you’ll see posts on Facebook today suggesting that you “Always remember” Sept. 11 and that we remain steadfast in our resolve to fight every enemy foreign or domestic. But you won’t see as many as you saw last year. And next year, you’ll see even less.

Sadly I fear we are bound to forget. Over time the anger softens and we go back to doing what we do best — fighting amongst ourselves.

It is my opinion that if left to our own devices, we’ll tear this country apart from the inside. In fact, any terrorist attack from the outside will actually only (temporarily) strengthen our bond and delay the inevitable self-destructive course that we’re on.

We’ve got red states and blue states. We’ve got Democrats and Republicans. Conservatives and liberals. Christians and atheists. Bloods and Crips. Omnivores and vegetarians. Gays and straights. You name it, we spend all our time dividing into “us” and “them.”

But just like any family, as much as we might fight with one another, we will always team up when attacked by someone from outside. That’s what we did on Sept. 11, 2001. And that’s what we’ll do if it should happen again.

Please don’t construe this as me suggesting that the terrorists did us any favors. They made us frightened. And angry. And xenophobic. They brought out the worst in us while bringing out the best in us.

But before you post another hateful diatribe about what a “Godless commie that Kenyan-born Barack Obama is,” or what a “baby-eating non-tax-paying jerk Mitt Romney is,” remember that they’re both American. And by the standards of Sept. 12, 2001, they’re basically family.

Maybe in 2072 we’ll ride our Fujimaki airbikes to George W. Bush Park for our picnics. Or maybe we’ll stay home and take advantage of the Patriot’s Day sale at Paintsoft (the paint division of Microsoft).

But this year, do me a favor and take a moment to remember what made you angry 11 years ago. And then try to focus our anger somewhere other than the people who are trying to make this country great.

Scott Leffler has been a member of the local media for over a decade. You can read all of his columns and more thoughts at scottleffler.blogspot.com.

Patriotism as decoration ...

Some candidates wear their patriotism on their sleeve ... or their lapel, to be more accurate. Whether or not they love their country is determined by whether or not they have a flag pinned to their jacket.

Some candidates parade their patriotism around as if it were required by the Constitution. Or as if it were a contest to see who loves America more.

Sometimes I wonder why the race for the presidency often turns into a fight over which candidate loves the country more ... or which candidate hates it more. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard some talking head ask, "Why does Barack Obama hate America?" Of course the question assumes that Barack Obama hates America. It's kind of like the question, "When did you stop beating your wife?" There's not good way to answer it.

Sen. John McCain has positioned himself as a God-fearing, America-loving veteran, whose record of patriotism could not be questioned. After all, he was a prisoner of war. And that brings with it some assumptions, too. The assumption being that since John McCain was a prisoner of war - and just as importantly, that he was a veteran of war - that he must love this great republic of ours more than some guy whose name rhymes with Osama.

Interesting that four years ago, the same assumptions did not hold true. Democrats figured that nominating John Kerry - a veteran of Viet Nam himself - would give them the patriotic edge over George W. Bush, who not only did not serve ... he disappeared during 'Nam. That edge never held true because of the trump card that Democrats didn't figure on: Republicans are automatically more patriotic than Democrats (at least according to talk radio).

In fact, while George W. Bush's record of non-service seemed okay with the likes of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh ... John Kerry's documented service was was questioned by the same types ... with a lot of help from a group of professional reputational hitmen, "Swiftboat Veterans for Truth."

It was so successful, that the term "Swiftboat" was immediately added to the American lexicon, defined as "successfully lie about someone or something."

At the time, John McCain spoke out against the "Swiftboat" group. Now, he's hired one of them to work on his own campaign. Hmm.

Meanwhile, Gen. Wesley Clark - an Obama supporter - said "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president."

Of course, the GOP and McCain himself were all upset by the comment, demanding a retraction or apology from Clark. You can't, after all, question a war hero.

Funny, the Republican party always comes up with these strange rules: You can't question the president in the time of war. You can't say anything negative about America outside her borders. You can't tell the truth about their nominee if it puts him in a bad light. Etc ...

How long until they start calling Wesley Clark. How long until I hear, "Why does Wesley Clark hate America?"

Not long, I'd guess. After all, he can't be patriotic, he only spent 34 years in the Army.