Just for a moment there was a left hand rising.
Only a fractional second.
There it was.
Left hand rising.
A salute begun,then halted.
And I was so very ashamed.
I hail from the state of that left hand salute. I am of the cohort of that left had saluter. I am a subject of Gov. Pawlenty. For a few days, at least.
The saluter in question neither served in the military, nor does he know the military. I grew up in a home of an overly devoted to the military mother and a reluctant to have served father. Both served in the time of WWII. My father saw active duty, my mother did not.
Which was the greater patriot? I don't know.
My father damned all wars. He claimed they were rackets to elect politicians that knew nothing of life and death, putting food on the table, nor of true honor. Honor did not mean killing 'Japs' or the evil "Nazis".
I do know that my father thought bringing any Germans into the US after WWII. Mum, much talking later, said that if they were truly allegiant to the Constitution, then all was well.
I am not so sure.
And there is that almost left hand salute.
That is the salute that has been given to this nation since November, 2000.
It also was given, that little lefty, to the reciptient of the first Si;lver Star given to any soldier in Minnesota since WWII. And I was mortified.
I shall not name the name of the soldier, for that is merely heaping embarrassment on the happenings of his award ceremony.
Please notice, I didn't note that 'great day', post a September, 2001 as my source of irksomeness, nor did I note the other great days since VE or VJ day.
Since November, 2000 we have seen the Constitution of the United States truly trampled upon by zealots and war mongers. We have had our music silenced. We have had the nation made less proud and more afraid.
Well, there is one thing that I learned from that Constitution, and that is simple. If we extend the rule of law, as we adhere to it, we have little to fear. If we toss the rule of law over the gunwales, we have much to fear. It is only the rule of law that keeps us from becoming a barbaric nation.
