Saturday, May 26, 2012

Who Protects Our Freedoms?


[I was prompted to write this op ed a few years ago by a letter in which the writer praised the military while in the same breath reviling the government.  It is still timely.  Following this item is a comment I ran across on a website today, which extends the role of "defenders of freedom" to every citizen.]

Memorial Day Reflections 2009

 Why must we, upon celebrating Memorial Day, in one and the same breath praise the military and vilify the government?

 If our veterans, volunteers and conscripted, living and dead, are spiritual descendants of those who fought in the Revolutionary War to establish a free nation, then so our statesmen, elected and appointed, living and dead, are spiritual descendants of those founding fathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.  Our military can never have fought for our freedoms if our government had never established those freedoms.  And if we accuse some in our government of being avaricious and corrupt, driven sometimes by hunger for power, then so do we have to admit that some in our military are treacherous and cowardly, given sometimes to atrocities.

 Our young people have for more than 200 years fought in wars and invasions both just and unjust, and our public officials have for more than 200 years crafted laws and treaties both wise and flawed.

 It is a part of patriotism to hold our military to the highest standards of honor and integrity, and it is equally a part of our patriotism to hold our government officials to those same highest standards of honor and integrity.

 While we honor our veterans for fighting to maintain our freedoms, let us honor our statesmen for writing the laws establishing those freedoms.  Both veterans and statesmen, living and dead, have given and are giving their lives for our country.

[Today i saw the following comment on a blog on the web.  This veteran names more than veterans and statesmen as "defenders of freedom."  It is for all of us to take up that role.] 
From Demo Christian:
As an Army veteran and as an American I am offended by the phrase "those who are defending our freedoms."
Yes, men and women have given their lives to preserve freedom and to protect America from foreign threats. But it is the job of every American to defend the freedoms that we are guaranteed by our constitution. And many have been labeled as un-American for doing so. Freedom riders, suffragettes, comedians, war protesters, writers and a host of lynched men helped defend the freedoms that others tried to and did deny them.
I am glad that we honor our war dead for their sacrifice. But I can think of no better way to honor them than to exercise our freedoms and ensure that they are not a cherished memory for our grandchildren.

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