I saw an eye-opening story on MSNBC this morning, but I have been unable to find the details on the web. It seems that President Bush is scheduled to appear at a Fourth of July parade, or some such ceremony, today. The local Veterans of Foreign Wars (or was it the American Legion?) carries their rifles and fires a salute (using blanks, of course) in the annual event. Well, the Secret Service determined that was just too dangerous and ordered them to appear without their rifles. The vets decided instead to refuse to participate. Good for them!
In a speech today (or was it yesterday) President Bush went on at some length about the importance of courage in the War Against Terrorism and how courageous the American people and armed forces are. I'm sorry to report that this simply is not true, except for the American armed forces, of course. The American people have, by and large, abandoned whatever shred of courage they might have had left, and become meek little sheep, as they give up all their pocket knives, bottles of liquids, and whatever slight dignity they had left, merely in order to get on an airliner.
At least the vets stuck to their guns. But as for courage among the rest of us... sorry, but it just isn't there anymore. And the lack of courage starts at the top, with the President and his Praetorian Guard -- I mean, Secret Service. Imagine: being afraid that the one of the Veterans of Foreign Wars rifle team might take a potshot at the President! Preposterous! And imagine an American President, or his Secret Service protectors, being afraid of these proudly patriotic veterans! The whole sorry story makes me cringe. Yuck!
Oh ! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?I don't think so...
Back to my home place.