Friday, April 4, 2008

"Who Is The Real Patriot?"

From the web edition of the Chicago Tribune:

In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.

In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.)
....

While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.

Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?
....

This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments he made over the last three decades.
....

How many of Wright's detractors, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly to name but a few, volunteered for service, and did so under the often tumultuous circumstances of a newly integrated armed forces and a society in the midst of a civil rights struggle? Not many.

While words do count, so do actions.


Can I get an amen here?

Thanks to Doug for the link. You see, my friends, the mysterious Doug has a serious side, too.

26 comments:

  1. Well, Fran, I asked for an amen, but I guess that's close.

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  2. Jane, not an amen, but good enough.

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  3. I'm In! (see essay on ECafe today)

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  4. Ann, that was a wonderful read. Here's the link to the piece at the Episcopal Café, if anyone else wants to read it.

    I'm in!

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  5. Rmj, thank you. Finally, an AMEN! With a HALLELUJAH! as lagniappe.

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  6. The man is right up there in the tradition of the O.T. prophets and no-one liked them in their own day either.

    Oh, yeah.....AMEN.

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  7. Amen.

    ["Jane, not an amen, but good enough." ;) ]

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  8. Just went back to the Tribune (as it suddenly struck me that the old print Tribune I grew up with probably would not have published this) and found that a) this was not just a "letter to the editor" but was, in fact, published "Commentary" and b) FWIW, the authors, themselves, are veterans:

    Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss are, respectively, Navy and Marine Corps veterans. They work at The Center For American Progress. Korb served as assistant secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration.

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  9. Well, Grandmère, place me in the Amen corner.

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  10. What a fine congregation you folks are. Fran, did you need to shout out that, "HOLY CRAP!!!"? A few people came up to me after the service and complained about the language, but I explained that you got carried away in your enthusiasm.

    Klady, thanks for adding that information. I meant to say that the writers were veterans, too, but I forgot.

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  11. Guess one might bring up the DUI's Dick Cheney racked-up while he was sitting safe and sound Stateside, but that would be uncharitable, wouldn't it?

    http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/cheney_doc.html

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  12. Lapin, of course, charity rules here, and one supposes that Cheney does little driving now, but there was that fairly recent incident of his shooting the man in the face. But it may not be charitable to bring that up either.

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  13. Amén, Amén.

    (Having said that, I will say the hypocrisy of some never ceases to amaze me. And I think Fran's HC is also apt.)

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  14. Caminante, I still marvel that in the 2004 election, the Republicans convinced many people in the US that John Kerry was a wimp, although he had served in Vietnam, compared to our manly hero, Bush, who went AWOL from the Air National Guard.

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  15. Well, perhaps "Amen" is more commonly acceptable than my version of "Holy Crap", which adds some pungency even to dear Fran's: HFS!

    Why should that be, I wonder?

    And thank you, Ann, for noting your most recent contribution at the Cafe, where riches so overflow as to overwhelm me at times.

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  16. Johnieb, I gotcha. It's pungent, all right.

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  17. Well, I wanted to say the same thing as Fran, but I was afraid of using profanity in a public place. (I will explan why in a year or two.)

    AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Now we're all happy :-).

    I was telling someone about this in the car a few hours ago on the way back from the diocesan anti-racism committee meeting and her reaction was pretty close to Fran's...

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  18. IT'S THE HYPOCRISY, STUPID! WHITEWASHED SEPULCHRES AND ALL THAT!

    Sorry, I had to scream.

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  19. Padre channels a 'murican Patriot: Dick Cheney is the only thing standing between us and total Muslim dominance. He couldn't serve in Viet Nam 'cuz he was saving his strength to protect us in the REAL crisis.

    Y'all 'taint' nuthin but girly comernists.

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  20. Padre Mickey, love, I'm sorry, but you are totally unbelievable as a 'murican Patriot. I doubt seriously that you could channel one of them.

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