By
Joshua
Michail
13
September, 2012
Recently, about a week ago now, [at the time I wrote this in 2012]
I
noticed a new holiday
on the calendar. On the anniversary of the day when one airliner
crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania, another flown into The
Pentagon in Washington DC, and two more airliners were flown into the
two tall towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, there is
now a holiday? This new holiday is meant to commemorate the loss of
almost 3,000 lives at the hands of 19 terrorists. It seems that
someone convinced plenty of people that this was a good idea. So, now
we have a holiday to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attacks
on America. That seems okay, maybe fair enough. Any guesses, though,
as to what this holiday is called? It's apparently “Patriot Day”.
It struck me quickly that there was something wrong with this
holiday. I can, in fact think of a few things. Not problems
necessarily with having a day on the anniversary to remember the
victims of the terrorist attacks, but rather with that particular
holiday. What kind of a holiday is a “Patriot Day”?
This
new holiday was passed by a vote 407 in favor to none opposed, as US
House of Representatives Joint Resolution 71 on 25th
October, 2001. The legal basis of this holiday is laws 107-89 and
111-13 of US Federal law. Under Bush, at first, the holiday was
called “Prayer and
Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist
Attacks on September 11th,
2001”. President Barack Obama, on 10th
September, 2012 proclaimed the holiday is renamed “Patriot Day and
National Day of Service and Remembrance”. Though this is
still
cumbersome, it is at least somewhat improved. But, the best
improvement was the removal of the word “prayer”, thus
diminishing the holiday's violation of the Establishment Clause of
the First Amendment of the US Constitution. “Prayer” in the name
was a de-facto government endorsement of religion, at least in
general. There are, still, several points that I take issue with.
First, I want to look at what is a “patriot” realistically. Does
a real patriot need to constantly defend him or her self against
accusations of not appreciating his/her nation? As if it's reasonable
to jump to the conclusion that one is not a patriot unless he or she
says “I'm a patriot”. I would think that the vast majority of
Americans, even resident aliens, are generally patriotic. I suspect,
further, that that is true for most nations. I'd think that most
Brits are patriotic to Britain, and most Japanese people are
patriotic to Japan, for example. But, perhaps this concept is lost on
many of the loudest so-called “patriots”.
But, there are more points to contend.
Like the issue of
redundancy. There is the issue of the fact that a “Patriot's Day”
seems like it might, in America, be one of a few holidays that
already exist. Independence Day – the “Fourth of July” to those
more vociferous of “patriots” – immediately comes to mind. Then
there is also the opportunity for patriotic display on Veteran's Day,
when we celebrate veterans of our armed forces and we say “thank
you for your service to our nation and defending our freedoms”.
Of-course another chance to tout one's patriotism is Memorial Day,
when we are supposed to remember and appreciate all those who gave
their lives to defend our nation. The war dead. It seems that there
is a certain palette in America, which just can't get enough of faux
patriotism. They have a taste for the tasteless. They're the ones,
you know, who just love soaring eagles painted with the Stars and
Stripes, over a “battlefield cross” – the rifle stuck in the
ground with a helmet on top – and “God
Bless, godity-god-god-god”
printed over all things American.
Perhaps
we could even have a “Terrorism Defiance Day” on the 12th
of September? After-all, that would certainly be more fitting to the
memory and honor of the victims of the terrorists than any
pseudo-patriotism holiday. We ought to stand up to tell Muslim
extremists, Islamists and religious bigots and terrorists worldwide
that we will not cower. That they will never win. That we will always
defy them and their malicious bullying. And this is more appropriate
considering that again they have attacked the civilized world. On the
12th
of September this year, 2012, we learned that terrorists staged an
attack on US embassies in Cairo, Egypt and Benghazi, Libya, even
killing the US ambassador to Libya and several other Americans. This
violent assault on humanity and civilization was done under the
pretense of “offense”, as if the exercise of freedom were a valid
reason to justify murder. These barbarian Islamists must be defied.
They must eventually learn that their efforts to dominate the globe
and to destroy civilization and humanity are futile.
Now,
I also think if there is to be a holiday for the events of September
11th,
then perhaps it should be a “Remembrance Day” instead. It would
be fair to say “let us remember all those whose lives were taken by
Islamist terrorists.” Almost three thousand lives were taken and
6,000 more were injured by suicide terrorist attacks on the 11th
of September, 2001, on United States soil, but they were not all
Americans. In fact, many of the victims were from many other nations.
Remember, it was the called the “World Trade Center” for a
reason. Additionally, in 2005, there was the 7th
of July attacks in London on Underground trains, which was also
terrorism. 700 people were wounded and 52 were killed. And, there was
the attacks in Madrid, Spain on the 11th
of March 2004, in which 191 people were murdered and 1,800 other
people were injured. Clearly, the issue is not about America. It's
the violent Islamist terrorists against the rest of the world. It's
about their terrorism and violence. “Patriot Day” is simply
invalid and inappropriate, but a “Remembrance Day” would be valid
and much more appropriate. Indeed, such a Remembrance Day should be
international. And, we should include on Remembrance Day, all the
victims in London, Madrid and many other places in addition to those
in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington DC.
I'm also a bit concerned with this
patriotism bragging
nonsense. “Patriotism” is cheapened severely by the readiness
with which it is thrown around. Everything becomes an excuse to say
“I'm a patriot” for those who are all to easily moved by their
emotions. These people who cry “patriotism” so frequently and so
needlessly are themselves exploited by those who would use them
against themselves. Actual patriotism is not flying a flag, or
posting a picture on one's page on a website. Real patriotism is not
about incessantly announcing one's church membership or attempting to
impose one's twisted religious beliefs on everyone else. Though those
who mostly loudly tout their supposed “patriotism” tend act as
though that is the case. In fact, they often are only using term to
apply pressure on others to accept their beliefs. This makes the word
become toxic. They are, as a matter of fact, disrespecting those who
are serving their nation. They are making the very idea of a “Patriot
Day” repulsive. As if simply supporting and defending one's nation
is not their kind of patriotism. Real patriots do not need another
day for deliberately displaying pseudo-patriotism. A Remembrance Day
is far more appropriate.
Copyright © 2012 by Joshua
Michail
All
Rights Reserved.
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