Patriotism

Yesterday was the birthday of our great nation. I attended a function known as the Stadium of Fire in Provo. I went because two of my grand daughters were performing as part of the Stadium dance team. Along with about 300 other young ladies. With the aid of some binoculars I was able to find them in the crowd. They seemed to have enjoyed themselves after all the hard work they had put in and I must admit I enjoyed watching them.

Also performing last night was a local group called SHeDAISY and some brothers named Jonas. It would appear that every girl under the age of 13 knows who the brothers are. They screamed non stop and my ears will ring for days after that. It was fun to watch my eight year old grand daughter mouth the words to all of the songs.

The master of ceremonies was a guy named Glenn Beck. In case someone has not heard of Mr. Beck, he is a conservative talk show host on the Fox News Network. He is kind of a nutty guy, with a warped sense of humor, he gets pretty emotional when he speaks to issues close to his heart concerning our great nation and wears Converse All Stars tennis shoes with a suit and tie. I listen to Glenn Beck on occasion because of his sense of humor and because of his passion. I don't always agree, but hey, that's what we get to do in this country.

Part of the show last night was the retiring of an American flag. It is the flag that was sent to Utah in early 2002 from New York to be flown over the Olympics in February of that year. The flag unfortunately was showing some wear after years of faithful service. Now the proper method of retiring a flag is to burn it. After all one cannot expect that a flag is to just be thrown into a garbage can now can they?

So the flag was brought into the stadium by a military honor guard and placed into a cauldron. During this time a choir was singing a somber rendition of "It's a Grand Ol' Flag", the lights were dim and Mr. Beck was speaking of the flag and it's meaning. During this time I picked up my six year old grandson and asked him to listen to the story and watch what was happening. By the time the flag had reached the cauldron and the song was over I felt the tears running down my face. I was reflecting on what the flag means to me, what it means to our country, what ideals it stands for and the people that have stood up in defense of this country. I'm not sure he grasped the entire meaning of the moment, but in years to come I'm sure he will.

So today I read both local papers online to include articles about last nights festivities. Imagine my surprise when I read comments about this was just a partisan political rally and how it's disgusting that Glenn Beck wraps himself in the flag and then just collects a paycheck and that unless you're a member of the GOP and the Mormon Church you were not welcome.

These people just don't get it. And I would hazard a guess to say that most who commented weren't even there. Not once did I hear Mr. Beck say anything that could be considered partisan politics. I heard him speak of the greatness of our country and the things we have and can continue to accomplish. He also spoke highly of the men and women who serve our country in the military. The one's who are willing to fight the rights of people all over the world. Nothing partisan about that.

It also sounds to me that these young (I'm guessing) ideologues have never considered wearing that uniform in service of their country. I guess now all it takes is a grandiose idea of a Utopian society and an Internet connection and they think they can save the world.

Obviously by the title of this blog, I don't agree with the left. I know that the cost of freedom is human blood. Like my grandfathers and my father before me I chose to serve in the military to stand up for freedom. Now I chose to continue to serve as a police officer, as my father also did and my oldest son does as well. I also have a nephew that has served one tour in Iraq and is readying himself for a deployment to Afghanistan.

So although I don't agree with these folks my family I have been willing to fight for their right to say what they want. I hope that they are willing to do the same.

Yes, I consider myself a Patriot. Nothing wrong with that. After all I'm willing to make sacrifices to help ensure the safety and security of my country. I have missed family events such as birthdays, school plays, plenty of holidays and the like. I have bled for this choice and have a scar or two to show for it. I don't complain, and if given a choice I would do it all over again.

What do you choose?