Yes, They're True

A few of my friends have emailed me and asked if the quotes I have up on the right side of this blog are actually things that online bloggers have said about me. Yup, they're all comments made to yours truly over the past year or so.

For those who are new to the "blogosphere", things can get a little rough at times. There's a lot of "I'm smarter than you" taunting and name calling. For the most part I've gotten off pretty lightly - there are a few people out there who seem to like calling me names and making fun of what I write. But that's part of what goes on out here on the "internets" every day, and I don't take it very seriously.

However. I did, as you can imagine, take the implication that I'm anti-American very poorly. I can't speak for my friends, but I'm guessing that's not a description they would use to define me. I'm as patriotic as the next person - flying my flag, voting in every election, taking part in political campaigns, volunteering my time in the community, and, of course, supporting my husband in his role as a military officer.

Here's my ironic take on patriotism: Before September 11, 2001, outside of our immediate family, most people - including our friends - had a passing interest in my husband's military career. The questions tended to be the "you're moving again?" type of inquiry. We did our thing and most people we knew didn't pay much attention. And before September 11th, I honestly do not recall one time when anyone ever questioned my patriotism, let alone my husband's. I guess it was fairly obvious to most people that a family devoted to military service is probably doing it for love of country.

Fast forward to September 12, 2001. We received many calls from friends wanting to know if we were OK. People wanted to shake my husband's hand and personally thank him for his service (and still do when we visit our families in our hometowns), and our parents and my grandmother began flying a blue-star service banner in their front window. Complete strangers - including people in the blogosphere - have gone out of their way to thank my husband for his service. The downside for us was that now our loyalty to the United States was completely open for debate - by complete and total strangers, who couldn't pick us out of a lineup if they tried - and something we've had to deal with more than once over the past 4 years.

People often say "September 11th changed everything". I think that' s true, but not in the way most people think. My country no longer appears to judge people on their actions, but merely on their words. Patriotism today seems to be determined this way: If you voted for George W. Bush, you're a true patriot. If not...well...despite being a combat veteran...maybe you're not such a good American after all.

I think that's wrong, and I hope that someday soon we go back to the September 10th "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" position on patriotism: don't ask me about my family's sacrifices, and don't tell me I'm not a patriotic American.