Hooray for the fatherland!
Ummm ... no:
That's just super creepy.
But let me clarify ...
Governments of free countries don't demand reflexive loyalty of their subjects--they give citizens reason to feel gratitude. Such governments protect the natural rights of their citizens, defend them against foreign aggressors, refrain from micro-managing the lives of people with diverse tastes, values and preferences and otherwise create a situation where, for pragmatic reasons, people who want to make their own way in the world and pursue their own dreams wish for the political order to continue.
No government has ever been perfect in that respect, but for much of its history, the United States government did a better job than most of giving people reason to refrain from lynching political leaders.
"Loyalty Day" is not the sort of thing the government of a free country adds to the calendar. It's an exercise in ritual obeisance that demagogues demand of the mob as a substitute for rational consideration of value given for value received. Tribal chieftans demand loyalty, emperors require it, religious zealots thrive on it; presidents of free republics request sufferance.
The United States has been a pretty good country not because of some mystical demand on our fealty, but because it has been better than the competition at maintaining a tradition of live and let live. It retains its political value only to the extent that it lives up to that tradition.
Loyalty Day? Come on, George; what do you have to offer in return?
I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2007, as Loyalty Day. I call upon the people of the United States to participate in this national observance and to display the flag of the United States on Loyalty Day as a symbol of pride in our Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.
That's just super creepy.
But let me clarify ...
Governments of free countries don't demand reflexive loyalty of their subjects--they give citizens reason to feel gratitude. Such governments protect the natural rights of their citizens, defend them against foreign aggressors, refrain from micro-managing the lives of people with diverse tastes, values and preferences and otherwise create a situation where, for pragmatic reasons, people who want to make their own way in the world and pursue their own dreams wish for the political order to continue.
No government has ever been perfect in that respect, but for much of its history, the United States government did a better job than most of giving people reason to refrain from lynching political leaders.
"Loyalty Day" is not the sort of thing the government of a free country adds to the calendar. It's an exercise in ritual obeisance that demagogues demand of the mob as a substitute for rational consideration of value given for value received. Tribal chieftans demand loyalty, emperors require it, religious zealots thrive on it; presidents of free republics request sufferance.
The United States has been a pretty good country not because of some mystical demand on our fealty, but because it has been better than the competition at maintaining a tradition of live and let live. It retains its political value only to the extent that it lives up to that tradition.
Loyalty Day? Come on, George; what do you have to offer in return?
posted by J.D. Tuccille at
8:39 AM
3 Comments:
Huh. That's for real. Not a cruddy joke article by The Onion.
"Loyalty Day." That's just super creepy, indeed. I feel ill.
Hey J.D.,
I posted this in a forum I frequent, and one of the users dug this up:
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=2484
Apparently, this isn't anything new (much to the surprise of the person that found this as well). Still... you have to wonder if it won't see a resurgence. I mean, "anti-communism" really isn't much different from "anti-muslim" or "anti-arab" or whatever "anti-" epithet they're trying not to actually say out loud.
James,
Thanks for the link! I found something similar after I wrote the post. I still maintain that it's creepy, but over multiple administrations instead of one.
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