John Glenn Gooch's military stone had only recently been placed in the cemetery when we arrived to plant flowers to honor him this Memorial Day weekend. Glenn died this winter and is now buried near the town where he arrived in America from Wales at the age of six. An American by choice, Glenn served in World War II directing warplanes in Greenland, and during the last year of his life he often told me of his fond memories and proud days of service in the American Armed Forces.
I kneeled down to clear the ground of some fresh growth and break up the dirt while my partner Brad and his mother Bette waited to hand me the more "masculine" flowers she had picked out for him. Bette and Glenn had been married sixty-four years having met in high school in this northeastern corner of Pennsylvania. Both were from mining families - not the owners, but the miners - and Glenn was able to go to college because of the GI Bill that greeted returning veterans and later rose to become the President and C.E.O. of a major utilities company in the area.
Glenn's grave had an American flag waving over it, and as I dug I felt deep appreciation for his service, and for the service he and so many others have given to allow me to live a relatively free life in this country. I recalled reading an essay written by my father Walter Raushenbush at Harvard lamenting that he had narrowly missed the opportunity to fight in WWII, which had ended just before he turned 18. At the time it shocked my young leftist soul that someone should be so eager to fight, but now I appreciate much more the call to serve my country. (My father later joined the Air Force rising to the rank of Colonel.)
That neither Brad nor I are eligible to serve because of our sexuality is not the point of this brief essay, but it is a point that needs to be made. In reflecting upon his father's service, Brad commented that WWII was one of the last common calls upon all Americans. The universal draft made everyone part of a unified effort including both Brad's family and my own. Although plagued by racial segregation, the armed forces brought people of every background together and made plain our common identity as Americans. Today, only openly gay and lesbian people are restricted from this opportunity.
Of all my identities, including my religious one, nothing is stronger than my national identity as an American, and my appreciation for the ideals upon which this country was founded. The longer I live, and the more countries I visit, my pride in my country only grows. This Memorial Day I give thanks for the memory of John Glenn Gooch, for the service of Walter Raushenbush, and for all of those who have served in our armed forces to keep our country safe. May we continue to become a more perfect union - the land of the free.
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Thanks, Paul, for reflecting on the ways the military service of our parents from that generation has shaped us. Although I have never regretted my decision not to serve during the last days of Vietnam, I very much regret that some who are called to serve cannot. Hoping for yet one more way we can be proud of our country.
As this might be the last Memorial Day of the Republic , let me document the coming destruction of our nation. These are the headlines that warn of the coming Progressive Catastrophe
-United States may lose AAA credit rating, deficits out of control?
-S&P says pressure building on U.S. AAA rating | Reuters
-Pimco says sell-off driven by fears U.S. could lose AAA
As Dollars Pile Up, Uneasy Traders Lower the Currency's Value
-US loss of AAA credit rating 'inevitable': BMO
-Crude rises as investors snub dollar-based equities
-US dollar's 18-month stint as a safe-haven currency is over
-Treasuries, Mother of All Bubbles, Is Primed to Pop
-US 10-Year Note Falls Most Since June on Supply, Credit
And here are the denials from those responsible:
-White House: Credit rating not a concern
-Obama press secretary pranks reporters (this is what they do instead)
-US vows to cut deficit as rating woes loom (A lie)
-Geithner has no immediate concern for US creditworthines
Democrats are deliberately destroying our currency and when it falls, so does the nation
Nobody cares about your sex, really. Really.
But people do care about marriage law. I thought the recent article from MarriageNewsNow.com did a nice job at explaining why the legal issue is important:
Mayday: What’s at Stake on 5-26-09?
http://tiny.cc/CLiCc
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