The Gods of Independence

Caveat Lector: vulgar language.

It gets harder and harder to be emotional about my country. I mean, all the patriotic drivel gets old, and I can only hold on to the nostalgia for so long. "God shed His grace on thee..." Seriously, how presumptuous can you get? Twice the whole lawn stood up for some old people playing dress up and carrying flags. I felt like an Irishman asked to stand for the Union Jack when the civil war reenactors marched up. So I stayed sitting. Think about it, what if a Eucharistic procession came through there. How many people would drop on their knees? Yet we'll stand out of respect for a flag that symbolizes... what exactly? Freedom, I guess... yeah, horse shit.

And then they played a song with lyrics about how good it is to be American, and serve America, and share your blessings (a clever euphemism for dropping bombs on civilians) and how when the writer died, he hoped they said of him he gave his best to America, or some such tripe.

Sure, share your blessings, but only if they don't go "boom!" Serve God, and pray that when you die, people say "he loved greatly" and then proceed to pray your soul through purgatory as fast as they can. That's what I want said of and done for me. I wouldn't give two Centimes for the sentiments in that song.

It strikes me that America is just a replacement for the Church. The president is the Pope, and Abraham Lincoln was Jesus, the founding fathers were the patriarchs. It's sick, but we are happy this way. So we continue to worship the gods of independence, we stand for their banner and cry at their hymns, and we kill in their name, and our crusades are good, because, you know, it is for us the living.... Because we are the people chosen by God to... I don't know, be... America... fuck yeah.

Home and Homeland

Independence Day was cold. Temperatures in Indiana during the summer run towards an abbreviated version of temperatures in Georgia. It gets nearly as hot, but only for about a month. Not this year. This year the 4^th of July was hoodie weather – sixty degrees and rainy – not that I wore a hoodie; it wouldn’t have been manly. I blame global warming – *ahem* climate change, excuse me – for the bawdy weather (I don’t think weather can be bawdy, but I’m writing what comes to mind tonight).

Anyway, Brian, Diane, Scott and I went out to Tipton for a cookout and some good, wholesome, ill-considered fun. Nothing burned (probably because of the rain) and no one got sent to the hospital. After a good American dinner of hamburgers and bratwursts… err… right, at least the beer was American (which may not be a recommendation, come to think of it), we stomped out into the cloudy, misty evening to commence our own mini-revolution. There were a few burns but nothing glorious enough to impress any ladies with our military courage – the worse luck for us, though as you can see from the picture we certainly weren’t trying to exercise good judgment (yeah, that's a lit bottle rocket in my hand).

The obligatory patriotic radio program accompanied the fireworks display, stirring within me long dormant feelings of awe and majesty and love of the fatherland. Scenes from my childhood, singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” in my cub scout den, being reminded at the Stone Mountain show that “at least I know I’m free” sprang to mind and I joined in the silent reverence for my heimat. Things may not be perfect here, but here is where I am, and for all its shortcomings I’ll give America this: it has some beautiful land. I’ve a new project in mind: whenever I see an American flag, I’m gonna close my eyes and imagine for just an instant that it’s the bonnie blue. Let that lone white star forever stand for freedom amidst a field of pure blue.

On the drive home I turned on “Georgia on My Mind.” I suppose it’s as good a national anthem as any. That lone evening star glows softly over the rolling blue hills in the land that I’ve called home.

Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you

My country? I was born of my mother; I follow in my father’s steps; I love my brothers; I live by the Grace of God. In the Eucharist I am united in Love to my God and His Church. What better country could I ask for?

Anima Christi, sanctifica me.