Jackson Free Press

It's hard to remain calm in war. It evokes something within each of us that pulls at our very core. Crying mothers of soldiers, the piles of body bags in full color, and the posting of the guard do not allow room for indifference or stoicism. Beginning in 1776, war and fighting were rooted in a moral purpose where each American defended their actions through the higher purpose for which we all knew that we were fighting. "God Bless America" and "Support Our Troops" were not attached to the back of buggies back then, but rather singed on our hearts and in our minds. We knew that our fight was the good fight, and so each tear was never shed in vain.

In the 1960s, that all began to change. Vietnam forever altered our outlook on war. Never before had Americans been sent off to fight for something where we had no purpose, no options and no hope for success. Protesters took to the streets, burned flags and some went so far as self-immolation in front of the Pentagon. It was a defining moment in American history that set in motion the political cracks that exist today. A nation united in times of aggression and with a fundamental trust in government we no longer were. In fact, it seemed as though we could not trust each other, as well.

History has a way of repeating itself, and so it seems to be doing today. There is a deep churning beneath the surface of Americans growing tense—like before—with a war without much purpose, without many options and little hope of success. Americans trusted their president and their elected officials—like they did 40 years ago—and we went to war with a government that maintained large stockpiles of weapons and a menacing leader at the helm—$200 billion spent, over a thousand lives lost, and two years later we find ourselves without the weapons that predicated this war.

So the Bush administration has changed its tune from a war to diffuse a threat to that of a humanitarian mission under the guise of values and morality. Yet, many Americans do not—or should not—see this as the case. We are facing a moral crisis with the Darfurian genocide in Sudan, millions are oppressed under a North Korean regime that has presently declared its development of a nuclear bomb, and we are losing more lives in a year to poverty and AIDS than we can truly count. And this administration, like its predecessors, is appealing to America's sense of morality in its justification of this war. Appealing to values by an administration that flagrantly ignores human crises across the globe seems more like a pretext of justification than a clear answer. Common sense tells us that.

Yet, many Americans are flying their flags, attaching their "Support Our Troops" and "God Bless America" magnets, after having been lied to for the past several years. Why is this? Many Americans suffer from cognitive dissonance when it comes to patriotism. We do not want to hear, and we will not accept that our government is lying to us. And many of us refuse to believe that our daughters and sons are being sent to fight a war that is, at its very core, irresponsible and immoral.

But, we should not accept this line of reasoning. We cannot live our lives in the dark in order to avoid what we know to be true. Would it be acceptable to ignore the infidelities of a cheating partner or a disobedient child? Of course not; we expect and demand better. After all, values require actually having values, right? And so, we must hold this administration accountable for lies it is proffering at the expense of every American.

We cannot ignorantly hold the flag without adequately questioning those who govern under it. Many Americans often confuse questioning with anti-Americanism—but isn't the foundation of patriotism to ask the important questions that will lead us to a better democracy? I think so, but the truth can be disconcerting—a realization that we might be wrong about the truths that we have held so dear for so long. But, we must bear the torch of wisdom and enlightenment and not curse the darkness in tough times. We have been given an over-arching purpose of not blindly playing the part, of not blindly following one man, but of seeking the right answer to solve the problems that hold us captive from the American dream fought with the blood of many lives and much suffering.

The problem of patriotism, then, does not lie in failing to support America—we all support America. It lies in whether we should blindly support our country in light of a morally bankrupt chief executive. The answer is, or course, very clear. Patriotism is not political; it is national. So, my allegiance and so should all of ours lies with America, and not with George W. Bush.

Millsaps senior John Sawyer plans to enter the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in the fall to become a Roman Catholic priest dedicated to social justice concerns.

Previous Comments

ID

69685

Comment

Many just don't invest much time in these issues, and don't see it as something that is as relevant as other issues in the public realm, or the spiritual reality of oneness. And let me suggest that that might be, well, OK!!! The problem with politics is that, unlike in the ancient world, it is the study of unreality, because it so spurns the individual. Issues like oppression in North Korea, or the Dar-Fur situation, these things have nothing to do, or are extremely disconnected, with my individual being. I want to help, and I feel the plight of the disadvantaged, but I'd much rather give one dollar to one homeless man on State St.--my feelings there can actually help someone. The closest to the individual, including the individual him/herself, is where the charity needs to be displayed first, and better than that, anonymously. Most of the rest of it is the 'other', and we are ignorant to that, whether we're 'trying' to help or not. Buy me my plane ticket and sustenance for three months, and I'll get involved authentically after May 9. Until then, I refuse to feel bad about my helplessness with respect to the bad acts of man; I'll prefer to feel bad about my helplessness in transgressing God's will. It makes one wonder why none of the statements trying to get people to come to the Dar-Fur talk actually emphasized what we could do in the situation, they just iterated that that 'what' actually existed--shouldn't the content of 'what we could do' have been in the emails, instead of statistics about what actually is happening? If the emails had said "At this Dar-Fur talk, we will stop the killing of x person by y means", and y means were legitimate, and x person or persons definable, I might have felt it merited attendance. Other than that, it's pointless sentiment, and not salvific action, salvific in this life, or in the next. - Kevin Maguire

Author

Kevin J. Maguire

Date

2005-02-18T10:52:29-06:00

ID

69686

Comment

We cannot ignorantly hold the flag without adequately questioning those who govern under it. Many Americans often confuse questioning with anti-Americanismóbut isnít the foundation of patriotism to ask the important questions that will lead us to a better democracy? Exactly. Or as it has been put in one of my favorite misused quotations: My country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right. When wrong, to be put right. Best, Tim

Author

Tim Kynerd

Date

2005-02-21T05:00:21-06:00

ID

69687

Comment

Thank you, John, for putting eloquent words to feelings and thoughts I too have shared. I have joked that I would like to create a ribbon magnet bearing the message "Empty Gesture" in reaction to the car magnet craze. Though perhaps not as funny as the sticker idea, your essay expresses this sentiment in a much more intelligent and compassionate manner. I am very pleased to see someone like you with plans to become a Jesuit. Perhaps one day you can return to the Jackson diocese and help us out with this priest shortage. We could use some pastors who think --and act-- like you.

Author

original sinema

Date

2005-02-23T09:51:03-06:00

ID

69688

Comment

thanks so much! your words are much appreciated!

Author

John Sawyer

Date

2005-02-24T10:44:19-06:00