American Jingoism on Memorial Day

How often have we been told that when

fascism comes to the US it will be wrapped

in the American flag and spouting

patriotic slogans and speeches?

Jingoism is so much a part of the ruling ideology

that few recognise its kinship with fascism

Jingoism masquerades as patriotism

to glorify the military and war,

thinking violence is the way to accomplish its goals

It fosters a cult of death

(it is heroic to die for the fatherland)

It thinks attacking other peoples

and nations is just fine

How fitting and how vulgar that as Amerika celebrates the wars and war heroes of its past, the U.$. military is pursuing two open wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We should take this day of remembrance to renew our solidarity with the international proletariat, and to strengthen our resolve in opposition to the ongoing imperialist war against the oppressed nations.

Organizing from within imperialist borders, it is our responsibility to expose the undeclared wars that make Amerikan imperialism the number one threat to the survival of this planet and its people.

Because we work in the countries whose citizens live as parasites off the labor of the neo-colonies, we must also take care to expose the culture of militarism within the oppressor nations.

We may mourn the loss of all lives that have been taken in the service of perpetuating Amerika's and its imperialist allies' hegemony over the oppressed nations.

But we cannot ignore the fact that in this country the majority mourn their war dead while uncritically celebrating the militarism that caused their deaths.

We Take a Break for Memorial Day Commercisls

This coming Memorial many will take the opportunity to voice their disapproval of the War in Iraq.

Lost in the shouting of anti-war slogans and sardonic cries of patriotism will be the meaning of Memorial Day.

Lost in the day will be the countless stories that Veterans from other wars have to share with us.

Lost in the day will be those protesters pausing for a moment of thanksgiving that America’s soldiers, Seaman, Airmen and Marines have afforded them the freedom to protest. Finally, lost in this most important of days is the reason for Memorial Day.

Memorial Day, originally called, “Decoration Day,” is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.

Though there are many variations as to its actual beginnings, there is evidence that this holiday was celebrated as far back as the Civil War when women’s groups in the South decorated the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers.

Tiny flags flutter atop a million graves, a firing squad’s salute shatters a hushed silence, the mournful notes of a bugler’s “Taps” linger in the stillness and tears well up in America’s eyes.

Old pains throb anew as cemetery rituals, familiar though they have become in annual Memorial Day repetitions for more than a hundred years, again unleash a torrent of timeless memories.

The parish priest at the front door clutching a yellow Western Union envelope, the telegram’s fateful words, “The War Department regrets to inform you ..."

The heart-wrenching realization that great aspirations and expectations would go unfulfilled — the unspeakable anguish, the inconsolable grief, the harsh reality of knowing that a life has ended while still in the sunlit springtime of its youth.

For countless American families, it all comes back every Memorial Day, as it will again next week. Time eases the pain, but haunting memories endure.

And the flags and marching bands, the orators and the military ceremonies reassure us annually that the nation never will forget Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Chateau Thierry, Iwo Jima, Monte Cassino, Omaha Beach, Pusan, Hanoi, Baghdad and altogether too many other bloody battlefields.

Memorial Day observances, then, would seem to be solemn occasions as they recall the valor of America’s fighting forces, the selfless sacrifices of young men leaving families, schools and jobs to march off to strange places, places they never heard of, places where people they never knew shot at them.

Somehow, amidst the gravity of the day’s purpose, all of the gaiety and festivities — kids with balloons and flags, marching bands, crowds skipping the cemetery exercises so they could get to their family outings, ballgames and golf courses — seem incongruous, bristling with insensitivity to those whose painful memories have been rekindled.

But not all Memorial Day emotions are shrouded in sorrow. There are happy memories of those loved ones who did not return from battle and there is a real sense of pride in knowing that they had played such vital and unselfish roles in preserving a way of life unparalleled in this history of mankind, a way of life that is still the envy of the world.

More, the sacrifices our fallen warriors had made are a reaffirmation of the high value they had placed on America’s cherished democracy. Memorial Day recalls that validation for us and we are grateful for the reminder.