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Remember our collective failures this Memorial Day

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It seems trite to start a column about Memorial Day with a phrase like "This Monday is Memorial Day, a time we use to remember

the fallen soldiers..." blah, blah, blah. Yes, it's true but using an off-the-shelf lead doesn't really convey the signifi-cance of this Monday.

Part of my feelings stem from the fact that numbers of us don't observe Memorial Day for what it is,

a day named Decoration Day to honor Civil War dead from both

s ides but expanded after World war I to include all wars.

It's billed as the start of the summer driving season, an ex-tended three-day weekend we've earned through hard work. If the weather's nice we're told to get

out and play or do those needed outdoor chores.

Many of us will fly our flags Monday. Some may visit loved

ones at local cemeteries, whether they fought and died in war or just

served in the military, or are sim-ply a loved one missed greatly. There will be parades, band

concerts with patriotic music. Mostly there will be remembrance

ceremonies with tributes paid to the history of the day, reading of poems and speeches.

Some of them will be good, thoughtful and poignant speeches.

Others will be of the chest pumping,"fought and died to make America great and free" variety.

I am not going to cast aspersions on the motives of those who serve. They serve because they believe in America's promise of freedom. They serve to protect families and friends from those who would seek to destroy those freedoms.

That's why my dad fought in World War II, his dad in World War II and World War I, and a great-great-grandfather who fought for the Union in the Civil War. But while remembering the fallen we should really be remembering why they had to put their lives on the line in battle in the first place.

War is a failure. It's a failure on our part. It's a failure to understand and admit that we all play a part in how things work in this world - yes, a small part - and that collectively we bear responsibility for hostilities.

I know this isn't a popular stance to take: that somehow our actions or the actions we condone via support of various politicians, bureaucrats, political ideologies, religious ideologies, etc. might spur others to violence against us as a recourse to get us to stop whatever we're doing, or change our minds about doing it.

I mean surely you don't believe that people fly planes into buildings simply because they're envious of our cable TV do you?

We are a proud people who

always believe we are correct and serve a righteous cause. Humility is not an American strong suit.

Yes, there are such things as just wars. The Civil War was fought to free people from bondage. World War II was waged to stop the atrocity of genocide, even though that's happened since in numerous places where we haven't lifted a finger to stop it.

But even those examples stemmed from earlier failures. The Founding Fathers could have done something about slavery in the late 1790s, but passed it on to** later generations.

People knew about Adolf Hitler's feelings towards and persecutions of ethnic minorities began long before he invaded Poland. Instead, European powers signed a treaty.

The history is out there for those who wish to read and learn, but Americans seem to not want to be counted among those doing so. It's time we did.

Instead of pumping our chests and extolling American values and pride, this Memorial Day, pause a moment and remember the circumstances under which many of these wars began. Let's resolve to be more vigilant in our lifetimes, to be more questioning of our government and forceful about our desire for peace with others.

Not at any cost, but at something less than the cost of human lives. It's the least we can do for the fallen remembered on Monday.



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© 2011 Cheney Free Press Cheney, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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