I’m in Washington DC still (I’ve been here most of the week for a business conference). Yesterday was the day of the American flag. You can see flag-waving everywhere these days. Americans do focus on the accoutrements of democracy rather than making sure we have a healthy democracy with active citizen participation (e.g., consider our pathetic voter turnouts compared to many other countries).
We obsess about flags instead of getting our citizens involved in their government. Our persistent failure to correct this situation is mind-numbing. It’s like being a baseball player at bat in the 9th inning. He could tie the game with one swing of the bat, but strikes out. Instead of focusing on putting the wood of the bat on the ball, he’s obsessing about drinking champaign and having his photo in tomorrow’s newspaper. He’s spending his energy at the wrong level. The waving of American flags is like thinking of drinking champaign while at bat. By waving flags instead of educating and empowering the People, we’re waiving real democracy.
For a strong democracy we need fewer flags, fewer Pledges of Allegiance and a lot more participation by informed citizens. This would start with an active and vigorous media. It would also involve cultivating citizens who cared enough to make sure that they are informed. These problems relate, of course. We need to public financing of political campaigns so that we could have honest conversations with our elected officials. We are failing Democracy in so many ways in the U.S. . . .
Yesterday was also the 25th Anniversary of the Vietnam Memorial. The Wall is an exquisite piece of architecture that honors an unfortunately large number of valiant soldiers. I never served, though I might have, had the war dragged on. I registered for the draft in 1974 with a lottery number of 50. Back then, I was the kind of young man who would have just done what they told me to do (especially under the threat of prison). Many of those dead soldiers did what they were told too. Instead of living lives today, they are names on a Wall.
Yesterday, I also saw a parade honoring the Vietnam War itself. This proud celebration disoriented me. This was especially because the war was characterized as an effort to preserve “freedom” (sound familiar?).
Vietnam was a war that we lost. We removed our troops and the “enemy” took over. Now that we’ve been gone for awhile, however, peace reigns in Vietnam, which has become a respected trading partner of the U.S. I know families who have traveled to Vietnam to adopt Vietnamese orphans. I know of people who have traveled to Vietnam as tourists to admire the natural beauty. Isn’t it funny how it all got so much better after the U.S. stopped meddling?
But don’t tell this to the families of all the soldiers who died. I wouldn’t have the heart to say such things, though they are apparent to me. Yesterday, many of those families showed up for the reading of the names of tens of thousands of dead soldiers. They read about a dozen names per minute. It probably took 50 hours to read all the names. It was a somber and emotionally moving ceremony. Attending were many Vietnam vets, many of whom were happy to see each other. Many of them were trading stories of the many good times they had serving together (based on the smattering of conversations I overhead). I felt proud of them and their efforts, given the difficult situation imposed upon them.
But I just can’t get over that U.S. policy regarding Vietnam was a big mistake and that it was a hugely costly mistake. It’s all very sad to me. Perhaps this explains why I am disoriented by those who still think of that war as justified.
I took one final photo at the Wall while listening to the names being read. I wondered what the soldier statues would be thinking about the Vietnam War. And what would they think about all of the happy U.S. flag waving that spurs on current U.S. policy in the Middle East?
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