Stand. But Do Not Deliver

Did Private Smucatelli die for America's sins?

I don't think so. Let's stop making our servicemen so Christ-like. People of the overly-patriotic persuasion spend a great deal of time delineating why our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines die and it's usually for "freedom". That's a little broad but it's often broken down into individual, personal freedoms that generally fit someone's personal political agenda. Sometimes it's used to declare something they did not die for, like the *right* for transgendered persons to use the bathroom not designated at their birth. Evidently, no serviceman or woman ever took a round for that.

This recent business with Colin Kaepernick and his refusal to stand for the National Anthem is just the latest in a never-ending series of affronts by Americans to other Americans over individual and/or group freedoms. I'm not offended by what he did- or didn't do. I understand why he did it. But, that's because I choose to understand. Many people don't.

In my old age I'm learning to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. Set your own temperature in life. Don't be the thermometer that heats up or cools down according to other people's climate.

Kaepernick fired up a lot of people with his refusal and his explanation. America is leading the league in people who want to be offended. We have an entire internet built upon it. You certainly have a right to be offended by Kaepernick. The thing is, no one died for that right.

That's not the way war or death works. It just isn't.

Nobody ever died so- for example- Goddamned hippies could smoke marijuana and wear the flag on their ass! That just never happened, despite what you may have heard.

There are a lot of reasons to go to war but, the number one reason is always money. That's the one they never talk about but, it is the usual reason and has been throughout history. A country wants land. It wants power. Certain people profit from this and, thus, we have war.

Nothing is more Monday-morning quarterbacked than war and death. It trivializes a man's death on a beach in France or a mountain in Afghanistan to say he "died for freedom" so don't worsen it by claiming he died for any particular freedom, right, or cause. What about civilian deaths in war? Did each man, woman and child die so they could be free? Or so that Americans could be free or to vote or whatever?

Most of the people condemning Kaepernick for not standing, take war sitting down. The same folks who think that America is not currently great, take umbrage with his perceived un-American stance. That's some fine irony there. They might not even think any American soldier ever died for civil rights. War is a cafeteria of  reasons and excuses and some folks go back for seconds and thirds of what they like best. That's the way they are.

Stand for the anthem. Or, don't. It doesn't matter to me. Just don't drag the death of Private Smucatelli into it or into any political agenda you might have. The fictitious Private Smucatelli died in war for his own reasons- not yours. Good Lord- as he lay there on the beach or in the jungle, trying to hold in his guts while gasping for his last breath, do you think he thought at all about your frivolous rights or sentiments? I think he only asked himself "Why?" He may or may not know. You never will.