Let’s take another look at our posting from the Facetubes yesterday:

My problem with this graphic is not that someone says “Merry Christmas” or “God bless the USA” or any of those other things.  My problem is that the author—and I have to assume anyone who posts it—wants you to think it’s a problem that they say these things.

They are hopping up on that cross to be crucified as martyr patriots when in fact no one is standing by with nails.  Most of the country would in fact agree with the honest sentiments expressed in each of the phrases individually.

But these people are not saying, “Merry Christmas.”  They’re saying, “I say ‘Merry Christmas,’ and that’s the way it’s supposed to be and if you don’t say it too then you are the enemy and I will fight you in the halls of Iwo Jima because you are one of Those People.”

They are declaring their über-patriotic stance as the only permissible and credentialed patriotic stance there can be in these here parts, and the rest of us need to take our nelly sensibilities and just move somewhere else if we don’t love the United States of A as much as they do.  That we might love our country as much—and perhaps differently— is clearly impossibile.  It is a thought-crime as far as they are concerned.  They have suddenly realized that there are 300,000,000 other Americans outside their monkeysphere, and they are freaking the freak out.^[1]

Now I personally do have issues with the political stance behind some of these statements, “We support our troops” in particular.  What does that even mean other than militaristic idolatry?  But again, if these people are honest in their troop supporting, I have no issue with that. It’s when they go berserk with their SUPPORT THE TROOPS while at the same time they vote for people that lie us into wars; when they vote for people that don’t pay for those wars; when they vote for people who don’t provide for our veterans; when they post uninformed graphics about rejecting refugees while we have homeless veterans that need to be taken care of  while not voting to take care of homeless veterans; that’s when I have issues.

And I would be correct.  Politically, ethically, and economically.

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^[1] Am I suggesting that they are hooting and flinging poo?  Why are you even thinking that?