On Patriotism

Patriotism is the freedom to play John Phillip Sousa's "Washington Post March" in front of Richard Nixon.

[Takes Blinders Off]

I've seen quite a few posts on patriotism today, and a smaller number of posts of bits from patriotic movies.

I'll share mine: "A Bridge too Far," from 1977.

This movie tells the tale of Operation Market-Garden, a battle meant to catapult Allied armies across the Rhine in the Netherlands in preparation for their invasion of Germany.

The film, as the battles it tells, is filled with derring-do, bravery, and the kind of gritty, let's-get-this-done attitude common not only with entertainments based on World War II, but also with much of the war itself.

The screenplay is by William Goldman of "The Princess Bride" fame, based on the 1974 book by Cornelius Ryan. If the book is to be believed, the film is as honest an account as one could hope for. (I've seen the film and read the book, and for the most part, they appear to match.)

It is, at its base, an anti-war film. Because while there's derring-do and bravery, there's plenty of foolishness and hubris, as all wars and tales of war tend to have.

This film is patriotic to me because in it, we see people of many nations, inside armies and out, fighting and dying for a common cause -- a sentiment that's in short supply in our day.

One of the victims -- spoilers ahead -- is the son of one of the Underground leaders in Arnhem, a young boy thrilled at the thought of liberation and freedom at last.

If you're a patriot, if you wish to honor those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy, maybe choose today -- and from today forward -- to fight for a common cause, rather than bicker and complain or put on blinders because not everyone thinks the same thoughts you do.