The street on which I live in Brooklyn is packed with flags (see earlier post), in part because so many firemen live here, most across from our apartment. I have no desire to denigrate anything that those people did for New Yorkers, risking their lives and giving their lives for people they did not know.
But in looking at all of the SUVs in the area that are displaying flags, one popped out today. The small decal on the side of a humongous GM SUV read “American Pride.” I understand union workers displaying such patriotism, or government workers, or many others. But on the side of this SUV, the decal looked like it was manufactured in China, and I realized this: On September 11, 2001, the US was humiliated. We’re all suffering from feeling and sharing that humiliation — the populace is recovering, the President is floundering, the market is squealing, we as individuals are still discussing. I’ve never seen this admitted (by the left or the right). And pride? Pride in failure? We were humiliated – by a bunch of thugs, cowards, and relatively intelligent international structures. It’s painful to say this out loud. I wonder if we all will someday.