Al,
I was just butchering a half-assed mounting job putting up a temporary flag pole since it is Tuesday and I am full of hope and optimism seeing some of my neighbors going out and voting for the first time (we just moved here, you know, in July).
Anyway, while I was pounding nails trying to get the thing in place the memory just jumped into my head – It sure struck me then, but I hadn’t thought about it once since – the front room of the house on Encinitas. The Super Bowl is just about to begin. The place is loud with TV sound and people and animals and me yelling at Charlie. I am crouching over the coffee table, back to the set, ‘cause I am trying to get somebody to help me finish out the pool numbers before kickoff.
It is loud.
Being the wonderful inclusive uncle that I am, Kris was my first pick. After all, I am trying to include him and get him to think about things without following my natural tendency to beat him over the head with something heavy and sharp. So I call him first. He is good for about five minutes, which means that he helps me write and fold up the numbers and opens up about three of them. By then he is done and I look up to see an empty spot on the couch.
It is still louder.
Charlie is my next victim. I – did I tell you how great of an uncle I am? – I knew Kris would be of limited service, so I recruited Charlie early to witness and validate the procedure. Trooper that he clearly is – by the way, part of this “thanks note” is about what a nice group you put together. Nice people, one and all – Charlie was living up to his commitment and when Kris bailed Charlie was right there putting up with my nonsense and opening up numbers and calling them out and putting up with my total lack of attention span, ‘cause every few moments I would look up to make sure we hadn’t kicked off yet, and most of those moments got quite long, ‘cause I would watch whatever was on the screen.
Well, during one of those extended moments when I wasn’t yelling something at Charlie he got up for a beer. What? WE HAVEN’T FILLED OUT ALL THE SQUARES!!! This is of paramount importance to me for some reason, and I look around the room for another abuse victim and I see Al saluting the flag.
Chaos and nonsense all around us. A table laden with food. A beautiful house surrounded by new friends on a quiet safe street, and Al remembered something I tend to forget: The anthem is not just something to get past to get to the good stuff, it is the good stuff.
I never got off my knees. I noticed Al standing, hand over heart, and I mimicked, sort-of, a lame, quarter-hearted, first to my head and then to my heart, fumbling, feeling awkward and self-conscious kind of salute for a brief few seconds. Then it was over. I went back to my grid. Thank God, we got the pool finished before kick-off.
I think what stuck with me was the quiet, unassuming nature of Al’s tribute. He didn’t force us all to emulate him, or beat us over the head with it in any way. He didn’t propose a constitutional mandate on behavior ( though there have been worse ideas ). Nothing was said at all. I think maybe that is why it has come to mean so much to me today on election day. (And yes, Al I know you probably won’t be filling out a ballot today. I won’t hold it against you. )
He just quietly stopped what he was doing for a few seconds and showed that he remembered. Gave evidence of knowledge that there are more important things than a football game. That the NFL, and Fox, and Budweiser, and cheerleaders, and even good friends and Butterscotch shooters, don’t mean a damn thing unless we take care of the system that makes it all possible. I can’t think of a thing more important to teach each other than that this country didn’t just drop out of the sky as a gift for us to enjoy.
That right now – all over the world – there are men and women doing their best to protect us from a million threats to our safety. That there are MANY millions of men AND women, who have made huge sacrifices to provide us with the peaceful football rich environment we now enjoy.
And our job is small.
Just remember.
Remember that freedom isn’t free. Lots of blood it took to paint red those stripes. How high of a value do you put on yours?
Remember that the people that did do the job won’t be around forever. Nobody is. And now and again it may come time for each and every one of us to do a little to hold the country together. To each according to his abilities, as the saying goes. Oh my god! I am quoting Marx! “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” Well, what the hell? ‘Cause the way I understand it, this country is about being able to say whatever the hell you want without fear of governmental reprisal.
Sometimes all it takes is a walk down to the polling place. Sometimes you may have to serve on a jury. You may be asked from time to time to keep an eye on one or two of our elected officials and remind them that they are servants put in place to serve us and not the reverse. I would encourage you to consider yourself a soldier right now where you are. A soldier fighting to keep the best parts of this country alive for the next generation; and when you see one of those “best parts” under attack, call out for reserves! If you think it is a bad idea to have 150,000 troops over there in
Maybe that is your part. If you don’t like the president, find someone else more to your liking and vote them in!
Maybe you might even take a young person, new to the idea of voting, and pass along some of your invaluable insights and heavily editorialized opinions. There is no obligation here to be unbiased. By the way, I don’t even think it is possible. All you can do is pass on your own set of filters and biases. And if not being able to be unbiased means you don’t do it at all, you are telling your young audience that both they and the process are not too valuable.
Remember that the world as a whole still watches in awe every four years as we hand over the reigns of power to whoever can get the most of us to pull a lever for them, without guns or bombs or threats; without machetes or axes in the case of Kenyans, and without the implied threat that if the wrong person gets elected, the guys with the guns and the bombs will come along and pick someone else (see Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan).
Remember – oh where is that Spencer Tracy quote from Inherit the Wind? Wait a minute Oh yeah :
Oh crap. I haven’t found it yet. But it is something like: “..bigotry, hatred and ignorance are always hungry….and need feeding!”
So help push back the ignorance a little by sharing what you know with someone who needs to learn.
Of course, one other small way you can carry the weight is by standing up and being silent while they are waving the stars and stripes.
Thanks for reminding me, Al.
