Patriots Day

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A salute to all on Patriots Day, April 19. I understand the movement to proclaim September 11 Patriots (or Patriot’s) Day. Obviously that day is significant in its own right, with many patriotic actions evident in response to the 2001 day’s horrific events. But April 19 to me really belongs to the Patriots. You may have heard of a few little scuffles called Lexington and Concord?

Of course, that led to a conversation at work this morning about the Oklahoma City bombings and the FBI siege climax in Waco, both on April 19, and the Columbine massacre, April 20. What is it about this time of year?

Which then led to a question, are one man’s patriots another man’s terrorists? Did the British think of the Minute Men as we would think of terrorists today?

Somehow, I think not. It seems to me standing up for one’s liberty and personal freedoms against the military representatives of a secular government it deems unjust is significantly different than killing men, women and children because your god told you to. Grossly oversimplistic, I know, but, to wit: the belligerents of 237 years ago have long since let bygones be bygones and become the strongest of allies, much to our mutual benefit. I really don’t see the same happening with the current antagonists in the upcoming decades. Millennia, maybe. Not decades, or even centuries.

As for the domestic incidents, I can’t explain beyond something just wasn’t right in their heads and they could not adapt to accepted norms. Certainly none of them inspired any sort of significant support like 1775, leaving them at the fringe of civilized society.

Let’s just get through the day.