Perverting history

As is to be expected in this era of forced patriotism and blind support of the military, NASCAR has forgotten what Memorial Day is supposed to be about. This weekend, NASCAR competitors will run with tires that say "Support Our Troops" instead of "Eagle." However, since this is all about the advertising, they will still say "Goodyear."

Need I remind anyone that the point of Memorial Day is to remember those who have fallen in service to their country (or corporate overlords as the case may be), not to go all RAH! RAH! for the military.

Memorial Day began as Decoration Day in the late-1860's -- a day to remember those who died in the Union cause during the Civil War. It remained a day of remembrance for the Civil War up until the time the US got involved in World War I - a war fought among European colonial powers. It became a federal holiday in 1971.

But, as they say in wrestling, going all pro-military is cheap heat for NASCAR and its reactionary supporters. And to further pervert the original meaning of the day, I guarantee you that there will be confederate flags on poles and t-shirts all around Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Of course, in fairness, Major League Baseball isn't much better in "celebrating" Memorial Day by having teams wear uniforms with camouflage script.

In memoriam

As Uniwatch blogger Paul Lukas points out, Memorial Day is a day to remember those who died in service to our country - it's not a day to celebrate the military. Major League Baseball gets it wrong every year by having teams wear camouflage uniforms and caps. Why not just take a minute before the game and have a moment of silence in remembrance?

No, you can't market that and you can't sell any more crap doing that - but that's what today is all about. Memorial Day was born of the carnage that was the Civil War. There is nothing glamorous about it.

So today I remember my dad's uncle, Robert Kennedy, of Calhoun City, Mississippi who died too young in the Korean War.

Happy Memorial Day

While the official purpose of Memorial Day to to honor those who gave their lives on battlefields around the world in the name of freedom and liberty, there are another group of men and women who should be honored. As my colleague Troy McKinney pointed out today, I also salute my brethren in arms, those men and women who walk into courtrooms across this country every day armed with nothing but the Constitution.

Here's to the defenders of liberty who fight the unpopular fight for the downtrodden and despised despite the obstacles thrown in their way at every step.