Fighting the Current

Friday the 13th

Yesterday I was a little bit surprised (although maybe I shouldn't have been) at how few people still had the flag paraphernalia prominantly displayed. One day after the anniversary, and it's almost like it never happened. A good friend of mine quoted something yesterday with the phrase, "Bandwagon patriot after Septmber 11". How true that is of so many people....

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country... Yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value."
- Thomas Paine, The Crisis, No. 1

No, I did not just quote that entire thing off the top of my head. I'm not that good at quoting. I only knew the first sentence. It seems so true even now.

I have to write a paper this weekend comparing the values and character traits shown by Revolutionary War patriots and the those shown by the American people on and after September 11. I have only the vaguest idea of what I'm going to write. I hate it when teachers make broad generalizations.... "NONE of you pay any attention to the news..." "NONE of you has any idea what's going on..." "You need to read things other than TEEN MAGAZINES..."

I dunno, it's just been a rough week. I can't imagine what it would have been like had I known someone who died... I know of a lot of people who know someone who did though... And several who almost did. If it had happened three months earlier, I might have lost a family friend. I think she may have lost some friends there though.

In history today, the question was brought up on whether September 11 should be made into a movie. That would be horrible. They're still showing the cold slaughter of 3000 people on the television.... Now imagine that fictionalized....

And now for an abrupt subject change:

I have a really good idea for a story I want to work on. It's SF--I haven't done real SF in a long time. I need an ending for it though.

I worked on my room a bit today... And I actually should be getting back to it. It's just one of those mind-numbing exercises. I only started because I was looking for something, but it sort of got out of hand.

End subject change.

::sigh::

I admit that the US is flawed, but it is probably the best that can be done. The founders really did not know that it would be able to last this long. It's one of the greatest gambles in history. They succeeding in obtaining democracy, and in giving the people rights they deserve. Freedom of speech, the press, religion, assembly... etc.

I know a lot of people still take those things for granted, even after the rights have been threatened. We are able to talk about whatever-the-hell we want, and most of us use it. And I can assure you that so many people still don't think about that. It's an incredible right if you look at what people throughout history have had. The others as well. Still elsewhere other people still cannot say what they want---whether officially or just implied by punishment.

But the good things have to end at some point, don't they? Rome was the greatest Western empire for 500 years and that fell. But the circumstances were completely different, weren't they? They had a government unfit for the size of the governed area, too many people to keep happy and little communication. They had a sole leader, a monarchy, and a puppet senate. They had encroaching and rebelling peoples in and around their lands. But it still lasted 500 years. That's pretty much the commonly accepted length of time a government can function... But with everything seeming to move so quickly nowadays (eg. how long did the Gulf War last?....) is our time being truncated?

I am so tired. It's only 8 o'clock...

Dinner is here. I have to go.