November 11, 2006
One more thing for Veteran's Day...
Thanks to Jay Tea, for bringing this to our attention...
IT IS THE SOLDIER
It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
Poem by Charles Michael Province, U.S. Army
Copyright Charles M. Province, 1970, 2005
All rights reserved.
Nice. I wonder what kind of grade this would have received had it been composed for an undergraduate composition class.
Posted by: Mike Plaiss at November 12, 2006 11:43 AMProbably a D, since it's mawkish and inaccurate. I don't need a soldier to "let" me take advantage of my rights as a citizen.
Posted by: Tony Blare at November 13, 2006 11:36 AMIf you think that, go try "taking advantage" of those rights in North Korea or Cuba or China or Nigeria or Iran.
You are a fool. A pampered and protected fool. You only can enjoy your rights because brave men have fought for them over and over for 200 years.
And you are the innacurate one. The poem does not say soldiers are "letting" you enjoy rights, it says they gave you the rights in the first place.
Posted by: John Weidner at November 13, 2006 12:42 PMWell, I guess that does answer my question since I suspect that most college professors think like Mr. Blare. My own guess is that the student would get an "incomplete" and would be sent to counseling. What a sad state of affairs.
