How to tell a story

How to tell a story

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Cultural immorality

I grew up a Navy brat, in a military career environment. This gives me a different perspective, I think, than a lot of lefties without this experience. At the same time, my father was not a typical lifer. He once told me if he were Chinese, he'd be a communist; he'd seen the alternative as a young sailor (he lied about his age to join and escape a New Jersey mill town) sailing the China seas. After deciding to go for 30, he resigned his commission in 1948 over an incident in Guam he considered racist (it clearly was). He was anti-war: because he'd been in one.

In this context, I believe we do nothing more morally obscene than betray our veterans. It is appalling and gives us no right to claim moral authority about anything.