Writes Greg Privette:

Lew,

I had seen news headlines of the planned military parade and today I read the LRC article by Karen Kwiatkowski.

Every time I watch sporting events and see the honor guards or fly overs and such it brings to mind the same thought. I remember as a kid watching the news videos or looking at newspaper photos of the military parades in the Soviet Union with the Soviet Premier solemnly watching. We tended to laugh at and ridicule these displays as a sign of a totalitarian regime. The last few years as I watched our own military displays at sporting events I have often thought we are becoming what we once ridiculed. Then I would decide at least it wasn’t quite as bad since these displays were minor parts of a bigger event and not just tanks and missile trucks parading past the president.

I relate this to something I read a few years back that was either written by or a quote repeated by an LRC contributor. It said something to the effect that Liberty took a big hit when the money changed from displaying images of generic things like Lady Liberty, or Indian heads, buffalos, etc. to having images of dead presidents. They pointed out the final death of Liberty is marked by the money changing from displaying images of dead presidents to the image of the current one.

By comparison I think the displays at sporting events reflect a decline in Liberty. Now I think the overt parade is the equivalent of having the image of the current president on the money. We have truly now become what we once openly ridiculed.