AC Kleinheider points out two of the more definitive ingrates in the blogosphere, making their opinion known as to Memorial Day, and in their own words, self-righteously ridicule the very concept of patriotism. David Reynolds approvingly quotes Vache Folle

We don’t participate in any patriotic mumbo jumbo on Memorial Day. We’re sorry all those millions died for the state, and we don’t want to encourage anyone else to die by acting as if those combat deaths were anything other than a colossal waste of lives. They all died senseless deaths, and the standard Memorial Day fare is an attempt to make sense of the senselessness and to encourage folks to sign up as cannon fodder. Also, politicians are always involved in the hope of having some of that glorious combat deadness rub off on them.

I have no use for cynics - and particularly, no use for those who believe no one died to give them the unadulterated right to blather nonsense (to borrow a poorly chosen word).

The author of the Vache Foole blog proudly claims to be an anarchist, which is all fine and well, and quite a workable political philosophy once the concept of the state becomes extinct (good luck with that one). The approving quoter notes “Liberty” in his blogline, but seems to care little for what it takes to ensure it. He also sees fit to mock his parent’s observance of Memorial Day because growing up, he didn’t understand it

I am almost ashamed to admit I spent most of the time I was presumably supposed to be reflecting on my grandfather, who died a year before I was born, or my Great Uncle Houston, who I could barely remember, or my Great Aunt Norene, who I never met, or my Uncle George, who was killed in a freak accident when I was a baby, I actually spent pondering whether I would ask for a Hot Fudge Sundae or a Banana Split.

As I grew older, I learned that Memorial Day was actually designed to honor dead war veterans and not dead relatives. I know many of the dead relatives we honored with our visits on Memorial Day were not killed in wars. As a matter of fact, I don’t think any of them were.

Understanding seems to remain elusive.

American military service is one of the most honorable pursuits anyone can undertake. Those who disagree stand on shaky moral ground. Detractors can only find exceptions to well-observed rules when bashing the military of this country, whether that constitutes the trite “supporting the troops but not the mission” line or those such as these bloggers who show outright disdain for those who have fought and died to ensure the continued existence of the United States, who since its inception has been the leading killer of tyrannical regimes across the globe. The numbers freed are staggering.

Unfortunate but scattered mistakes such as My Lai or perhaps Haditha do not cancel this fact out. Why anyone would think it does (or else, more accurately, thinks it should) remains a mystery. At least that’s recognizable as an objection, as weak as it would be. The two links I noted above are conclusionary at best.