i wish this was a joke: "another Padme moment"

[trochee]

"The Congress, by Public Law 85-529, as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as Loyalty Day. This Loyalty Day, and throughout the year, I ask all Americans to join me in reaffirming our allegiance to our Nation." - GEORGE W. BUSH, April 30, 2007. link

In the rest of the world, it's called "labor International Worker's Day" [or some translation thereof], or Beltane, both of which honor people, not some abstract (and oddly capitalized) "Nation".

the second half of the title refers to this observation from drshorn. Story discovered via BoingBoing, though their page on it seems to have been taken down.

Comments

[quantumkitty.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I have no words.

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

YOU DO NOT TURN INTERNATIONAL WORKERS DAY INTO LOYALTY DAY.
NO, BUSH , YOU DO NOT.
I DID NOT SEE THIS POST.

[congogirl.livejournal.com]

Amen, sister.

Glad I didn't read about this till May 2.

[drshorn.livejournal.com]

This has got to be a cruel joke. There is no chance in HELL this administration will get away with mandating loyalty on ANY day. I'm going to go find out. . .

[trochee.livejournal.com]

I hope you're right but I don't have much faith.

[drshorn.livejournal.com]

Well finding out wasn't hard, and although it is sadly all true at least this isn't something 'W' came up with. Congress and Eisenhower did in 1958. Bush merely spoke of it, as past presidents have done.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty_Day

Weird that I got to be 44 years old, the whole time in this country, and never heard of this till now.

[champignon.livejournal.com]

unbelievable.

uh, all hail the Homeland, or something.

so creepy.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

yeah. I'm torn between befuddlement and rage and despair. "loyalty day". how about "week of blind obedience" as well?

I admire only some parts of my nation's myth, and I am terrified of the mythmakers.

[apollinax.livejournal.com]

Well, it looks like it originated at the end of the second Red Scare.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

indeed.

that doesn't make it okay, of course. The Wikipedia entry for Loyalty Day notes previous presidents' proclamations; it's interesting to note that only Truman and Nixon are absent.

[outintexas.livejournal.com]

Someone obviously doesn't understand that loyalty is earned, not given blindly. Of course, that same someone doesn't understand a whole LOT of things.

[q-pheevr.livejournal.com]

I demonstrate my loyalty to the United States of America by honouring the treaties to which it is a signatory, and by not attempting to undermine its system of representative demoncracy, or the civil liberties that it has traditionally cherished. Mr. Bush obviously has a different approach.