Change even the Obamas can’t force

Even with the shock-a-day style of the Obama administration, the “change” Barack Obama craves most is too slow in coming. In the last week alone, America--already suffering mass job loss--was hit with a deadly flu, contagion potential of which is still unknown, and a little low flyby past Manhattan skyscrapers complete with “It was only a photo-op” alibi. It’s almost as if Obama gets off on being President Boogeyman.

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With a lapdog mainstream media reporting the bizarre as if it’s normal and all the pins in the Big O’s Bowling Alley, the kind of change Obama wants is not coming fast enough. It must truly rankle “The Messiah” that somewhere out there across the fruited plain, there are 55 million Americans who did not buy into his cult; it must rankle that no matter how hard Homeland Security tries, returning war vets are heros and not the right-wing extremists of Janet Napolitano’s making. Obama the Magnificent showed only a crass politician’s fear of one million Tea Party participants when he tried to mock them on public television, which opened the way for humour. While the vampires of imagination can be chased away with the sign of the Cross or garlic, all one has to do to get a rise out of the latest American president is to wave a tea bag in front of him. Even with power to spare, there are some things Obama can’t change. Every day Reveille is the signal for the start of the official duty day in hundreds of military bases across the land. “Because the time for the start of the duty day varies between bases, the commander designates the specified time for reveille. ([url=http://www.about.com]http://www.about.com[/url] US Military). “If the commander desires, a reveille ceremony may accompany the raising of the flag. This ceremony takes place in the vicinity of the base flagstaff and is held after sunrise.

“Shortly before the specified time for reveille, troops are marched to a predesignated position near the base flagstaff, halted, faced toward the flagstaff, and dressed. The flag security detail arrives at the flagstaff at this time and remains at attention. “The Unit commander commands Parade Rest. “”At the specified time for reveille, the unit commander commands Sound Reveille. The flag detail assumes the position of attention, moves to the flagstaff, and attaches the flag to the halyards. “After reveille has been played, the unit commander commands Squadron Attention and Present Arms. On this signal, the national anthem or To the Colors is sounded. “On the first note of the national anthem or To the Colors, the flag security detail begins to raise the flag briskly. The senior member of the detail holds the flag to keep it from touching the ground. “The Unit commander holds the salute until the last note of the music is played. Then he or she faces about, and commands Order, Arms. The troops are then marched back to the dismissal area.”

This is America and not even a president who travels the world to apologize for America can change it. Reveille is observed daily at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and, in fact at military bases in other countries. At Walter Reed, heros recuperating from the most painful and horrific wounds during duty protecting the freedom of others, look at the flag with unshakeable pride. My most memorable moment of a lifetime came when standing for Reveille with Move America Forward’s Melanie Morgan and a young soldier who lost both legs in Iraq in front of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in September of 2007. I never witnessed such sincere pride as I did in looking at that soldier’s eyes. Even young soldiers who paid fighting for freedom with their limbs do not feel that there is anything to apologize for about America. In spite of unrelenting attacks on Christianity, untold numbers of children end their day at their bedsides reciting the prayer Jesus Christ taught us to say, the Our Father. Even a president willing to tear up the American Constitution cannot change that. This, too is America. There are some changes that cannot be made by whomever’s in the White House. Some things never change.

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