Thread by @SeanCasten

A few thoughts on this Memorial Day about patriotism. From the speech I gave this morning in Glen Ellyn here, but in a condensed thread here for you Twitter-philes.
m.facebook.com/castenforcongr…

1/ Memorial Day is a holiday that more than any other, forces us to think about what it means to be patriotic.

2/ First because of it's history. In 1865 African Americans in Charleston SC held the first remembrance of those they lost. A year later, white women in Columbus MS did the same to honor Confederates. The national holiday honoring all war dead didn't come until 1971.

3/ That makes the holiday a perfect metaphor for America's relationship with race. The work of southern blacks, coopted by southern whites and then nationally sanitized.

4/ But at a bigger level, it forces us to ask what it means to be patriotic in a democracy. What is the balance between insisting that our government does the people's bidding, and the the people sacrificing for the greater national good?

5/ The 1865 celebration, and the one we celebrate today is about that exceptional and rare selfless patriotism. Honoring those who sacrificed all of their individual self interests for the collective good.

6/ But the 1866 celebration - and the events of last January 6th - are different. Selfish narcissism, dressed in a patriotic costume. Taking up arms against your government lest the will of a democratic majority prevail.

7/ To be sure, we want a representative government that listens to it's citizens. But as Teddy Roosevelt said "the fundamental rule in our national life is that on the whole, and in the long run, we go up or down together."

8/ In other words, we are e pluribus, but only in the path of creating our unum. We take our greatest pride as a nation in those exceptional moments in our history - like D-Day - when we put that collective good over our individual self-interest.

9/ And we hold in highest esteem those exceptional individuals - from John McCain to John Lewis, to all the fallen soldiers we honor today - who put our national unity over their individual self-interest.

10/ True, selfless patriotism is worthy of our praise precisely because it is so hard. And the events of January 6 make a stronger case than I can here on the importance of being ever-vigilant against it's easy narcissistic opposite.

11/ The men and women we honor today didn't always agree with their government. But they gave everything to preserve it.

12/ And so long as it remains partisan to criticize those who incited, encouraged and participated in the 1/6 attack, the democracy our heroes gave their lives to defend is at risk.

13/ So take some time today to reflect on, and take inspiration from those who had the content of character to sacrifice everything not for themselves, but for these UNITED States.

14/ "It is for us, the living to be dedicated to the unfinished work for which they who fought so nobly advanced." /fin