Things Look This Way to Me

Editorial by J.B. McKinley

On the Home Front

Things aren’t so bad around Lamoille County. As we pass the summer landmark that is the Fourth of July, we see new construction on houses near home, long awaited re-construction on our highways, and beautification efforts in several our towns. If you look around as you drive to the grocery store, you are likely to see a new roof being laid down at the neighbor’s, someone else has fixed some split or rotten clapboards or maybe they are getting new energy efficient windows installed. All these are signs that the economic times – despite whatever you may be hearing – are not so bad.

The sleeping dog behind all the pretty darn good news is the fact that we, as a country, are at war. It’s hard to imagine carrying on a war that would have less impact than this one on us. Of course, that’s not true of soldiers’ families; they are certainly feeling the impact of our Global War on Terror. But has their situation been felt by you? How is the situation in Iraq affecting you?

Remembering the Vietnam “conflict,” I remember that the economic times weren’t too bad then, either. Still, the war eventually made itself felt at home. Though we never had our towns napalmed, nor were we sent to re-education camps, our government’s decisions about Vietnam ultimately had citizens in the street. Vietnam left its mark on us. This editorial is proof that it left its mark on me. It’s decidely frustrating to feel powerless to affect our government yet again. Has our government lost its connection to its citizens?

 It’s not the purpose of this editorial to be depressing, but immediately after the July 4 holiday, when we have celebrated our nation’s achievements under our unique form of goverment, it might be good to consider how we’d like our children to remember the happenings of our times. Will we remember our intervention in Iraq with pride? Will historians deem this war as having been necessary to preserve our country’s liberty? Are our personal liberties here at home being eroded under cover of the fear of  global terrorism?

I don’t have answers to these questions, but I am thinking about them as I put new shingles on my house, take home my paycheck, and prepare for another year’s bill at the IRS. Why shouldn’t I think of these things, I’m paying for them.