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Articles
Wearing
The Colors Proudly
by Jason Kelly
9/16/2001
My city
has turned red, white, and blue. The American flag flies from
cars, fences, businesses, and homes. The fire hydrants along
Hollywood Boulevard were painted red, white, and blue. People
are wearing pins, t-shirts, and hats proudly proclaiming their
support for the nation.
I'm doing
the same at my house. I bought tall, storm glass candles --
one red, one white, and one blue -- and set them atop a covered
box on my sidewalk. The flag rises at an angle from the back
of the box. I light the candles at night and leave them reflecting
sunlight during the day.
On Tuesday,
I leave for a ten-day tour of Europe to visit my
publisher in London and then stop in Paris, Florence,
and Rome before returning home. I planned this trip with an
American friend more than six months ago.
My friend,
who is already in Ireland, called today to tell me that Europe
is going insane. People are afraid the Chunnel is going to
be next. The airports are crawling with security. Because
our entire trip involves planes, trains, and automobiles,
the targets of choice for terrorists worldwide, he suggested
that we cancel.
I said
I'm ready to go. More than just ready to go, I'm eager to
go. Today I shopped the tourist section of Hollywood Boulevard
to buy American trinkets for my trip. I have a flag keychain,
reflective flag stickers for each side of my briefcase, four
t-shirts with the flag and "USA" on the front, and a flag
ribbon lapel pin to wear on my suit. I want the world to see
that I'm proud to be an American and that our people will
not be terrorized.
"I'm
not especially interested in making ourselves targets," my
friend said. There wasn't panic in his voice, just a hesitance.
He told me that he will not be wearing red, white, and blue.
What's more, he won't even use his American passport. He'll
opt for the Irish one.
He went
on to describe the number of terrorist cells authorities have
uncovered throughout Europe. "Don't you think this is a prime
time for them to stage an attack?" he asked me. "Think about
it. If you're a terrorist group with a three-year plan, wouldn't
you pick up the pace if you knew the U.S. was launching an
all-out war?"
"I don't
know," I replied. "Maybe they'll lie low until the Americans
have vented their rage on the mountains of Afghanistan, killed
bin Laden, and gone back to their sitcoms and Twinkies. Then
they'll unleash hell on the West again. I have no idea what
they'll do. One thing I do know is that security has never
been on higher alert than it is right now. The chances of
a terrorist being caught this week are better than they were
a week ago."
We decided
in the end to take our trip as planned, but with an escape
clause. If things become life-threatening, we'll catch the
next plane home. We will meet in London and go one day at
a time from there.
I anticipate
continuing with our itinerary, but I agreed to the change
of course if it gets ugly. It would have to get very ugly
for me to exercise the escape clause. I resist changing my
life for what President Bush called a "tinhorn terrorist."
Bin Laden and his ilk are hoping that we cancel travel plans,
sell our stocks, hide in our homes, and stop enforcing our
foreign policies.
I won't
do it. I had plans before the tinhorn terrorist killed my
countrymen. In their honor and in honor of every person who
has ever shed blood for these fifty states, I will stand tall
in Europe as an American.
And I
will wear our colors proudly while I'm there. When I return
to the red, white, and blue in Los Angeles, I will know that
a small piece of that tapestry accompanied me through another
part of the civilized world, where other nations saw that
Americans are not afraid.
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