The other day on the freeway, I saw a bumper sticker that read, “If you love your freedom, thank a vet.” This thought never occurred to me, thanking someone else for my freedom. But, hey, what a great idea. The notion that I alone am no longer Master of the Universe certainly relieves me of quite a burden.

Having lived so long so freely, I, like most Americans, have come to take for granted what I do everyday and the ease with which I do it. Then I thought, are veterans alone responsible for my freedom? Is it only those who have donned a uniform, raised a rifle or flown a plane whom I have to thank?

And exactly what freedoms should I thank veterans for? Even if veterans alone were the people to thank, what would they think of some of the freedoms each and every citizen of the United States is supposed to enjoy? What would they say to someone who, in the midst of burning a flag said, “Hey, [cough, cough] it sure was nice of you to put your life on the line so that I can sit back and peacefully enjoy this summer evening next to a warm flag-fire”?

Judging from my Grandfather’s constant comment on the state of the nation as we now know it, I am guessing that most vets would probably say that they did not go to war so that some damn hippie could burn a flag. Fortunately or unfortunately, however you want to look at it, we are forced in this country often times to surrender to other people’s ideas of freedom, no matter how minor.

So the more I thought about it, the more I realized that, good or bad, the list of people I have to thank for my freedom certainly doesn’t begin or end with veterans.

For example, Larry Flynt – the tireless protector of free speech in a variety of forms – has become many times over one of my favorite people to thank (though for what reasons exactly I won’t comment on). It is through his struggle that we see the processes of the Constitution protecting the Everyman. Without him, we might still live in a land of magazines that only publish peacefully lame political commentary and the same old naked women.

I would also like to thank rap music. Not the kind you hear on the radio today, the over-sexed rhymes of Cadillacs and ass, but the explosive, controversial lyrics of the early 80s. I’m talking about the time when groups like NWA and Ice-T were having their records pulled from music-store shelves. I thank them for refusing to sing the same old song and instead awakening the rest of the world to the war that was going on inside urban ghettos, where blacks were being ignored and subjected to severe discrimination without any hope for a future.

Their violent lyrics have mostly disappeared today, having been all but taken over by giant record companies and suburban white kids, but I have no doubt something will eventually take its place.

Then there is the National Rifle Association. While I personally could go my entire life without ever seeing, shooting or stroking the sweet blue and green sheen of metal starkly contrasted against deeply ingrained and highly varnished wood (sounds hot, doesn’t it?), I can’t argue that one Constitutional amendment is better than another. So, keep on stroking your big, long rifles and short little .45s, NRA.

Not all protectors of freedom have been Rosa Parks, of course, and the list of people I thank doesn’t just include people who have done things that should really make us all proud.

What about groups like the KKK and those working tirelessly to rid the world of gays and lesbians, groups whose foundations are based in hate and ignorance? It is these same people who are just as much a part of our American way of life as any other, is it not? Whether or not you choose to subscribe to whatever ideas you do, these groups breathe life (albeit, a foul smelling, morning breath type of life) into a system of government unlike any other, one in which any person can believe whatever they would like to, regardless of how obscene, misinformed or well-intentioned they may appear.

All of this brings me to they most recent person I would like to thank, Michael Newdow. Mr. Newdow, you may recall, was the person responsible for bringing up the case in which he claims that the pledge of allegiance violates the separation of church and state. He says that forcing his daughter to hear others say it in school forces her to adopt a set of beliefs which she may not want to.

Judging from the reaction that followed the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which included members of Congress reciting the pledge, without omitting the words “under God,” and a statement from the president calling the decision “ridiculous,” it would appear that the majority of people disagree with the ruling. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

I am not saying whether or not I agree with the court’s decision, I just want to point out that it is a happy day when this is even an issue. It’s good to know that there is at least one or two people out “there” at any given time forcing us to re-evaluate who and what we are. Whether or not you agree with the idea that forcing someone to adopt a certain set of religious beliefs by hearing or reciting the pledge is OK or not, it’s the notion that everyone has at least some voice that has made this country both an absurdity and an incredibly beautiful and interesting place to call home.

Patrick O’Bryan is a senior in English from Indianola.