Applause by Craig Covello

The Saturday before Christmas was a very good day. It was the day that my youngest son was flying home from the University of North Texas, where he studies jazz. We've been very proud of Cameron's academic career as an excellent musician playing both the stand up and electric bass. Even though he just started college as freshman, his knowledge of jazz history and his ability to interpret and play very complex jazz compositions is impressive. And on Saturday he was coming home for Christmas break.

My wife Karen and I climbed into the car with our 10-year-old dog Cooper. The dog is part of our family and the only "child" left in the house these days, so it seemed fitting that Cooper should be a part of the reunion with Cameron. We arrived at Sacramento International Airport about a half-hour early, which was perfect timing because we were treated to a local jazz combo playing inside the terminal. I guess this was the airport's way of saying Merry Christmas to passengers and their families. Karen waited by the escalators, anxiously hoping to see Cameron among the slow parade of holiday travelers making their way to baggage claim. Cooper and I stayed near the jazz combo and enjoyed the music. The combo, coincidentally, featured Cameron's former bass teacher who was pleased to hear that my son had decided to continue jazz at UNT. What a small world.

Then an interesting thing happened. About every two or three minutes there would be applause coming from somewhere near the escalators. Loud applause. So loud that it could be heard over the jazz combo. This cycle of applause must a continued for about 30 minutes. Finally, Karen walked over with a very tall, lean college student who resembled my son except for the scraggly beard. I gave Cameron a big hug, grabbed his bags and we proceeded to the parking garage. As we walked, my wife asked me if I'd heard the applause. "Yes", I said, "but I didn't see any performers near the escalators". She explained to me that the applause wasn't for the entertainers. It was an expression of gratitude for our military men and women who were coming home for Christmas.

A lot of thoughts raced through my head at that moment.

• This was the first time I had heard applause for the Armed Forces at the airport.

• It was sincere and unscripted.

• It represented a sense of patriotism and national pride which seemed contrary to the messages coming from Washington these days.

• It was a reality check.

If you have watched most major television network news since January, you would get the impression that the sun rises and sets on the Democratic Congress and the Obama White House. They appear to be the center of all conversation. Meanwhile, the military has been virtually ignored in favor of the domestic discussion. But here at Sacramento International Airport at Christmas, this was a slice of real life: A slice free from the spin of self-appointed social architects such as Barney Frank, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and the chief architect, Barack Obama. It gave me hope that this unscripted public applause was perhaps a validation that the American patriotic spirit is continuing its renascence. Consider the juxtaposition of this outpouring of love and gratitude in stark contrast with the popular behavior in 1969. That was a year that people in uniform returning from Vietnam were being disrespected and spat upon by the radical left. The same radical left who have recently taken political control, Constitution be damned, and are now attempting to reinvent America and rewrite history. Their narcissism has led them to believe that only they have the intellectual understanding to comprehend what needs to be done, without bipartisan debate, without public input and without government transparency. To add insult to injury, they also have contempt for the military based upon their spoken and unspoken words as well as their passive-aggressive inaction.

Obama, however, may unwittingly have given us one of the best Christmas presents ever this holiday season: Patriotism. This radically liberal administration and its complacent congress have brought our free and blessed nation to the edge of the abyss in terms of our national security, our financial stability, our government ethics and our leadership among world nations. As a result, Americans have rekindled their passion for freedom. Americans have rediscovered the Constitution. It is no longer politically incorrect to publicly express patriotism. We have strengthened our belief that this is a good and just nation with a proud past, despite its blemishes and shortcomings. We understand that America is a world leader because of our love of democracy. We think it is okay to believe in God without forcing others to do the same. We don't believe that terrorists have the same legal rights as citizens and we don't believe that our brave solders should be put on trial for "punching" the enemy. We have renewed our resolve to take this country back in 2012 if not by 2010 in order to pursue the principles that founded this nation. Those principles include respect for those who give military service.

Queue the applause for our returning soldiers. Then watch this video and give a moment of silence in remembrance of those who won't be returning, ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoZ9Rc-W7Wk&feature=youtube_gdata

© 2009 by Craig Covello. Used with permission. All rights reserved.