By Laurie Bergner
Today is Memorial Day. So what exactly is a memorial? Definitions say it is something designed to preserve the memory of a person or event; they also say it is intended to celebrate or honor the memory of this person or event. And so Memorial Day is intended to both honor and preserve the memory of our military killed in our wars.
So one question is how best to do that. Of course, Memorial Day is a special day put aside as a holiday from work to think about and to participate in events meant to honor and remember them. Flying flags at half mast, attending parades and special events are part of our rituals. But what about the other 364 days a year? How can we best honor our fallen military?
Lincoln captured so well the meaning of honoring our war dead:
It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here, have, thus far, so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
What does this mean in today’s world? How can we fight to make sure that our great democracy does not “perish from the earth”? How can we do our part to keep our democracy strong?
I believe that our democracy is facing tough times, that it has been weakened by many forces. As Churchill once said, “democracy is the worst of all governments – except for all the others.” In recent years, we have seen our government weaken in ways that demonstrate the disadvantage of our form of government. Our party system has become gridlocked; money that goes into campaigns and the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision has meant that legalized corruption taints our federal legislators; voter ID laws are once again weakening our voter system. A recent article reports that a special prosecutor, who is investigating whether Gov. Scott Walker committed campaign-finance violations in the run-up to his 2012 recall election, asked at least one — and possibly four — of the state’s justices to step aside when the court hears the case in April. He is asking this because all these justices accepted large amounts of money campaign from nonprofit groups, which happen to be the very groups that are being investigated! Sadly, these justices are not obligated to step down because of this blatant conflict of interest, and many do not.
Our democracy has the ability to strengthen itself. Congress used to work together instead of constantly working against each other. The US Supreme Court has the ability to set campaign finance on the right track. But clearly, neither are working well right now. It is up to us, the people, to use our voting rights and our ability to write our legislators to demand progress on these issues. This is the best way to honor the memory of our fallen soldiers who fought and died for our country.
Laurie Bergner is a clinical psychologist in private practice, working with individual adults, families and couples. She also works with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, helping organize candidates forums, educational programs, and many issues in the field of law and justice. She has received many recognitions in both fields, including YWCA’s Women of Distinction in the Professions, Leaguer of the Year, LWV Special Project Awards, and the LWV of Illinois’s prestigious Carrie Chapman Catt award. Laurie has a wonderful husband and two grown children – also wonderful. She loves biking in the countryside, reading, and traveling.
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