Happy Loyalty Day!!! (belated)

[eques]

I thought I would have caught a reference to this somewhere with all of the blogs I read (I just started looking at J.D. Tuccille's blog maybe a week ago and caught this gem in the archives).

Ummm ... no:


    I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2007, as Loyalty Day. I call upon the people of the United States to participate in this national observance and to display the flag of the United States on Loyalty Day as a symbol of pride in our Nation.

    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.


That's just super creepy.

...

As "creepy" as it is, I don't know if it's more or less creepy given that this sort of thing was predicted ages ago.

[Spencer]

I originally though that this must be the work of Cheney and crew, but it goes back to "our" anti-communist 1950's.  The following is a brief explanation from the VFW:

Loyalty Day originally began as "Americanization Day" in 1921 as a counter to the Communists' May 1 celebration of the Russian Revolution. On May 1, 1930, 10,000 VFW members staged a rally at New York's Union Square to promote patriotism. Through a resolution adopted in 1949, May 1 evolved into Loyalty Day. Observances began in 1950 on April 28 and climaxed May 1 when more than five million people across the nation held rallies. In New York City, more than 100,000 people rallied for America. In 1958 Congress enacted Public Law 529 proclaiming Loyalty Day a permanent fixture on the nation's calendar.

http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=2484

[Rochelle]

*coughs, sputters, then quotes*

Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good.

---Thomas Paine

[eques]

Ah ha... so this thing written by President Bush is just his official approval of the holiday this year, is that it?

I mean, I didn't really hear anything about it at all.

Well, I suppose I should reflect your good work at the blog I got this from.