The Wrongologist

“I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day. I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it. We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did.” – Benjamin Harrison

Welcome to Memorial Day Weekend. Before 1971, it was called Decoration Day, which was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The Civil War claimed more lives than any conflict in US history, but until 1867, we had no national cemeteries in which to bury them. The Decoration Day holiday was established by a military general order issued by Gen. John Logan, the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. This is from Gen. Logan’s order:

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land

Back then, it was America’s most solemn holiday. By the end of the 1860s, Americans in towns and cities everywhere had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.

Decoration Day became Memorial Day when Congress passed the National Holiday Act of 1971, which moved most national holidays to Mondays, creating three-day weekends. So, along with the picnics, three-day sales, and celebrating the start of summer, let’s stop and remember the people who died in our wars. Let’s do that regardless of whether we “supported” a particular war. Make it a time of remembrance along with the bbq and beer.

There are no “blue” or “red” gravestones in our national cemeteries:

This week, banks became felons, but their bankers did not:

There was one airbag recall, but there should have been two:

Spring graduations are full of messages:

The fields surrounding the House of Wrong have two bluebird houses, and both have nests and fledgling birds. Here is a video of Eastern Bluebirds along with a Tree Swallow:

For those who read the Wrongologist in email, you can view the video here.

See you on Tuesday.