Dissidence
Grant Christenson
A year ago. 24 November. A clear, crisp, and windy day at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. The Army-Navy game is on the west coast for the first time.
Grenada is now free, free from Cuba and her ambitions in the hemisphere. Grenada is under protection by what Latin America likes to refer to as "the colossus of the north".
The crowd is receptive today. The Cadets and Midshipmen are honored guests. The real heroes parachute from the sky and march in olive drab efficiency.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a hearty Southern California
welcome to the U.S. Army Rangers who led the assault on Grenada!"
A cardboard clad woman with NO WAR painted on her garment
sits on the Navy goal line "Boo! Boo! Get the bum off the field!"
Dissidence.
She is dragged away by an obliging security guard to be questioned
by police. She is soon forgotten. The band plays. The hands salute a cracking stars and stripes flying in the November breeze. The crowd cheers
the Cuban conquerors.
Dissidence.
The son of a naval career officer. Ship captain even. Knowledgable
in foreign affairs. Recieved a B.A. in history at the University of
California at Riverside. Seminary student. Lover of men. Child of God.
~ver the din of victory celebration, one voice, one proclamation, one alone. "Boo! Boo! We invaded an island smaller than the city of
Detroit. Boo! Boo!"
Only in America.
Dissidence.
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