What's the Motivation?

I didn't even know until today that President Obama went to a soup kitchen yesterday in commemoration of 9-11.  I'm not surprised since he has redefined 9-11 as a day of national service.  Whatever.  I was trying to unravel today just what exactly is so disturbing about that gesture.  After all, isn't serving food to the homeless & hungry good?  I decided it depends on the motivation.  I kept thinking about what the overall RESPONSE to 9-11 was, both 10 years ago and yesterday.  I kept comparing in my mind President Obama going to a soup kitchen in RESPONSE to the 10th anniversary of 9-11 to the way the 10's of thousands of fans reacted to the National Anthem at Soldier Field yesterday in RESPONSE to the same anniversary.  Why would a person's reaction to 9-11 be to go to a soup kitchen and feed the hungry?  This is such a bizarre reaction, when the majority of Americans, me included, reacted 10 years ago and, in remembering yesterday, with deep anger and deep, stubborn national pride.  Feeding the hungry at a soup kitchen wasn't even on my radar as a natural reaction to 9-11.  The desire to feed the hungry at a soup kitchen or give to those in desperate need in some other way is something I feel strongly about in response to Christmas as an act of humility and gratefulness toward the rich blessings in my life.  Humility is NOT....NOT....what I felt when those evil men did what they did 10 years and 1 day ago.

I think President Obama's attempt to redefine 9-11 as a national day of service and then serving food at a soup kitchen to prove his point is born out of a sense of shame that he feels about America.  This is not an act of defense of America.  This is a way to ignore the heroics that were on full display 10 years ago by the incredible citizens that did reside and do reside here.  National pride is not embraced by this president.  It is rejected by him.  His act of going to a soup kitchen is one in a long line of examples of him rejecting American exceptionalism and American heroics.

One thing I know is the constant friction of how I feel about my country compared to what I'm hearing out of my president is wearing me out.  Thank goodness we have only 14 months left.