cultural myopia, "memorial day," democracy and speaking

I have never explained what I meant by "cultural myopia" and I thought today would be perfect for doing so. The term for me, refers to the America-centrist perspectives of patriotic propaganda that really do color world views even in human rights work. That said, I DO appreciate all who have died (Civilian and Military!) in war and sacrificed their lives (often for the stupidity and ego of those in power) so that I can 'have the freedom to say such things.'

What I think is missing though is the question why? Why do we have to clarify, justify, explain our thoughts if they might offend someone,
if we truly do have freedom of speach does this not include the freedom to disagree and to not maintain a monopoly of historical,political and social consensus? What about freedom from speech and freedom from religion? What does the word freedom mean? Does the definition vary depending upon who is asking and who is telling, thus defining?

Do people really choose to die for their country or are they dying for a dream of the freedom immortalized in our (mis)understanding of U.S. history? Or is it for ecomomic freedom and the chance to go to college and the dream of (as the ads say) "seeing the world?" Why can we not ask these questions? Why is there a fear of speaking in a democracy? That is why I love Galeano's "Global Fear" (see other post)so much, particularly the line "Democracy is afraid of remembering and language is afraid of speaking" Why not ask the question, what is it that what we are supposed to officially remember today is the sacrifice of lives and not the stupidity of war in general, the stupidity of having to sacrifice lives in the first place? This is ESPECIALLY true with regard to the often very young soldiers dying and killing in Iraq and Afghanistan right now and all of the others in places the media forgets to mention and thus renders unnewsworthy. Forgotten? Only momentarily...but isn't that the point of remembering? Of honoring? Of promising to "never forget?" What good is memory in the face of official silences and language the renders people's lives, expendable (though regrettable) tragedies?

peace!