{"id":10209,"date":"2026-08-01T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=10209"},"modified":"2026-07-31T23:14:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T23:14:54","slug":"love-of-country-within-reason-and-a-big-nutcracker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/love-of-country-within-reason-and-a-big-nutcracker\/","title":{"rendered":"Love of Country, Within Reason (and a Big Nutcracker)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Sarah
“People gather for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Verne the Patriot in Luverne, Minn.”
(AP Photo\/Sarah Raza (July 18, 2026))<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“A Minnesota town now boasts the world’s tallest nutcracker<\/a>“
Sarah Raza, AP (July 18, 2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Crossing the open farmland of southwestern Minnesota, you’ll encounter an otherworldly sight: a massive head with a beard, mustache and red-striped top hat looming over the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pull into the small town of Luverne and the figure \u2014 a nearly 66-foot (20-meter) tall nutcracker, decked out like Uncle Sam \u2014 comes into full view….”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I’ve never been to Luverne, Minnesota, and will probably never go there.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"\/<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

But I’ve seen other oversize statues in my home state: Rothsay’s prairie chicken, Alexandria’s viking, Paul Bunyan in Bemidji, Belgrade’s crow, and “Pelican Pete: World’s Largest Pelican” in Pelican Rapids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of these days I may talk about roadside attractions in the Midwest. But not today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Uncle Sam, Roadside Attractions, and Love of Country<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"H.E.<\/a>
Jeremiah J. Crowley’s “The Pope: Chief of White Slavers High Priest of Intrigue”.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I enjoyed reading about Luverne’s new roadside attraction, but that’s not the only possible response to that statue of Uncle Sam in the form of a nutcracker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given a running start, I could rant about the crass commercialism displayed Luverne’s whacking great nutcracker \u2014 the AP article mentions a “quirky rock shop in the town\u2019s center” \u2014 or denounce it as the abomination of desolation, a graven image defiling our fair land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that I think about it, I don’t recall any rabid radio preacher of my youth calling on his followers to fear and revile roadside attractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure why. Maybe because the things are deeply embedded in the regional culture, and that’s another topic or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luverne’s new attraction doesn’t upset me, so I won’t rant or rave about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I will admit that I like it; partly because I like kitsch, partly because I like memories associated with roadside attractions, and partly because I enjoy seeing this latest sign of at least latent patriotism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About that: I like being an American, and love this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d better clarify that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Honor, Affection, and Gratitude: Within Reason<\/h4>\n\n\n
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\"Flag<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Loving my country doesn’t mean I think America can do no wrong, or that everyone who’s not American is out to get me. Life isn’t that simple<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loving my country doesn’t mean that I get warm fuzzies each time each time I see the colors red, white, and blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It does mean that I see my country with honor, affection, and gratitude: within reason. Since I’m a Catholic, I’d better. It’s part of my faith, an extension of sorts to my family obligations. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2199)<\/p>\n\n\n\n