Emily Post: Salute

In the military salutes are not voluntary. As a private in the United States Marine Corp, I hated saluting; especially when it meant saluting a butter bar. I had a gut level feeling of inferiority when I had to salute someone who wasn’t much older and probably not any more accomplished than I was. However, something inside of me had changed by the time I was promoted to Sergeant. As a Sergeant, saluting no longer felt subservient, saluting became a sign of respect; a sign of mutual respect as my salute was returned.

My blogroll links are my way of saluting fellow bloggers. I want to acknowledge the bloggers who I consider exceptional; those who either write exceptionally well or who have a unique and interesting perspective. There is a lot of sameness in the blog world. I prefer unique, especially uniquely good.

Pete at Bryans Nonsense has left comments on my site and he has also had me on his blogroll for quite some time. Pete seems like a great guy to me. He is always respectful, kind, and knowledgeable. I’ve wanted to reciprocate his gesture, but I am uncomfortable with Pentecostals, especially unabashed Pentecostals like Pete. It finally occurred to me this morning that I don’t need to agree with the emphasis of Pete’s site in order to return his salute. I’m sorry it took me so long to return your salute Pete; this Marine should have known and acted better.