Knowning Madison, as our regulars now do, you're probably expecting a story about how local looney lefties are planning to protest outside the VFW today. And, while there may be a looney or two who is now thinking "Hey, that's a great idea!", in reality Madisonians show their patriotism this weekend, just like anyone else.

Well let me restate that, it's still Madison, so the displays are sometimes a little different. Like this one:

These folks put on a little skit Saturday on the Capitol lawn during the Farmer's Market. And, while they are protesting a perceived intrusion on their 4th Amendment rights, they're doing a fine job of expressing their 1st Amendment rights. Hopefully they'll grow up someday and realize that.

The gentleman below celebrated Memorial Day by running the entire Mad City Marathon with an American flag in his hand:

According to his bib number, he's Peter Stauffacher and he finished 2nd out of 4 men in his age division. This was him at mile 23. We did give him some love with a "USA! USA!" cheer as he jogged by.

Finally, the Wisconsin State Journal published a fantastic story yesterday about a father and son who visited a local graveyard, found a couple of neglected Veteran graves and did some research together to find out more about the lives of the men:

There were no flowers beside John Verner's marker. It appeared that no family members were taking care of his grave. We guessed that this soldier might be lonely. Perhaps his family had moved away. Perhaps there was no one left to say "thank you."

We soon found another veteran whose grave was unadorned: "Douglas D. Crowe. New York. Captain. Vietnam. 1939-1968." Killed in action in Vietnam. A man from New York, buried in Wisconsin. And also alone on this day.

"That's sort of sad," said Daniel.

"Yes, it is," I said.

The warm sunlight slanted through the trees. Quiet groups of people moved through the cemetery, stooping down to decorate a grave, or standing in silent remembrance.

"You know, it doesn't have to be that way," I said.

"What do you mean?" asked Daniel.

"Let's get to know Capt. Crowe and Sgt. Verner. Let's learn about their lives. Maybe we can find their families. Then we'll come back next year and put flowers on their graves."

"Yeah," said Daniel. "We'll come back as their friends."

We left the cemetery enthusiastic about our mission - to learn more about these men, their conflicts, and the American history they made.

I think this is a great idea and I really want to do it myself. But also think about what a great school project this would be. Students would not only learn about history, they'd also gain some really valuable research skills. It's a far better project than some of the America-hating activities some schools currently engage in.