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A little while ago I was given a book for review, The Pocket Book of Patriotism, which I enjoyed reading, even though it didn't take very long. A handy little hardback, it's under a hundred pages. Before I tell you what's in it, though, let me tell you about our expedition to Arlington West, this Veteran's Day 2005.

I got an email telling me about some peace activism in Santa Monica this Veterans Day weekend. The symbolic burial ground, Arlington West, was going to be set up on Friday morning instead of the usual Sunday, on the beach just north of the Santa Monica pier, and on Saturday 100 flag-draped coffins were to be carried through the streets of Santa Monica. Since kids don't have school on Veterans day (although many adults have to work) we hopped in the car and hit the beach on the lunch hour.

There was plenty of news coverage, judging from the dozen-or-so huge ENG (Electronic News Gathering) cameras, and a large number of laptop-wielding and blackberry-thumbing staffers on the pier overlooking the vast graveyard of white crosses. I even saw someone juggling and appearing to simultaneously type on TWO little blackberry communicators at the same time. Note to people who think you're busy: if you just have one blackberry, you're liable to be seen as a slacker, compared to these hardworking newsgathering overachievers.

It was a beautiful November 11, blue sky, mountains in the distance, Pacific waves breaking on the beach. Lists were posted next to the walkway to the ocean, showing page after page of war dead. Who, where, when and how. Still not sure about why, really -- that wasn't listed. Small slabs of cardboard were set out, with little containers of rubber bands so that you could write a message and bind it to an empty cross. Name, rank, and loving message. As I was reading through the list, I looked up and saw a loving message on a small white cross in the sand "Never a better friend, nor a worse enemy." And on another: "I helped bring you home."

On the far side of a a dozen flag-draped coffins, a man bent over a news camera as if in prayer, a U.S. flag behind him suffering at half mast. Far to the right, near the breaking waves but landlocked in a sea of small white crosses in the sand, was the subject of his filming (not shown): a woman kneeling next to a cross with flowers. She was there when we arrived, and there she remained, an hour later when we left.

Now, on to the The Pocket Book of Patriotism [buy at amazon] , which is useful, inspiring, and which everyone should have.

This little book has speeches, poems, songs, and quotations about patriotism. In addition, it has a timeline of history from the dawn of man to the present. How useful? Let's just say I was sitting around wondering when penicillin was discovered, and bingo! 1928! My God, I'm lucky my father didn't get a deadly infection before the age of 8, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this now. I'm also lucky the Hitler Youth who so disapproved of him on the golf course in Germany when he was 14 didn't finish him off then, but that's another story.

The Pocket Book of Patriotism has the words to The Marine Hymn, it has John Kennedy's inaugural speech and Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech, and George Washington's "To Bigotry No Sanction," delivered to the Hebrew congregation of Newport Rhode Island on August 19, 1790. Having each one of these around to read and re-read is worth the price of purchase. But wait, there's more! The Bill of Rights is in there too, as well as Lincoln's Gettysburg address.

In the two pages of quotations on the topic of patriotism, the very first, and one of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain. "Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man." This is a good thing to remember, in a time when, incredibly, an attempt is being made to tag disagreement -- not even determined dissent -- as unpatriotic. And when political leaders believe that it is helpful to their own cause to deride those who disagree with them as "girlie men."

The many reviewers who say that The Pocket Book of Patriotism is unbiased, though, are correct.

Of course there's a section on how to treat the flag, and there's a little bonus in the back, too. A small section on medals for valor includes information on The Medal of Honor, which many people think of as "The Congressional Medal of Honor," but which in fact has a simpler and better name.

The pledge of allegiance is given, as well as the naturalization oath.

An inspiring and informative book, under a hundred pages. Buy it, read it, know it, love it.