Hardly heroic

One can tell a lot about a movement by the men and women it turnsinto heroes. America's ragged constellation of ultranationalists,ultraconservatives and self-styled "patriots" has chosen for one ofits heroes a specialist -- a military rank akin to corporal -- in theArmy.

His name is Michael New, and he has just been court-martialed andgiven a bad-conduct discharge. The reason he was punished, and thereason he is now being lionized in some quarters, is that he refusedlast October to obey a lawful order to put a blue patch on hisshoulder and a blue hat on his head. The problem, from New's pointof view, was that the patch and hat each bore the insignia of theUnited Nations; his unit was being dispatched to Macedonia to helpprevent the expansion of the Balkan conflict.

New said his oath to the United States precluded him from bearingthe UN mark. His supporters -- including presidential hopeful PatBuchanan -- say American participation in UN peace-keeping missionscompromises the nation's sovereignty. They are deeply mistaken.

Sovereignty does not mean refusing to cooperate with alliesabroad. Sovereignty does not mean suffering every undertaking alone.Sovereignty does not mean abandoning the concept of collectivesecurity. What sovereignty does require in this case is theretention of ultimate command and the tools of discipline in thehands of our nation's elected officials. Those conditions have neverbeen threatened and will never be endangered by judicious Americanparticipation in UN-sanctioned operations meant to protect peace.Rather, the voluntary nature of the US role in the UN is testament tothe strength of American independence. As distasteful as that bluehat and blue patch may seem to him, Spc. New's oath to the USConstitution required him to don them and to protect US interests byhelping prevent the spread of war in central Europe.

New has been turned into a hero on talk radio, in newsletters, onthe Internet. What that says about the movement behind him is notflattering.