Today is the day we honor the fallen, the men and women who’ve paid the price. Words are usually inadequate to express the meaning of such great sacrifices, but at least we try.

Search engine giant “Google” must feel that nothing — neither word nor graphic — can adequately express the feeling since their main search web page contains nothing out of the ordinary today. That’s a bit strange, since their custom has been to decorate it with special graphics commemorating either a holiday or special event of their choice. A few recent examples included special recognition for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Percival Lowell.

That leaves us to wonder whether their silence is a statement on Memorial Day itself; soldiers in general; George W. Bush; the Civil War; World War I; World War II; the Revolutionary War; the Korean war; the Vietnam war; war itself; or Mondays in late May. Who can tell? But the lack of acknowledgment certainly solidifies the notion they are standing firmly out in left field.

It’s funny how the pendulum swings both ways. They’ve set precedent by doing tributes therefore we expect them for every holiday, but presumably honoring the fallen doesn’t “rank” very high. Hey — it’s their site and they can do anything they want with it, including dishonoring the dead soldiers who fought and died to maintain their freedom to express themselves in such a way. In the end the freedom of competition usually has a way of evening the score.