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The True Meaning of Patriotism
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Jan 23, 2020 18:41:11   #
Carol Kelly
 
Hug wrote:
Sounds like a great American family.


Thank you. I think we are. I’ll bet you have the same.

Reply
Jan 23, 2020 18:45:57   #
Hug
 
Carol Kelly wrote:
Thank you. I think we are. I’ll bet you have the same.


Used to, but now it is just my wife and I and we don't celebrate much. We enjoy our animal family. We stay very busy selling and shipping cattle to several different states.

Reply
Jan 23, 2020 19:23:32   #
dtucker300 Loc: Vista, CA
 
Carol Kelly wrote:
Thank you. I think we are. I’ll bet you have the same.


What does a Great American Family look like? Carol, this isn't specifically directed toward you.

Mine is filled with Liberals, Conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Agnostics and Atheists. We have several nationalities and ethnicities, Latinos, Blacks, Asians, Whites, Gays, Straights, and, as far as I know, no Transsexuals, but if we did, it wouldn't bother me because I don't associate with any of them...(I keed, I keed!)

However, even though everyone looks different, I don't call this diversity. We have our own thoughts, opinions and don't agree with each other but can still be respectful and listen. This is what I call diversity.

Reply
 
 
Jan 23, 2020 19:24:39   #
Rose42
 
woodguru wrote:
This serves to make the point that we are seeing examples of what patriotism is not by example of alternative patriots that are no more patriots than their alternative christian counterpart knows what it is to be a christian.

Alternative patriots fit a profile that will try to tell someone else they are not a patriot for a plethora of "reasons" that have absolutely nothing to do with patriotism or being one. They point a finger at someone on the left and say "you are not a patriot because....."
...you do not support this (fill in the superlative) president so you do not love this country
...you do not love this country because you are against (fill in the thing you are against the president on)
...you have not fought for this country, nevermind that they haven't either...and oops, you did?

And I still can't sort out the mother of all unpatriotic things, supporting Russia and Putin because trump does...what is that.

Patriots have a deep seated mistrust of Russia and particularly Putin...Russia has always been our adversary if not enemy, and those lines have been blurred by cyber attacks and our proxy war in Afghanistan in which we destroyed them financially. Obama gave heavy consideration to declaring cyber attacks and election meddling acts of war right before trump took office. We had placed significant sanctions on them, as well as taking away two enclaves here. Trump comes in and calls Putin his Komrade and his blind alt patriotic acolytes see no reason to keep an eye on the myriad of places where we will be seeing a conflict in which Putin is allied with everyone we consider adversaries?

Anyone still supporting trump needs a TP tattooed on their foreheads so we can know we have a Trump patriot in our presence. (that's rhetoric, lighten up...I don't really believe that)
This serves to make the point that we are seeing e... (show quote)


You should shush. The OP nailed it. You only detract from what it means

Reply
Jan 23, 2020 19:50:33   #
slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas
 
dtucker300 wrote:
What does a Great American Family look like? Carol, this isn't specifically directed toward you.

Mine is filled with Liberals, Conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Agnostics and Atheists. We have several nationalities and ethnicities, Latinos, Blacks, Asians, Whites, Gays, Straights, and, as far as I know, no Transsexuals, but if we did, it wouldn't bother me because I don't associate with any of them...(I keed, I keed!)

However, even though everyone looks different, I don't call this diversity. We have our own thoughts, opinions and don't agree with each other but can still be respectful and listen. This is what I call diversity.
What does a Great American Family look like? Caro... (show quote)

Sounds pretty diverse to me No wonder you're so level-headed and even-tempered.

Reply
Jan 23, 2020 20:14:58   #
dtucker300 Loc: Vista, CA
 
slatten49 wrote:
Sounds pretty diverse to me No wonder you're so level-headed and even-tempered.


I wasn't always this way. I still have a long way to go.

Reply
Jan 23, 2020 21:01:14   #
Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
 
slatten49 wrote:
“It is not for honor or glory or wealth that we fight, but for freedom alone, which no good man gives up except with his life.”

Lawrence W. Reed

Patriotism these days is like Christmas—lots of people caught up in a festive atmosphere replete with lights and spectacles. We hear reminders about “the true meaning” of Christmas—and we may even mutter a few guilt-ridden words to that effect ourselves—but each of us spends more time and thought in parties, gift-giving, and the other paraphernalia of a secularized holiday than we do deepening our devotion to the true meaning.

So it is with patriotism, especially on Memorial Day in May, Flag Day in June, and Independence Day in July. Walk down Main Street America and ask one citizen after another what patriotism means and with few exceptions, you’ll get a passel of the most self-righteous but superficial and often dead-wrong answers. America’s Founders, the men and women who gave us reason to be patriotic in the first place, would think we’ve lost our way if they could see us now.

Since the infamous attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans in near unanimity have been “feeling” patriotic. For most, that sadly suffices to make one a solid patriot. But if I’m right, it’s time for Americans to take a refresher course.

Patriotism is not love of country, if by “country” you mean scenery—amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesty, and the like. Almost every country has pretty collections of rocks, water, and stuff that people grow and eat. If that’s what patriotism is all about, then Americans have precious little for which we can claim any special or unique love. And surely, patriotism cannot mean giving one’s life for a river or a mountain range.

Patriotism is not blind trust in anything our leaders tell us or do. That just replaces some lofty concepts with mindless goose-stepping.

Patriotism is not simply showing up to vote. You need to know a lot more about what motivates a voter before you judge his patriotism. He might be casting a ballot because he just wants something at someone else’s expense. Maybe he doesn’t much care where the politician he’s hiring gets it. Remember Dr. Johnson’s wisdom: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

Waving the flag can be an outward sign of patriotism, but let’s not cheapen the term by ever suggesting that it’s anything more than a sign. And while it’s always fitting to mourn those who lost their lives simply because they resided on American soil, that too does not define patriotism.

People in every country and in all times have expressed feelings of something we flippantly call “patriotism,” but that just begs the question. What is this thing, anyway? Can it be so cheap and meaningless that a few gestures and feelings make you patriotic?

Not in my book.

I subscribe to a patriotism rooted in ideas that in turn gave birth to a country, but it’s the ideas that I think of when I’m feeling patriotic. I’m a patriotic American because I revere the ideas that motivated the Founders and compelled them, in many instances, to put their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on the line
.
What ideas? Read the Declaration of Independence again. Or, if you’re like most Americans these days, read it for the very first time. It’s all there. All men are created equal. They are endowed not by government but by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Premier among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Government must be limited to protecting the peace and preserving our liberties, and doing so through the consent of the governed. It’s the right of a free people to rid themselves of a government that becomes destructive of those ends, as our Founders did in a supreme act of courage and defiance more than two hundred years ago.

Call it freedom. Call it liberty. Call it whatever you want, but it’s the bedrock on which this nation was founded and from which we stray at our peril. It’s what has defined us as Americans. It’s what almost everyone who has ever lived on this planet has yearned for. It makes life worth living, which means it’s worth fighting and dying for.

An American Spin

I know that this concept of patriotism puts an American spin on the term. But I don’t know how to be patriotic for Uganda or Paraguay. I hope the Ugandans and Paraguayans have lofty ideals they celebrate when they feel patriotic, but whether or not they do is a question you’ll have to ask them. I can only tell you what patriotism means to me as an American.

I understand that America has often fallen short of the superlative ideas expressed in the Declaration. That hasn’t diminished my reverence for them, nor has it dimmed my hope that future generations of Americans will be re-inspired by them.

This brand of patriotism, in fact, gets me through the roughest and most cynical of times. My patriotism is never affected by any politician’s failures, or any shortcoming of some government policy, or any slump in the economy or stock market. I never cease to get that “rush” that comes from watching Old Glory flapping in the breeze, no matter how far today’s generations have departed from the original meaning of those stars and stripes. No outcome of any election, no matter how adverse, makes me feel any less devoted to the ideals our Founders put to pen in 1776. Indeed, as life’s experiences mount, the wisdom of what giants like Jefferson and Madison bestowed on us becomes ever more apparent to me. I get more fired up than ever to help others come to appreciate the same things.

During a recent visit to the land of my ancestors, Scotland, I came across a few very old words that gave me pause. Though they preceded our Declaration of Independence by 456 years, and come from three thousand miles away, I can hardly think of anything ever written here that more powerfully stirs in me the patriotism I’ve defined above. In 1320, in an effort to explain why they had spent the previous 30 years in bloody battle to expel the invading English, Scottish leaders ended their Declaration of Arbroath with this line: “It is not for honor or glory or wealth that we fight, but for freedom alone, which no good man gives up except with his life.”

Freedom—understanding it, living it, teaching it, and supporting those who are educating others about its principles. That, my fellow Americans, is what patriotism should mean to each of us today.
“It is not for honor or glory or wealth that we fi... (show quote)
Well, there are some good points there, but this is one man's opinion. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'll give Mr Reed a 7. Is "freedom" the foundation of patriotism? Does "understanding it, living it, teaching it, and supporting those who are educating others about its principles" actually embody patriotism? Is it a patriot who, for whatever reason, follows an ideology or political philosophy that is aggressively and dangerously opposed to our nation's founding principles?

It is my opinion that Reed's definition of patriotism still leaves some fundamentals up in the air.



Reply
 
 
Jan 23, 2020 21:07:54   #
Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
 
dtucker300 wrote:
What does a Great American Family look like? Carol, this isn't specifically directed toward you.

Mine is filled with Liberals, Conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Agnostics and Atheists. We have several nationalities and ethnicities, Latinos, Blacks, Asians, Whites, Gays, Straights, and, as far as I know, no Transsexuals, but if we did, it wouldn't bother me because I don't associate with any of them...(I keed, I keed!)

However, even though everyone looks different, I don't call this diversity. We have our own thoughts, opinions and don't agree with each other but can still be respectful and listen. This is what I call diversity.
What does a Great American Family look like? Caro... (show quote)
The Dangers of Diversity

Reply
Jan 23, 2020 21:50:29   #
Weasel Loc: In the Great State Of Indiana!!
 
Blade_Runner wrote:
Well, there are some good points there, but this is one man's opinion. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'll give Mr Reed a 7. Is "freedom" the foundation of patriotism? Does "understanding it, living it, teaching it, and supporting those who are educating others about its principles" actually embody patriotism? Is it a patriot who, for whatever reason, follows an ideology or political philosophy that is aggressively and dangerously opposed to our nation's founding principles?

It is my opinion that Reed's definition of patriotism still leaves some fundamentals up in the air.
Well, there are some good points there, but this i... (show quote)


A very intelligent observation.
Welcome to the real world

Reply
Jan 23, 2020 22:03:08   #
Weasel Loc: In the Great State Of Indiana!!
 
Blade_Runner wrote:


A very good update.
Thanks for posting this article.

Reply
Jan 23, 2020 22:06:20   #
Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
 
Weasel wrote:
A very intelligent observation.
Welcome to the real world
Thanks, Weasel, it's purty out here in the real world, ain't it?



Reply
 
 
Jan 24, 2020 00:22:17   #
Radiance3
 
Blade_Runner wrote:
Well, there are some good points there, but this is one man's opinion. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'll give Mr Reed a 7. Is "freedom" the foundation of patriotism? Does "understanding it, living it, teaching it, and supporting those who are educating others about its principles" actually embody patriotism? Is it a patriot who, for whatever reason, follows an ideology or political philosophy that is aggressively and dangerously opposed to our nation's founding principles?

It is my opinion that Reed's definition of patriotism still leaves some fundamentals up in the air.
Well, there are some good points there, but this i... (show quote)

==============
That's the whole package of true patriotism. If only we could be all like that.

Reply
Jan 24, 2020 13:58:39   #
Armageddun Loc: The show me state
 
slatten49 wrote:
“It is not for honor or glory or wealth that we fight, but for freedom alone, which no good man gives up except with his life.”

Lawrence W. Reed

Patriotism these days is like Christmas—lots of people caught up in a festive atmosphere replete with lights and spectacles. We hear reminders about “the true meaning” of Christmas—and we may even mutter a few guilt-ridden words to that effect ourselves—but each of us spends more time and thought in parties, gift-giving, and the other paraphernalia of a secularized holiday than we do deepening our devotion to the true meaning.

So it is with patriotism, especially on Memorial Day in May, Flag Day in June, and Independence Day in July. Walk down Main Street America and ask one citizen after another what patriotism means and with few exceptions, you’ll get a passel of the most self-righteous but superficial and often dead-wrong answers. America’s Founders, the men and women who gave us reason to be patriotic in the first place, would think we’ve lost our way if they could see us now.

Since the infamous attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans in near unanimity have been “feeling” patriotic. For most, that sadly suffices to make one a solid patriot. But if I’m right, it’s time for Americans to take a refresher course.

Patriotism is not love of country, if by “country” you mean scenery—amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesty, and the like. Almost every country has pretty collections of rocks, water, and stuff that people grow and eat. If that’s what patriotism is all about, then Americans have precious little for which we can claim any special or unique love. And surely, patriotism cannot mean giving one’s life for a river or a mountain range.

Patriotism is not blind trust in anything our leaders tell us or do. That just replaces some lofty concepts with mindless goose-stepping.

Patriotism is not simply showing up to vote. You need to know a lot more about what motivates a voter before you judge his patriotism. He might be casting a ballot because he just wants something at someone else’s expense. Maybe he doesn’t much care where the politician he’s hiring gets it. Remember Dr. Johnson’s wisdom: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

Waving the flag can be an outward sign of patriotism, but let’s not cheapen the term by ever suggesting that it’s anything more than a sign. And while it’s always fitting to mourn those who lost their lives simply because they resided on American soil, that too does not define patriotism.

People in every country and in all times have expressed feelings of something we flippantly call “patriotism,” but that just begs the question. What is this thing, anyway? Can it be so cheap and meaningless that a few gestures and feelings make you patriotic?

Not in my book.

I subscribe to a patriotism rooted in ideas that in turn gave birth to a country, but it’s the ideas that I think of when I’m feeling patriotic. I’m a patriotic American because I revere the ideas that motivated the Founders and compelled them, in many instances, to put their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on the line
.
What ideas? Read the Declaration of Independence again. Or, if you’re like most Americans these days, read it for the very first time. It’s all there. All men are created equal. They are endowed not by government but by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Premier among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Government must be limited to protecting the peace and preserving our liberties, and doing so through the consent of the governed. It’s the right of a free people to rid themselves of a government that becomes destructive of those ends, as our Founders did in a supreme act of courage and defiance more than two hundred years ago.

Call it freedom. Call it liberty. Call it whatever you want, but it’s the bedrock on which this nation was founded and from which we stray at our peril. It’s what has defined us as Americans. It’s what almost everyone who has ever lived on this planet has yearned for. It makes life worth living, which means it’s worth fighting and dying for.

An American Spin

I know that this concept of patriotism puts an American spin on the term. But I don’t know how to be patriotic for Uganda or Paraguay. I hope the Ugandans and Paraguayans have lofty ideals they celebrate when they feel patriotic, but whether or not they do is a question you’ll have to ask them. I can only tell you what patriotism means to me as an American.

I understand that America has often fallen short of the superlative ideas expressed in the Declaration. That hasn’t diminished my reverence for them, nor has it dimmed my hope that future generations of Americans will be re-inspired by them.

This brand of patriotism, in fact, gets me through the roughest and most cynical of times. My patriotism is never affected by any politician’s failures, or any shortcoming of some government policy, or any slump in the economy or stock market. I never cease to get that “rush” that comes from watching Old Glory flapping in the breeze, no matter how far today’s generations have departed from the original meaning of those stars and stripes. No outcome of any election, no matter how adverse, makes me feel any less devoted to the ideals our Founders put to pen in 1776. Indeed, as life’s experiences mount, the wisdom of what giants like Jefferson and Madison bestowed on us becomes ever more apparent to me. I get more fired up than ever to help others come to appreciate the same things.

During a recent visit to the land of my ancestors, Scotland, I came across a few very old words that gave me pause. Though they preceded our Declaration of Independence by 456 years, and come from three thousand miles away, I can hardly think of anything ever written here that more powerfully stirs in me the patriotism I’ve defined above. In 1320, in an effort to explain why they had spent the previous 30 years in bloody battle to expel the invading English, Scottish leaders ended their Declaration of Arbroath with this line: “It is not for honor or glory or wealth that we fight, but for freedom alone, which no good man gives up except with his life.”

Freedom—understanding it, living it, teaching it, and supporting those who are educating others about its principles. That, my fellow Americans, is what patriotism should mean to each of us today.
“It is not for honor or glory or wealth that we fi... (show quote)


As usual Slats a very fine post. I admire your ability to see the best in both sides of an issue. I fear the wonderful can of patriotism has been kicked down the road and run over being smashed flat. It is there but has very little use except to be gathered and turned in for scrap. While there is the hope of recycling my fear is we have gone so far that with few exceptions only a few are willing to pick it up and recycle it into something useful. Time, apathy, and those who have a sense of entitlement have fallen prey to understand that freedom means "Free Stuff." We can only pray that the love of the country has not fallen to a more powerful love of self. I do so pray I am wrong.

Reply
Jan 24, 2020 14:15:02   #
Radiance3
 
Blade_Runner wrote:
Thanks, Weasel, it's purty out here in the real world, ain't it?


=============
That's magnificent view. Hope only republicans dwell on it.

But when democrats populate any place, they trash the whole thing. E.g. SF, LA, Baltimore, NYC, Chicgo. All under democrats.

Reply
Jan 24, 2020 16:57:45   #
elledee
 
Weasel wrote:
Agreed 100 %
MAGA TRUMP 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
AND MAY his daughter become the first female president in 2025


first female president Ivanka Trump that's a big 10-4

Reply
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