Posted by
Mustang on Thursday, July 03, 2008 12:43:26 AM
I believe politicians are the number-one cause of gastro-intestinal disorder. I think this is true because I get gas whenever a politician outlines his or her vision for America, or when they speak to us about morality, or lectures us about patriotism. I think this is because if anyone should refrain addressing such weighty issues, it is a politician – mostly because beyond the fact they’ve convinced some number of back-home voters that they deserve to be an elected official, politicians aren’t qualified to lecture me about any of these things — especially about Patriotism.
When Barack Obama lectured about patriotism the other day, in advance of our annual Fourth of July celebrations, I wondered about his moral authority in doing so. In the first place, I am not convinced that any politician has ever placed the good of the nation above self-interest. I imagine our attitude regarding Obama depends on what we are prepared to believe about his meteoric rise to national prominence. For example, we might wonder if self-interest or patriotism prompted him to run for the presidency a mere 143 working days after his election to the United States Senate; one pundit recently said, “I keep leftovers in my refrigerator longer than that.”
Let us for a moment consider what patriotism should mean to Americans. First, it should capture the best of our national spirit. It is pride in our nation’s many accomplishments even in spite of our shortcomings. It is pride in our culture, a desire to preserve our traditions, a particular adherence to our values, and it is how we identify with our fellow citizens. And let me add that contrary to the views of multiculturalists, “nationalism” is not a despicable concept. Our institutions should promote patriotism, not demean its character.
When we speak of patriotism, we should probably understand that it encompasses personal sentiment, institutional demonstrations, and aspects that I regard as authentic and verifiable. Patriotism can be intangible (crossing one’s heart during the National Anthem, wearing a flag pin), and measureable (service to country and community). It can be intellectual, and emotional. In most cases, I think our feelings of patriotism stem from one or more of these, depending upon who we are as individuals, and our experiences. And because the concept of patriotism is nebulous, Barack Obama is probably correct to suggest that we should exercise care before calling into question another citizen’s patriotism. A soldier who gives up his life for his country is an authentic patriot – there is no greater gift than that, but this does not suggest that another person, choosing not to serve in the military, is unpatriotic. It only demonstrates that personal patriotism is difficult to measure.
Mr. Obama suggested that our country should call upon every citizen to demonstrate patriotism through some form of national service. I do agree with this sentiment, but note that Obama has not seen fit to do that. I wonder if Obama proposes reinstitution of the military draft – now that he is past that point in his life. My point is that a true leader will not ask others to perform a task that he is not willing to take-on himself – the underlying value of having a commander in chief with some military background.
Nebulous or not, the patriotism of others – particularly that of politicians, is always in question. There is no reason for any American to accept at face value, any assertion made from a political podium. And while this nothing to do with Obama’s community service as a door-to-door voter registration volunteer, we might question the patriotism of those who conspire to undermine our political process. According to writer Thomas J. DiLorenzo, “Ever since Mayor Daley of Chicago ‘found’ tens of thousands of dead people to ‘vote’ for John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election, many Americans have suspected the Democratic Party’s urban political machines to be awash in voter fraud.” It is clearly difficult to question the patriotism of dead people who continue voting long after their demise.
In his 30 June 2008 sermon, Mr. Obama further asserted no political party has a monopoly on the concept of patriotism; on this point, we might discover common ground provided (1) we agree on how to define patriotism and (2) political parties actually design policies to strengthen, enrich, or unify the American people. Let us consider the patriotic ideals of some of our government’s most important leaders:
“You have to make your own decisions about what the President knows, [but] this war is lost, and the surge is not accomplishing anything, as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday …” Senator Harry Reed, 19 April 2007.
“This war has been a grotesque mistake that has diminished our reputation in the world and has not made America safer.” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, 25 September 2004.
“Well, the purpose of the surge was to provide a secure space, a time for the political change to occur to accomplish the reconciliation. That didn’t happen. Whatever the military success, and progress that may have been made, the surge didn’t accomplish its goal. And some of the success of the surge is that the goodwill of the Iranians – they decided in Basra when the fighting would end, they negotiated that cessation of hostilities.” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, 28 May 2008.
“You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.” Senator John Kerry, 30 November 2006
“… there was no firefight; there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Representative Jack Murtha, 17 May 2006
Anyone who regards the foregoing as patriotic expressions is free-basing on mushrooms. This, then, is the liberal agenda. I am not discussing the right of the people – all people – to express their point of view. I am discussing high-ranking political leaders who, after making the political decision to invade Iraq, provide comfort and encouragement to a determined enemy. It is a lesson Democratic Politicians never learned from the Vietnam Era, when after two Democratic Presidents sent troops into harms way, liberal politicians did everything in their power to undermine the morale and efficiency of those young warriors. This easily observable behavior caused me to question their patriotism then, and the statements above cause me to question their patriotism now.
We all know what patriotism should mean, but it is apparent that liberals have a concept far removed from American tradition; these ideological platforms do not emerge from fortune cookies. Human beings develop political policy consistent with their personal or collective philosophies. That said, I think it is fair and relevant to question to patriotism of those who conspire to divide our nation – and in doing so, pave the way for their personal advancement to the highest levels of our government. Politicians who pander to voters according to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, socio-economic status are dividers. Politicians who embrace “the world view” place foreign views over our own, nationally unique values; I cannot help but to wonder how a world-view encourages or reinforces patriotism among our people. Personally, I am offended when illegal aliens in California demonstrate under the banner of the Mexican flag. It is difficult to imagine a patriotic politician who encourages such activities in order to capture the Hispanic vote.
Obama’s harangue on patriotism did not offend me; I only prefer that he know something about it. I love my country – spots and all. I do not think it is necessary to redefine our National Anthem to encompass a “black perspective,” nor do I accept the view of liberals, which closely parallels the attitudes of the pre-World War II French. I do not agree with halfwits who claim support for troops, but treat them as victims. Flag burning may be an expression, but it is not a patriotic expression. Spitting on military recruiters may be a popular past time in Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein’s state of California, but it is not patriotism. That said – I wish everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July holiday.