Thursday, March 6, 2008
Patriotic Distortion
As the Republican faithful makes the case to Conservatives (and quite frankly the rest of the country) for John McCain’s electability by means of imploring the same tactic used by Democrats in 2004; that of one’s military credentials, the catch phrase in all of this becomes one of Patriotism.
For some, Patriotism is marked by nothing other than one’s military service or one’s willingness to serve to protect their country. It is indeed a noble pursuit and one worthy of praise. That one is willing to put their life on the line to serve their country is virtually impossible to argue as nothing but a commendable act of courage. Suffice it to say, that is not the mark of a true Patriot.
Throughout the course of history there have been brave men and women who have fought valiantly for their country. The Germans did it in WWI and WWII as did the Japanese in the South Pacific. The Iraqi’s and the Iranians did it as they fought each other in the Middle East. The Russians did it as they fought against Afghanistan. Palestinians have been at war with Israeli’s for decades both fighting for their respective countries. All across the globe there are men and women heading to the front lines with nothing but their guns and their lives for the sole sake of protecting their country. Are they too Patriots? No, they are not.
Although Patriotism is defined as an allegiance to one’s country, I can’t help but question the very definition in conjunction with the political climate of the aforementioned countries. To me, Patriotism is marked not by an allegiance to a country but rather to an ideal; that being one of Freedom and Liberty. If one fights tooth and nail to protect themselves and their countrymen from exterior forces, what purpose is being served if the individuals fighting for preservation only end up being enslaved by a tyrannical regime? There isn’t any.
Now, I’m not inferring in the least that we as Americans are enslaved by a tyrannical regime (I’ll leave that to the extreme leftwing of the Democratic party). However, it is fair to question the Patriotism of America as well as that of John McCain under a similar premise. And so I ask, what purpose is being served fighting enemies abroad (be they Communists, Islamic extremists or what have you) if we’re not fighting for the preservation of Freedom and Liberty here at home? Again, there isn’t any.
We do not send men and women to fight against Islamic extremists in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia so that the legislature may pass Global Warming initiatives which lower our standard of living by making us purchase $4 light bulbs, pay more for electricity so energy companies can recoup the cost of renewable energy mandates passed by Congress. We do not fight for Freedom and Liberty abroad so that we can pass smoking bans on Private Business owners; declaring their property as existing for that dreaded “public good”. We do not fight for it there so that we can raise taxes, redistribute wealth, increase people’s dependence and reliance upon government here.
No! We fight with our life for one thing and one thing only. We fight with it for nothing else than to live our lives free and liberated from an exterior force of any kind; an exterior force which can come at anytime and from anywhere to compel us against our will.
That my friends is the mark of a Patriot.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
It's really easy, look to the Constitution and you'll see what those who fought for it in the first place put their lives on the line and died for, and you'll know what we should be fighting for today.
I couldn't have said it better.
I agree. McCain's war service was admirable, but not a qualification for President. George McGoveran was a war hero too.
This post was well written, Soapbox. I seem to understand you better when you talk about ideas, whether than people. I guess I'm not as up on politics as I should be and don't even know some of the political people that you mention in some of your posts.
Getting back to this post, though, I agree with you in that when I begin to not agree so much with the direction that our country seems to be headed and that which it appears to now stand for, I begin to wonder what it is that we are fighting for. Safety? That's not enough for me. I don't just want to be safe. I want to live.
And I agree with Daniel Ruwe. Being a war hero and in fact, even a prisoner of war, can actually have some negative effects, for feelings of anger and resentment over a negative experience can actually cause a bias that clouds judgment.
You're absolutely correct. Take for example John McCain's position with respect to "enhanced interrogation techniques" (i.e., waterboarding).
As a POW, John McCain no doubt suffered under extreme conditions. Given those circumstances, he has taken a subjective view on the issue by incorporating his own personal experience into his judgement and assessment on the issue.
Exactly.
Beth will attest that I am, if nothing else, objective.
It pains me that more people aren't. They've sort of adopted an "ends justify the means" sort of ideology.
Don't even get me started on the smoking ban non-sense.
My father calls this "Intellectually Honest". Most people just believe what they want to believe or what best suits their own interests. To be "Intellectually Honest" you have to be willing to see all sides of an issue and refuse to lie to yourself.
Yep. Sounds as if your father is an intelligent man. It is the same thing. If one refuses to adopt this practice. They'll fail in acquiring knowledge.
Post a Comment