Posted on 10/20/2004 12:43:07 PM PDT by CHARLITE
A True American Patriot…
Written by JB Williams
©2004-10-20
The word patriot seems to get tossed around a lot today. Nearly everyone claims the title, especially anyone running for public office. But the word patriot has one of the shortest, most precise definitions in the English language, and I suspect that’s so, to avoid mistaking who actually qualifies and who doesn’t…
The definition of patriot is simply, “One who loves, supports, and defends one's country”, and being one is just as simple, though not always easy…
To avoid any confusion on this matter, or any appearance of bias, we better define a few other words while we are at it. Love, “To have a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward, to have a feeling of intense desire and attraction toward, to have an intense emotional attachment.”
Support, “To bear the weight of, especially from below, to hold in position so as to keep from falling, sinking, or slipping.” Defend, “To make or keep safe from danger, attack, or harm.”
Now I realize that everyone is under the impression that because they are an American, they are by default, a patriot. I realize that I am about to offend many new patriots by pointing out the fact that they just don’t qualify for the title.
But there are many in America who actually do qualify for the title of patriot, and they have been offended by the misuse of this term for years, so I don’t really care who is offended by the facts now…
If one does not love America, can they be a patriot? Unfortunately, not every American loves America today. America is not just a piece of real estate, a territory, a spot on the globe. It is a way of life, a set of beliefs, an ideology of its own. There is but one appropriate definition for America, and that is the definition established in 1776.
Everything that America has become since then, it has become as a direct result of that definition, those set of principles, that ideology. Those who look to change these foundational principles, our Right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, our free market economy, our free speech, our freedom of religion and religious expression, these people do not love America, and they are not American patriots.
If one claims to love America, but does not support America, can they be a patriot? No they can not. When someone says they support our military, but not their mission, is this possible? We should have learned the most important lesson of all from Vietnam, it’s not possible. You either support the men and their mission, or regardless of your twisted words, your actions will undermine the efforts of those you claim to support.
Regardless of ones personal opinion, often based on emotion rather than the facts, once our troops have been committed to battle, a true patriot’s voice of dissent goes silent. There is always time to second guess the decision later, once our men and women in harms way are home, safe and sound. Until then, a patriot understands that the only way they can support the troops in harms way, is to provide all necessary financial, tactical, emotional and spiritual support available, to the success of their mission…It’s that simple!
If one claims to love and support America, but refuses to defend America, can they be a patriot? This is perhaps the most complex question of all, but the answer is still no.
Defend can mean a lot of things, from the taking up of arms in defense, to defending one’s nation in their speech. During the Vietnam era, dissent and refusal to defend our nation’s interests became a twisted form of false patriotism. It was America’s first “unpopular” war, not that war is ever popular, or preferred by any of us.
The only similarities between the current mission in Iraq and the Vietnam War are that once again, some feel they can support their troops while undermining their mission. It is again an unpopular war, and that’s because like Vietnam, it is being fought on our TV screens…
But the point is, in order to be a patriot, one must demonstrate love, support and defense of their country.
Many who call themselves patriots in America today may in fact be patriots, but not American patriots. If they love, support and defend ideas and ideologies that are not American, they may be patriots, but not to America…
In the good old days, we called things by their rightful name. Someone who believed in complete government control of assets for the good of all people was called a communist. People who believed in limited economic and social freedom for the betterment of society were called socialists.
Today, these terms are no longer fashionable. The parties, the ideology, the agenda is still alive and well, but it operates under a friendlier name, progressive…
Progressive, “Moving forward; advancing, proceeding in steps; continuing steadily by increments, promoting or favoring progress toward better conditions or new policies, ideas, or methods.” Sounds good right, but anyone who knows what these alleged “new ideas” are, knows that there is nothing progressive about them.
Communism and socialism have been around a very long time, they are hardly new ideas. They have an endless track record of failure around the globe, and they are always connected to corruption and tyranny, mans dominion over man. There is nothing progressive about it!
So is it possible to be both patriotic and progressive in these terms? Again, you might be a patriot, but not an American patriot…
Make no mistake, people who look at the evil of Saddam Hussein, France, Germany and Russia’s protection of Hussein, the UN’s oil for food scam, the massive efforts to undermine our troops mission in the Middle East, or Dan Rather’s feeble attempt to smear a sitting President using forged government documents, and see America as the evil doer, are NOT patriots, at least not American patriots…
It’s America…you can call yourself a patriot if you want, but the rest of us know better!
JB Williams Political Columnist www.JB-Williams.com JBW@JB-Williams.com
You hit the nail on the head
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.