Additional Thoughts on Genuine Patriotism:
Why Real Patriots Embrace Forgotten Civic Virtues
by Col. William Flatt
I know that most people in other parts of the world often mistake American patriotism for a blind sort of allegiance and a kind of arrogance. This is because most people mistakenly believe that patriotism means to support one's government and the formal institutions of one's nation or society. There is a difference, though, between patriotism and blind nationalism. What I just described would be considered blind nationalism.
The meaning of patriotism is best articulated by one of America's better presidents, Teddy Roosevelt: "To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Patriotism means to stand by the country (the Constitution). It does not mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country."
Here's a contraposed quote from a government insider who is an enemy of the US Constitution and our freedom: "The desire for Patriotism [the sovereignty of our nation, our flag, our religious and other freedoms and nationalism] is considered an 'enemy doctrine' ... The US armed forces must be prepared to fight against all who oppose the New World Order and are holding out for nationalism. [namely, militias]
...This new 'warrior class' [of American Patriots] is most dangerous because they consist of those who would fight out of strong religious beliefs. You can't compromise or bargain with these 'warriors'. We in the military need to commit more time to counter these 'warrior' threats...COUPLED WITH IRRESISTABLE VIOLENCE."
-Maj. Ralph Peters, Deputy Chief of Staff, Pentagon Intelligence, Washington DC
Most Americans consider their Patriotism as the love of their land and the people, as opposed to nationalism, which is the love of the government. The government hates patriots because the patriot movement exposes the evils of those who control our government in opposition to the will of 'We the People', the very words at the head of the text to our Constitution. It is this 'Spirit of 1776' embodied in our Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights which people base their patriotism upon. This is the essence of the people of America: desiring to live free and unencumbered. Really, patriotism is more than just love and loyalty to one's land and people. In America, it is love, respect and loyalty to the Constitution.
Regrettably, we do not control our government. When you see how the US federal government treats its' citizens in tragedies like the Ruby Ridge and Waco massacres, and then consider how they capitalized on the tragedy of the Oklahoma City bombing (to pin blame on the patriot movement and scare people away), when one examines the federal government's role in helping both World Trade Center attacks (1993 & 2001); it becomes clear that the US federal government is as much the enemy of the American people as it is the enemy of the people of the whole world. In fact, most western governments are also a part of this same enslavement of the people...
The USA, for example, is mainly to blame for the death of millions of people in countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Chile and Panama; and for installing military dictatorships in places like Brasil and Guatemala. For those who are not Americans, they tell me that American values seem to lose their validity behind the borders of the United States. It is clear to them that all the rhetoric about freedom and justice and liberty rings hollow when weighed against the actions of the federal administration.
Bush had it right when he spoke of the need for "regime change" in removing Saddam Hussein from power, but we need regime change here, not just in Iraq! The Bible speaks plainly about removing the plank from one's own eye before attempting to remove a splinter from someone else's. In the case of regime change, Americans need to weigh the need for regime change here, first! Bush gave us a Nazi-style police state with the horrendously misnamed 'USA Patriot Act', and now get ready for 'Patriot Act 2', which promises even more tyranny than the first...
President Bush has failed to pass muster according to Teddy Roosevelt's standard. Also the fact that Clinton, George Bush Sr., Reagan, Carter, Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson have ALL failed to pass muster as well!!
A century of bad leadership is the result of two possibilities which are not necessarily mutually exclusive: either the American people have abandoned patriotism or our electoral process has been hijacked. Although there is abundant evidence that the latter is true, what about the patriotic sensibilities of the American people?? Have we become so addled that we vainly accept style over substance? Likely. Have we become so complacent as to not care about who runs the country at all? Absolutely!!
I'll give you an example in this month's primary election here in Indiana: One candidate won because only 0.66% of registered voters turned out to actually exercise this precious constitutional Right. In most other places, polls reported a total turnout of anywhere from 4 to 8 percent of all registered voters. This was a record-setting low! Nationally, voter turnout was equally dismal. In practical terms, this means that the foundations of political power in this country (which starts at the local and state levels) are controlled by a very small minority. They in turn decide who casts electoral votes in federal elections... This pathetic travesty is surpassed only by the voter who comes to the polls not knowing who they are really voting for, especially the "straight party ticket" voter. These people are more dangerous to freedom than all the bad polititicians elected by them, because as long as you have bad voters you will have bad politicians!
So who is to blame? We are, as a whole. Our generations have been caught sleeping on our watch. Can we fix it? Yes, if we commit to reversing the bad habits that have caused the moral, political, and social decline in our nation thus far. I believe that it begins with a genuine adoption of the old patriotic spirit and a love for honest learning that made this country great. We must abandon the blind nationalism and hollow patriotic spirit that sold millions of car-window-mounted flags in the wake of 9/11. Flying a flag is nationalism, not patriotism; but more than that, it is the easy expression of a lazy citizen. Anyone can fly a flag, but not everyone has the guts to defend what that flag stands for. Cowardice and laziness are words not found in the dictionary of a patriot.
It also begins with realizing that there are some, like Major Ralph Peters, who have views and aims that are alien to the language of liberty. As long as we have people like him in charge, illegal aliens streaming across our borders with alien values and priorities, and a population that is (at best) capable of only maintaining a blind patriotism, we are in for a very long hard road.
Fortunately, real patriots do not shirk responsibility. They engage obstacles with zeal. They do not give up when the going gets tough. When adversity besets us, the fair-weather patriots are weeded out. Real Patriots may be a small minority, but they are like a mouse that roars like a lion and leaves the footprint of an elephant! All we need to do is educate our fellow Americans and activate the motivational spirit. The rest will, by the Grace of God, come naturally - and we will get our Republic back.
Why? Because Major Peters is right - we who are patriots are Real-Americans firmly rooted in our Christian faith. We cannot be subverted with dialectical materialism. We cannot be indoctrinated because we are self-educated. You can't compromise or bargain with us because we will not surrender that which was given to us by our Creator; it is not ours to give away. However, we will fight to keep it!
