PATRIOTIC - When Citizens Worry what TO be Called
By Kevin Roeten (07/30/07)
Too many are worried that they won't be labeled as 'patriotic'. This has to be the first time there's been anxiety about not being called a name. For this, it's best to consult the experts. The 11th Edition of Merriam-Webster's unabridged collegiate dictionary is one of the foremost resources of what 'patriotism' is. Its definition is "one who loves her/his country and supports its authority and interests."
Now it’s true that definitions of words have changed over the years. What about “phat”, or “ginormous”? But some words never change, or at least shouldn’t. Some dictionaries have even tried to flow with the ‘times’ and try define words as many people do in the 21st century. We have gotten to the position where one might not agree with its leaders, may not agree with its troops, might not agree with the administration’s outlook, but wants to continue living in America, so they ‘consider’ themselves patriotic.
It’s true that the writer was not patriotic during the Clinton administration. He did not agree with the leadership, the administration, its policies, its actions—but he still loved America and wanted to be part of it. But he was not patriotic.
Some simple rules of patriotism everyone should keep close to their heart. You are NOT patriotic if you display the American flag upside down(if you are not in trouble). You are not patriotic if you burn, or agree with burning, the American flag in public. You are NOT patriotic if you believe that many in the current administration should be impeached because of misappropriation of power. You are not patriotic if it’s OK to kill Americans, just so long as it isn’t you, or any close family member. And you are not patriotic if you think the administration has some sort of clandestine effort to usurp your rights, to work with only those companies in it for the money and does not have the American citizen’s best interests in mind.
Any one of those conditions meets your outlook?
But you are likely patriotic if you do one or all of the below. You have the American flag raised somewhere around your house yearlong. You send items to the USO to give to the troops that are fighting, you stand up and put your hand to your breast when the American flag passes you by during a 4th of July parade(especially if you’re confined to a wheelchair because you were hurt in a war), you thank a serviceperson when you see them in an airport, you realize that religion(the belief in a Supreme Being) must be included in government because that’s what most of the Founding Fathers believed at the start of the Union, and you uphold the existing Declaration and Constitution--without interpretation.
The above list of actions is not all-inclusive. But a quick perusal of the stated conditions will give you some sort of indication as to whether patriotic applies. If you believe in ‘dumbing’-down a truly descriptive adjective, if you are hurt because the term does not apply to you, or if you want to obliterate and downplay the meaning of a highly important word, you can definitely be put into a particular classification.
Kevin Roeten
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