Thoughts on Patriorism

A good deal of controversy has been brewing the past few months over the patriotism of Barack Obama.  Much has been made over whether or not he wears an American Flag pin on his lapel, whether or not he repeats the Pledge of Allegiance, and whether or not he places his hand over his heart when the National Anthem is played.

Patriotism is more than the wearing of a symbol or the making of a physical gesture.  It is the inculcation in one’s life of the determination to take steps to insure the safety, preservation, and supremacy of one’s country.

One is not unpatriotic by disagreeing with the political party in power… whether it is with the executive or legislative branches of the government.

One is unpatriotic by failing to exercise one’s voice in vote, speech, assembly, and petition in seeking changes in the direction of the leadership, if one feel’s that such leadership is following an incorrect path.

No one was more of a supporter of taking out Saddam Hussein than me.  He was a vile and evil human being, and if anyone deserved to be removed from power in the last half of the 20^th century, it was him.  However, I avidly disagreed with the totally inept plan of the Bush Administration to deal with the Iraqi people after the conclusion of the “combat” phase of the war.  The Bush-Rumsfeld strategy of “occupation” has cost many, many lives that could have been spared had Georgie Bush and Donnie Rumsfeld just been present in class that day in high school when the teacher talked about Islam and the Middle Eastern mindset!  They weren’t and their absenteeism was paid for in excessive loss of American lives.

It is clear that Georgie Bush is going to leave Iraq to his successor.  If that successor should change course, will all the Bushites, who have supported the current administration, suddenly become unpatriotic?  Certainly not!

With respect to Barack Obama’s patriotism, his exhibition of it is not what I would like to see, but I can’t say with certainty that he doesn’t possess it, no more than I can say that Pope Benedict’s religion is lacking, just because I don’t agree with his religious denomination.