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Meanwhile, the administration has tried to turn patriotism into nationalism. I fear that combining these two, and monitoring whether citizens are patriotic/nationalistic is the beginning of a dictatorship. I can't help but think about Hitler's takeover in Germany and I fear that this administration is callous enough to do the same type of damage (hopefully not on the same scale).
Edith Garwood, Charlotte Coordinator Palestine Media Watch.
Patriotism is not "my country right or wrong," nor is it supporting your leadership without question. I love this country: the independent, strong people, many aspects of our culture, such as our support of charities. But most of all I'm proud of our Constitution and our respect for the rule of law. Of course our government and people make mistakes, but the majority of us crave justice and therefore most of us respect and strive to maintain civil rights and the rule of law -- not help eat away at it with detrimental laws such as the USA Patriot Act.
The war on Iraq is not a football game. This "if you're not on our team you must be on their team" mentality pushed by this administration is extremely dangerous. A nation that begins to justify torture and other human rights abuses is no longer a nation I recognize. I believe it's this kind of blind following that led to the nationalistic extremes of Hitler, Mussolini, Pinochet, et al.
True American patriots learn their history, vote, keep up with current events (all relative issues local, national, international), and strive to protect our rule of law. These standards are what make our country the greatest, not our military might.
Wally Kluecker, Chair of Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlotte's Social Action Committee.
I think most people accept the word "patriotism" to mean "love of one's country." However, Samuel Johnson made the famous remark that "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." I agree with Clarence Darrow, who said, "True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else."
The right of dissent is a fundamental human right, and it's important to note that it's the first right listed in our Bill of Rights -- the right of assembly, i.e., the right to meet in public, the right to protest. How can exercising a basic human right and a keystone of our country be regarded as anti-American? I used to hear during the Vietnam War those who shouted "Love It Or Leave It." But those who protested against that war loved their country and wanted to stop their fellow countrymen and women from dying in a senseless war. Over 58,000 Americans died in that war. Writer and novelist Barbara Ehrenreich said recently, "No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots."
The US Treasury estimates we lose $70 to $155 billion each year from American corporations taking advantage of offshore tax shelters. Are those American business leaders patriotic? Is lying to the American public about the necessity of invading Iraq, which has so far cost 839 American lives and 5138 Americans wounded, as George W. Bush did, patriotic?
Theodore Roosevelt was famous for his "Speak softly but carry a big stick." Bush has gone a step further: "Talk big and use a big stick." His so-called doctrine of pre-emptive strike is immoral, unethical, a radical departure from previous American policy, and is a fundamental challenge to world peace and stability.
It's hard to image how policies that have led to pre-emptive war, or the flagrant disregard for our Constitution and civil liberties as sanctioned by the Patriot Act, can possibly bring our country closer together.
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