Saturday, June 21, 2008

What is a Patriot?

There is a website, www.ProBush.com, that defines a "patriot" in the following way:

"Patriot: If you support our presidents decisions you are a patriot."

The website also defines a traitor in the following way:

"Traitor: If you do not support our President's decisions you are a traitor."

My response to the owner of this website is as follows:

In the Greek language, the word "patrida" means "country". The word "Patrioti" means someone from the father land, a "patriot", where "patris" is derived from the word "father". In a nutshell, a patriot is a fellow countryman, one who is proud of his country, its heritage, etc.

Being proud of one's country, the land, the people, the culture, the heritage--this is what it means to be a patriot. A patriot would die for his country--more specifically, he would die to protect his land, his heritage, his culture, etc.

America's heritage is unique in the world. Though this land was populated by immigrants who have contributed their own individual European, Asian and other heritage, the mixture of all their heritages comprise what is known worldwide today as the uniquely American culture.

Another thing that distinguishes America and sets it apart from every other nation in the world, is our Constitution. America was the first nation to adopt the notion of liberty, non-interventionism, free trade and capitalism. Our Founding Fathers left their brutal European governments to start fresh with a different type of government--one that is the opposite of that which they fled from--kings, despots, monarchs, dictators, tyrants and totalitarians.

The uniquely American heritage is one where the government is the servant of the People, not the European way of the populace being the property of the State. While private property, individualism, Capitalism and the Free Market are uniquely American qualities, Socialism, Communism, Fascism and all other forms of Collectivism and Statism are firmly un-American.

The Supreme Law of the land is the Constitution. The Constitution is the only document that protects the People from the tyranny of government. So important is this document, that every politician--from the lowliest to the President--must swear an oath to uphold and protect this document under any and all circumstances. The contents of the Constitution, which guarantees our liberties, can never be infringed upon. This is universally understood.

The Constitution is clear, that when a government endangers the Constitution by infringing upon the liberties expressed within it, that the People have the right and a moral obligation to overthrow that government. Tyranny is the result of a government that no longer believes in the Constitution, and wants to anull it.

To disagree with the views of the President is not unpatriotic. It is patriotic. For when a President ignores the Law, disregards the Constitution as "just another goddamn piece of paper", all Americans are in danger of losing that great American heritage. When a President and his government enact laws and pass bills that go against the Constitution, they are going against America and all it stands for. The government then becomes unpatriotic, un-American. The Constitution tells us that we the People have the right and moral obligation to reverse this danger to America.

As a patriotic American, one who appreciates America, its heritage and culture and history, I wonder in disbelief at your definition of a patriot:

"Patriot: If you support our presidents decisions you are a patriot."

Someone who supports a government no matter what that government does, is a fool. A true patriot is one who places the Constitution above all laws, above all politicians, and above all Presidents. Any President who abandons the American Constitution is abandoning America, and this is un-patriotic.

We--and there are many of us proud Americans, who do not tolerate attacks against the Constitution, for it is an attack against America--We need to remove the Statists from power, to remove socialism and fascism from our government; to bring about the Founding Father's ideal of a laissez-faire capitalist free market economy; to engage in free trade with all nations, while not entangling us in their business.

The tragedy of September 11, 2001, was payback. It was, as the CIA has admitted, "blow back" for our foreign policy of committing terrorism all over the world. This was revenge for our part in the death and misery we have inflicted on other nations. We have deposed leaders of sovereign nations, instituted regime change, we've trained terrorists, and have supported terrorists who have oppressed and killed hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people worldwide. And our leaders have the audacity to think we proud patriotic Americans are stupid enough to believe that "they hate us because of our freedoms." No, they hate us because we have become a global bully, a sponsor of terrorism, and a global military empire, with troops stationed in 137 countries. If other nations had deposed our leaders and forced troops onto American soil, we'd be outraged. So why is it OK when we do it to others? Hence, nine-eleven.

No, many Americans are too smart for Big Brother's propaganda. If we support a President who cares little for the Constitution then we are not patriots.

Let's be true American patriots and start demanding the government protect and uphold the Constitution they swore and oath to.

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