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What does patriotism mean to an American? America's founding documents are aflame with the dictates of casting a critical eye towards the whole notion of unquestioning allegiance to any who presume upon those they govern. That was the great sin of the Crown of England. The crown presumed to demand the subservience of its citizens, regardless of the consequences to their own well being.
America's greatest moments, greatest achievements,
celebrated days, were born of the insistence to follow that most American of
instincts: the instinct of the citizenry to over rule it's rulers.
Independence Day was the first such display of that
great treasure and heritage that is the spirit and inward flag of the
American Dream. The dream of a nation ruled by the will of the people who
had the right to partake in the process of self-governance.
The first holiday of the year after the bringing in of
the year is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is a day we celebrate the life
and work, and what it stood for, of a man who felt, along with Patrick
Henry, that death was to be preferred over a life of quietude towards the
injustices of his government.
The second such day, is the celebration of the
birthday of Abraham Lincoln. A president who went to war with half his own
nation.
The third is the celebration of a man who refused to
be King: President Washington.
Memorial Day is the next particularly American
holiday. One which honors those who fell in battle for the preservation of
such ideals.
Labor Day is a day in which to acknowledge the
heritage of working-class heroes who prevailed against both corporate and
government rulers who wished to deny them the right to decide for themselves
the terms of their lives and allegiances.
America is an idea, as much as a land or political
entity. An idea which flies in the face of being a subserviant people. It is
the ideal of a people who know no orders other than those they consent to.
An ideal born of civil disobedience, nurtured and strengthened in the
continued insistence of citizens rights to those freedoms without which our
constitution and history is void of its distinction.
DO NOT clamor to dispel the very spirit of America by
clambering for the quietiude of those who do not question the wisdom of this
president who did not even garner a majority of their votes! If America
stands for anything; If America fights for anything: If America calls for
anything, let it be this: Do not protect our freedoms by taking them away!
Patriotism in America today says to its leaders: You
will NOT take away my rights of privacy, association, movement, speech, or
any other. You will not trample upon the spirit of America by laying the
foundations and infrastructure to take my heritage away! Say no to any and
all attempts to infringe in any way upon the constitutional rights of my
heritage.
(Sorry, the credits for this article got lost...)
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