IHT has an interesting article (thx b5) out of the East Bay exploring the phenomenon that was very apparent on election night: a new-found patriotism for some Americans. It discusses how many liberals are now not so embarrassed to sport American flags and might even learn the words to the Star-Spangled Banner. Maybe this is a good thing. One of my biggest dislikes of the American left is not for their criticism of lousy government policy, but rather their open sympathies towards enemies of American ideals. During the Bush years, we have been treated to a host of American celebrities schmoozing with Venezuela's thug-in-chief, a consistent misrepresentation of events in Iraq to make America look worse than it was, and even many pro-terrorist type festivities that persist to this day. These are examples of a radical element of the left, and, likewise, there are a large number of knuckleheads on the right reading The Turner Diaries as gospel and jerking off to outrageous government conspiracies. But, I have been incredibly disapointed by the mainstream left's inability to ostracize these blatantly anti-American elements from cultural influence.
So, maybe the newfound patriotism can end this corrosive element of politics that actively seeks to take down America by aligning with her enemies. We are lucky to live in a nation that was founded on a set of principles by some very intelligent people instead of just whatever warlord happened to rise to power. But, like Benjamin Franklin said, we're "a republic if you can keep it..."
08 January 2009
The New Patriotism and People Proud of Their Country for the First Time
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I almost puked today when i was in Walgreens and next to the 50% off Christmas lights they had a wall of Obama baseball hats with that gay red, white and blue, setting sun logo.
Liberals are always happy to send "someone else's son/daughter" not that their proud of their country again, maybe they'll put on the uniform and learn how to shoot a M-16 again.
Wow, I read through that conspiracy link. Sure, the DoD declassified a TS doc that laid out plans to bomb DC with hijacked planes less than 7 years after 9-11. Cause, we often declassify stuff really soon like that. Please, the Kennedy files are still classified IIRC. That was over 40 years ago. How do people buy this shit?
On topic, maybe the left will see that the USA rocks.
Pro-American flag fashion is anti-fashion and should not be confused with fashion.
subrookie, are you nuts??
how many richie conservatives are sending their kids off to fight? that's just a bullshit statement.
bush was and is an embarrassment of a president. and the right-wing highjacked the flag, the flag lapel pin, and patriotism in general, after 9/11. it became an empty gesture for many after bush turned revenge for 9/11 into his personal quest for revenge against saddam..
Cathcatz,
I remember a lot of people warning about the dangers of patriotism (like we were going to revert to nazi Germany) and how we needed to understand terrorists, blah blah. This was way before Iraq was even being talked about. So the patriotism and its opponents are not necessarily a by-product of the Bush years.
"how many richie conservatives are sending their kids off to fight? that's just a bullshit statement."
I'm certain that number is higher than the richie liberal contingent. Besides, I'm not sure I want a richie anyone leading soldiers in combat to prove a point about which richie side is serving more.
i think labeling pro-Palestinian protesters and the media bias as anti-American is WAY off. the media is reporting blood and guts and bad guys way more often than schools and politics and good guys, because of what people want to hear - maybe you should blame the media bias on Americans' demand for gore and destruction on the evening news. either way you look at it, it's not anti-American.
dissension is one of the highest forms of patriotism, and to call people anti-American, or to think that they're taking down America just for talking with bad guys or sympathizing with a militant group halfway around the world, doesn't make sense to me. sean penn isn't gonna take down capitalism by meeting up with a socialist. and those "queers for palestine" nutjobs aren't gonna change U.S. foreign policy towards israel - but they're making their voice heard, and their opinion may be against U.S. policies, but fuck it - as long as they're not blowing shit up it's fine by me.
sorry for the rant, but you pushed my buttons!
LT, when did you hear those warnings? the patriotism fervor wasn't really an issue until after 9/11. and last i checked, that was bush's term.
and this notion of "understanding terrorists" isn't all that crazy. it was all so avoidable and it goes back to bush sr. the day they decided to create a permanent military base on their holiest of lands, was the day they decided to erradicate the american way of life. this war they have going against us isn't just because we are americans, its because our government keeps thumbing its nose at their way of life. we weren't the target of extreme islam until we set up that base and pissed a whole culture off.
and subrookie, maybe i should have left out the "richie" designation because most familes with money are able to send their kids to college. it's the poor kids who need to find a way to get that education or simply a job, who are most susceptible to the recruiters. and look at those statistics. where do the recruiters set up shop? who do they go after the most? it isn't suburban and rural white kids. and you can't tell me that with the results of this past election, that the majority of new military recruits would be the type to vote republican.
M/Cathcatz,
Then what would their motivation be to sympathize with terrorists? It's hardly trying to understand them in a scholarly sense, and their love affair is merely because certain groups are anti-american. Why else would a mass murderer like Che rise to power. It's very juvenile of them, but some peopel just don't grow up.
it's the poor kids who need to find a way to get that education or simply a job, who are most susceptible to the recruiters. and look at those statistics. where do the recruiters set up shop? who do they go after the most? it isn't suburban and rural white kids.
You act as if military service is a bad thing, it has straightened a lot of people out, both rich and poor.
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