Brain Fertilizer

What is Patriotism?

Marty and I had a minor disagreement in the comments forthis post, and I think my final impression was we simply had different views of what was credible. But later I considered that possibly we understood patriotism itself differently.

Webster's says:

\Pa"tri*ot*ism\, n. [Cf. F. patriotisme.] Love of country; devotion to the welfare of one's country; the virtues and actions of a patriot; the passion which inspires one to serve one's country. --Berkley.

To me, that seems inadequate. Love of country doesn't seem to be enough. We talk of Patriots in the context of war, usually...and patriotism doesn't really seem to be an issue unless we are war.

Here's Princeton's Wordnet definition:

n : love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it

That seems a little closer to the mark, to me, mainly because of the word sacrifice. It's all well and good to claim to want the best for the country, but if what you say is best for the country is what is good for you but to the detriment of others, is it patriotism?

Still, I think the idea of patriotism only makes sense when discussed in the context of war. Can you be patriotic or unpatriotic about taxes? About immigration? About unemployment? My gut reaction is 'no', that those concepts are absolutely unconnected patriotism. To me, patriotism is defense of the country in the face of an enemy who wishes to do harm to our nation. Patriotism is setting aside partisanship to ensure the country is safe.

Under that understanding, can one say John Kerry is being unpatriotic? Perhaps. He certainly leaves himself open to the charge that nobody has made, though, because politics necessitates that he find some way to differentiate himself from President Bush. Personally, I think he's going about it the wrong way...he should insist we are not at war, and so trying to make every decision in the light of a wartime status is ridiculous. He would probably lose that way, but at least the question of patriotism wouldn't be an issue.

Under that same understanding, Ruth Bader Ginsberg isn't being unpatriotic when she wants to ignore the US Constitution and judge laws on the basis of European legal tradition, because it isn't in the context of war. Under that same understanding, A.N.S.W.E.R. is absolutely being unpatriotic because they recognize the war but are trying to make the United States stop defending itself, and as an added byproduct are giving psychological and emotional aid to the enemy. The news coverage by CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, New York Times, and MSNBC are also absolutely unpatriotic, because they absolutely do not defend the United States in their reporting of war. It is entirely possible, simple and easy to present all the facts in an unbiased manner while still demonstrating they are United States citizens defending the United States, but they prefer not to. It doesn't rise to the level of treason, but it certainly not patriotism at all.

But another interesting aspect to the whole question of patriotism is whether it is a state of being or an action. Democrats seem to feel that it is a cheap shot to accuse Sen. Max Cleland of being unpatriotic (although I still assert no such charge was made) because he still bears the wounds of his sacrifice for the country. They seem to think that a past sacrifice is proof against any future lack of patriotism. I absolutely disagree. Sen. Cleland did make the sacrifice, but if he sold secrets to France tomorrow, his wounds and sacrifice would be absolutely meaningless. Kerry may have won a Silver Star and a Purple Heart, but if let foreign nations determine the course of our foreign policy, he would absolutely be selling out the country. Timothy McVeigh served our country during Desert Storm, but few rational citizens of the United States would consider his bombing the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City to be the actions of a patriot.

No one gets a free pass. Each new conflict requires renewed pledges to defend the nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic.