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Because of some of my blog postings about the ineptitude/corruption of our government I have occasionally been accused of being less than patriotic. Those who know me best know I am either too old, too stupid, or too patriotic, to care about what some people think. Besides, patriotism isn’t about the love of one’s government. It is about the love of one’s country. And while there may be millions of people who love this country as much as I do, I m comfortable in saying that nobody loves it more. The definition of patriotism is: Devotion to, and vigorous support of, one’s country. There is no mention of devotion, or support of, one’s government.

Most of the time patriotic behavior is obvious. The actions of our Founding Fathers and the soldiers(?) who followed them into war against the greatest military power on earth certainly meet the definition. Abraham Lincoln’s patriotic belief in the good of our country allowed him the courage to push for the end of slavery. He understood the future of our country depended on the existence of ONE country, the United States. American patriotism was on full display as millions of men signed up to secure the freedom of future generations, as we entered WWII. Women gave up their homemaker status and went to work in factories that produced the hardware necessary to win that war. Those who went to Korea, Vietnam, and the conflicts that followed displayed their love for their country, even when their government was less than honest about the reasons for their sacrifices. Right now we are witnessing patriotism on a national scale in Ukraine. Men and women of all ages have taken up arms to defend their homeland. Whether you agree with their government or not, you have to agree the people love, and are willing to die for, their country. I could post dozens of pages in multiple blogs highlighting the obvious patriotism of countless people, Americans and otherwise. But there are patriotic acts that are equally courageous but not so obvious.

Too often our government doesn’t do what is constitutionally required of it. Sometimes it refuses to do what the law dictates. Thomas Jeffers0on once said: “The execution of the laws is more important than the making of them.” When that happens it is the responsibility of the governed, the citizens, to stand against a derelict, even tyrannical, government. That was the case when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her stance took courage, but it was also patriotic. It forced the government to examine a failure in its promise of equality to all American people. Equally brave, and patriotic, were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. These two women were instrumental in demanding the passage of a constitutional amendment that finally gave women the right to vote. This was long overdue, and made the U.S. a more equal place. The leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. led to the passage of civil rights laws that were responsible for removing most of the barriers that kept all men from being equal. His persistence was responsible for keeping the greatest nation on earth to its promise of searching for a more perfect union. Remember that the promise was not to form a perfect union, but a more perfect union.

Patriots have been surfacing all over the U.S. for the last six months to a year. Thanks to the COVID-19 lockdowns parents had the opportunity to see first hand some of the harmful lessons being taught to their children. Parents weren’t happy once they learned their children were being called terrible names by some of their teachers. How could 8 year old white children be guilty of being racist oppressors? It is equally abhorrent to suggest 8 year old black children could be helpless victims. Parents were appalled by the sexually explicit books that were on shelves in K-12 libraries. With this information in hand, they began uniting. They confronted school boards with questions about why their children were being indoctrinated with such repugnant lessons. When told they were mistaken, they presented actual lesson plans. They were told that sexually explicit books were not available in their schools. But when parents began quoting from those library books, school boards admonished them for reading the books aloud because the material, they said, was inappropriate for young people who might be streaming the meeting online!? Really? They didn’t seem to get the irony of their comments. Even when the Department of Justice called on the FBI to surveil parents as potential “domestic terrorists” patriotic parents moved forward. They have successfully recalled board members in multiple schools. They are recruiting candidates to run against board members who support these harmful practices. If we choose to not be front line patriots, the least we can do is support their efforts. We must work to find out who these people are locally. We must learn which candidates they support, and vote for them when they run for office.

There are other issues that are screaming out for patriots to get involved. I will discuss them individually in future blogs. The USA is not perfect. But it is the good! Remember, the Preamble to the Constitution says, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, . . . ” There was never a presumption of perfection. It was clear from day one that we would be striving for a more perfect union. Notice that it said, We the People. It didn’t say the government of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union. Government is the cause of our problems. It is up to We the People to hold our government responsible for cleaning up the messes it creates. In spite of the name calling, I will continue to call out our government when it fails its citizens. I hope you will keep reading my work. Then pass it along to others who might benefit from reading it. Thank you, Bob