Ron Paul for President 2008

Oct. 12, 2007 - Patriotism

-America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
Alexis de Tocqueville

These are quotes from Memoirs of a Superflous Man by Albert Jay Nock

"I am profoundly thankful that during my formative years I never had contact with any institution under State control; not in school, not in college, nor yet in my three years of irregular graduate study. No attempt was ever made by anyone to indoctrinate me with State-inspired views — or any views, for that matter — of patriotism or nationalism. I was never dragooned into flag-worship or hero-worship, never was caught in any spate of verbiage about duty to one's country, never debauched by any of the routine devices hatched by scoundrels for inducing a synthetic devotion to one's native land and loyalty to its jobholders. Therefore when later the various aspects of contemporary patriotism and nationalism appeared before me, my mind was wholly unprepossessed, and my view of them was unaffected by any emotional distortion."

"What is patriotism? Is it loyalty to a spot on a map, marked off from others spots by blue or yellow lines, the spot where one was born? But birth is a pure accident; surely one is in no way responsible for having been born on this spot or on that. Flaubert had poured a stream of corrosive irony on this idea of patriotism. Is it loyalty to a set of political jobholders, a king and his court, a president and his bureaucracy, a parliament, a congress, a Duce or Fuhrer, a camorra of commissars? I should say it depends entirely on what the jobholders are like and what they do. Certainly I had never seen any who commanded my loyalty; I should feel utterly degraded if ever once I thought they could. Does patriotism mean loyalty to a political system and its institutions, constitutional, autocratic, republican, or what-not? But if history has made anything unmistakably clear, it is that from the standpoint of the individual and his welfare, these are no more than names. The reality which in the end they are found to cover is the same for all alike. If a tree be known by its fruits, which I believe is regarded as good sound doctrine, then the peculiar merit of a system, if it has any, ought to be reflected in the qualities and conditions of the people who live under it; and looking over the peoples and systems of the world, I found no reason in the nature of things why a person should be loyal to one system rather than another. One could see at a glance that there is no saving grace in any system. Whatever merit or demerit may attach to any of them lies in the way it is administered.

"So when people speak of loyalty to one's country, one must ask them what they mean by that. What is one's country? Mr. Jefferson said contemptuously that 'merchants have no country; the mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.' But one may ask, why should I? This motive of patriotism seems to me perfectly sound, and if it should be sound for merchants, why not for others who are not merchants? If it holds good in respect of material gains, why not of spiritual gains, cultural gains, intellectual and aesthetic gains? As a general principle, I should put it that a man's country is where the things he loves are most respected. Circumstances may have prevented his ever setting foot there, but it remains his country."

Ron Paul-

"I accept the definition of patriotism as that effort to resist oppressive state power. The true patriot is motivated by a sense of responsibility, and out of self interest -- for himself, his family, and the future of his country -- to resist government abuse of power. He rejects the notion that patriotism means obedience to the state.

Loyalty to the state and to autocratic leaders is substituted for true patriotism—that is, a willingness to challenge the state and defend the country, the people, and the culture. The more difficult the times, the stronger the admonition becomes that the leaders be not criticized.

The true patriot challenges the state when the state embarks on enhancing its power at the expense of the individual. Without a better understanding and a greater determination to reign in the state, the rights of Americans that resulted from the revolutionary break from the British and the writing of the Constitution, will disappear.

Let not those who love the power of the welfare/warfare state label the dissenters of authoritarianism as unpatriotic or uncaring. Patriotism is more closely linked to dissent than it is to conformity and a blind desire for safety and security. Understanding the magnificent rewards of a free society makes us unbashful in its promotion, fully realizing that maximum wealth is created and the greatest chance for peace comes from a society respectful of individual liberty."

As a Believer, my true citizenship is not tied to any earthly domain. My second birth made me a future resident of a heavenly city. My city's builder and maker is God. My leader is truly worthy of my devotion and worship- His righteousness does inspire my loyalty. I can trust that all things will be just. Being a patriot of Heaven will be no grievous chore.

But, for now, I sojourn in the land of my first birth. I long to be an enthusiastic patriot, but I find the aspect sorrowful. America has ceased to be great, because she has ceased to be good- millions of babies murdered every year with the permission of our elected officials; perversion and lasciviousness on every corner; apathy and self-interest becoming the hallmark of American culture. Can I be a patriot of this enviroment?

So, I find myself leaning towards a combined definition of patriotism. According to Nock, my patriotism can and should be focused on any place that encompasses what I hold most dear- righteousness, goodness, courage, kindness, generosity, peace, long-suffering, beauty, industry, inventiveness, justice, forgiveness, liberty, mercy and grace. As things stand, there is no earthly country, even America, that can inspire my loyalty based on these things.

And that's where Dr. Paul's definition of patriotism becomes relevant. If I'm to be a true patriot of my homeland, it is my responsibility to do all that I can to steer America back to the path on which she began. As a true patriot, I have the obligation to dissent from and challenge my leaders- openly, consistently and continuously- when their lies, greed and machinations threaten all that is still right and good. When they trample the law of our land and take away our freedoms in the name of security, it is my patriotic duty to call them out and challenge their right to do so. I can not sit and repine about how America is losing her virtue- that's the path of murmurers, complainers and cowards. I must stand, prepare for sacrifice, and be ready to engage the enemy.

And I must be willing to do this alone or with a host beside me- comrades similarly occupied in exposing the deceitfulness in which our country has been deluged.

My hope is that there are still more true patriots in our country, than not. I believe that the usurpers bent on gaining power and lining their pocketbooks are still out-numbered by those who want to live in a country that is still "the land of the free and the home of the brave".

About Me

********No, I'm not Dr. Ron Paul, but I am his biggest fan. There is no other 2008 Presidential Candidate more dedicated to protecting the rights of parents to educate their children without government influence than Texas Congressman, Dr. Ron Paul. www.RonPaul2008.com

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