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Aug 31, 2004 I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what patriotism means to us American’s and how we have somehow fallen away from it’s true meaning with the angry and hostile language regarding our brave and gallant men and women that are serving and have served this country. Why has our current Administration attacked Senator John Kerry? There is no disputing his service to his country during the Vietnam War. So why rake him over the coals? To be sure that we are all working from the same page I’ve elected to use the definition from www.m-w.com for patriotism and it is as follows; Main Entry: pa•tri•ot•ism Pronunciation: 'pA-trE-&-"ti-z&m, chiefly British 'pa- Function: noun : love for or devotion to one's country That is very succinct. Why then has George W. Bush decided to attack John Kerry’s love and devotion for his country when his (W’s) love and devotion of self preservation got him a deferment into the National Guard? And what about Cheney, who got a record five deferments during the Vietnam War? What does that say about their patriotism or lack thereof? Hermann Goering said “Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” quote verified at snopes.com Isn’t this the very premise that W uses every time he needs to get a leg up and start a fire some place around the globe? What has his version of patriotism to do with this ridiculous war with Iraq? Where were those persnickety WMD’s he spoke so piously about? Haven’t we killed enough people in the name of patriotism to last a lifetime? Theodore Roosevelt said it best when he said “To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. “(1918) I select to stand apart from our current President and his administration and extol the virtues of peace, prosperity, and patriotism. I think that his false premises for war have shown that he is perhaps the least patriotic of all. I invite congress to censure W for his wrong doing, misleading statements and actions. I plead to them to help bring us back on track with our allies and the rest of the world! The only way this can be accomplished is with a regime change. Reference: www.m-w.com www.wisdomquotes.com www.snopes.com ------------ About the author: Michelle Malsbury was born and raised in Champaign, Illinois. She attended Parkland College and the University of Illinois before graduating from the University of Phoenix with her degree in Business Management. Currently she is working on her master’s degree in Organizational Management while concurrently pursuing her lofty writing ambitions. Ms. Malsbury moved to south Florida in 1983 and resides between the Keys and Apalachicola, allowing her to experience the seasonal fluctuations between the southernmost and nearly northernmost beauty in the state of Florida. Travels have taken her from Europe through the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and across much of the United States. Michelle has been a bartender, real estate agent, flight attendant, beauty contestant, yacht broker, and commodities broker over the years, but writing is her passion. She enjoys outdoor activities like sailing, waterskiing, hiking, bike riding, working out, and fishing as well as reading, music, theatre, playing with her two amusing pets (Abu Chez, her 6 year old Australian Blue Heeler and Zack, her two year old yellow tabby cat) and writing. Michelle is a regular featured author on the web site Useless-Knowledge.com and enjoys exchanging points of view with her comrades there. “Three Years With Adonis” is the first to be published of several books that she has written and will be available early, to mid, 2005. In addition to “Three Years With Adonis”, she has authored four other books and three screenplays while continuing to explore all that life hands her. Email Michelle Malsbury: abuchez@mchsi.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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