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... patriotism and how terms are twisted, perhaps he should at least be aware that others have already exposed what he defines:
"Naturally, the common people don’t want war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine the 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."
— Leading Nazi leader, Hermann Goering
"When a whole nation is roaring Patriotism at the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and the purity of its heart."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Conceit, arrogance and egotism are the essentials of patriotism. Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those who had the fortune of being born on some particular spot, consider themselves better, nobler, grander, more intelligent than the living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is, therefore, the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill, and die in the attempt to impose his superiority upon all others."
— Emma Goldman
"Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious."
— Oscar Wilde
"The National Government will regard it as its first and foremost duty to revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation. It will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built. It regards Christianity as the foundation of our national morality, and the family as the basis of national life."
— Adolph Hitler, Proclamation to the German nation at Berlin, February 1, 1933
"Patriotism is a kind of religion; it is the egg from which wars are hatched." --- Guy De Maupassant
Now, if ol' Pete had thought a bit and read a bit, what he describes as patriotism is actually a kind of reactionary nationalism, as the above suggest.
Now, here's some of those "liberal" redefinitions of patriotism I kind of like:
"What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility ... a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."
--Adlai Stevenson
"No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots."
--Barbara Ehrenreich
"'My country, right or wrong' is a thing no patriot would ever think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying 'My mother, drunk or sober.'"
--G.K. Chesterton
"The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naïve and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair."
--H.L. Mencken
"During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism."
--Howard Thurman
"Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country's virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, `the greatest,' but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is."
--Sydney Harris
Too bad ol' Pete thinks mindlessly going off to war at the whim of evil actors and bashing queers is a sign of greatness. It merely proves the point that he has no notion of what patriotism is.
Cheers.
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