Patriotism
What is patriotism? A dictionary definition might be “the love of
or devotion to one’s own country.” That
might be expanded to include the institutions which are basic to that country. And further, it might include things that serve to represent
that country.
That Constitution guarantees
the right of free expression and this opens the gateway to many different
interpretations of what “the Republic for which it stands” actually means. Are adherents of some of these differing
interpretations less patriotic than those who interpret them differently? Certainly not.
All are entitled to honor the flag, and consequently, the “Republic
for which it stands,” even if their ideas of what that Republic is, or should
be, differ. But those of one belief are
not entitled to claim to be more patriotic than others believing otherwise,
no matter how closely they associate themselves with things that represent the
country, such as the American flag.
Wrapping oneself in the flag,
or having many of them fluttering in the background, doesn’t make anyone more
patriotic than if the flags weren’t there.
And using the flag to hide unpatriotic ideas is wrong. Traditionally, soapbox orators in New York’s
Union Square Park have a flag posted on their platform. That doesn’t necessarily make what they are
saying patriotic, but it does celebrate the Constitution’s First Amendment,
allowing them to speak there.
The misguided thugs
who invaded the Capitol during the Trump-inspired insurrection on January 6, in
an effort to prevent the Electoral College votes from being certified, draped themselves
in American flags, to give their unpatriotic acts the appearance
of legitimacy. They
were a disgrace to those flags, and “to the Republic for which they stand.” Some carried the Confederate flag with them,
representing sedition and insurrection, further debasing any patriotism on
their part. Yet,
they thought themselves to be patriots in some perverted way.
Look around you. Notice the American flag on the shoulders of
many Americans other than government employees identifying them as such. Notice the flag decals on the helmets of
college and professional football players.
Look at the flags, often very large, flying from the sides of pick-up
trucks. What does that have to do with
patriotism? What do they stand for? Sometimes
it gives legitimacy to individuals who are not patriotic at all and think the
flag represents their ideas exclusively.
In an incident during the recent presidential campaign, vehicles
attempting to drive a Biden campaign bus off the road were draped in American
flags. They were not driven
by patriots.
* * *
Slavery
Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833. If we had lost the Revolutionary War, and
remained a part of Great Britain, slavery would have been abolished here much
earlier than it was, and the Civil War, our tragically unsuccessful
Reconstruction period and much of our present unrest, might have been
avoided. If we were still part of the
British Empire in 1833 when they abolished slavery, I doubt that Americans
would have then rebelled against the Crown for the sake of preserving slavery
here … although even today rightwing extremists still continue to do all they
can to see that many descendants of slaves are deprived of life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness.
In her column of January 19, distributed by Creators Syndicate,
Mona Charen concludes by saying that “The damage to
the nation must be repaired by a chastened Republican Party.” That damage consists of their perpetuating the lies which led to the January 6 Trump insurrection attempt at the Capitol.
Charen is no flaming liberal. Her conservative Republican credentials are beyond reproach. That is why it is important that you read this column, and more importantly, that Republicans do.
Check out the column by CLICKING HERE.
JL
(Added on 1/28/2021)
Democratic
Florida Candidates in 2022
In 2022, Florida will elect a Senator and a Governor. In the 2020 presidential election, the Republicans defeated the Democrats by 300,000 votes. Despite this, the Democrats have a tremendous opportunity to win both of these 2022 races because of the split in the Republican Party between the extremists, loyal to Trump and who still will control the State Party and the more traditional “business” Republicans who may defect from “Trumpublican” candidates.
Rubio’s refusal to go along with a Trump impeachment and DeSantis’
failure to properly organize the Covid19 vaccine distribution properly will
work against both of them, reducing their Republican support. The key is having Democratic candidates who
not only represent and will appeal to Democrats, but to defecting Republicans
as well. In 2022, who the Democrats run
in these two races will determine their results.
Hamilton is More than a
Musical
In
writing about the filibuster in today’s (1/27/21) New York Times, David
Leonhardt quoted Alexander Hamilton. “What
at first sight may seem a remedy,” referring to supermajority rule, “is in
reality a poison.” If a majority could
not govern, he explained, it would lead to “tedious delays; continual
negotiation and intrigue; contemptible compromises of the public good.” This
comes from Federalist Papers #22 by Hamilton.
More about that to come!
All
Politics is Local – Curse of the G.O.P.
Former
House Speaker Tip O'Neill once said that "all politics are local." In
local politics, regardless of party (town, city, county, even State), it's the
activists who hold leadership roles and call the shots. The Trumpublicans still
control their party on that local basis. That's why the nation should not
ignore those 74 million voters who voted Republican in November and the reason
President Biden is proceeding carefully to reduce that vile number which
certainly included many Republicans who might not be so extreme as their
party's local leadership is.
Therefore, Because the
Republican Party seems to be becoming the party of the domestic terrorists, and
of those Republicans in Congress and in many State Governments who in varying
degrees are sympathetic to them, it's time for the rest of the Republicans to
become Democrats, Independents or form a new, Lincoln Project-based, new party.
And
Speaking of the Lincoln Project, there are Billboards up to Impress the
Senators
The
“Meidas Touch” which is associated with the Lincoln Project has erected virtual
billboards outside the Senate showing video of the Capitol insurrection
24-hours a day with plans to put additional billboards up. Keeping the visuals
alive! It is worth a look if you want to see it: https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1354573211392856070
Accountability Counts
Let not musings
over the future of the Republican Party and its anticipated attempts to
sabotage legislation in the Democratic Congress divert our attention from the
continuing threat to democracy in America presented by those who incited and
carried out the January insurrection. We cannot ignore that. It cannot be
underestimated. There must be full
Republican accountability. The other day,
Connecticut Senator Murphy pointed out that robbers of banks are not arrested for merely trespassing there,
but face more serious charges. And
trashing the Capitol, with five resulting deaths, is as least as serious as
bank robbery.
JL
Republicans in Washington react to their base as manifested by local Party leadership in towns, counties and even States. And that leadership is still loyal to Donald Trump. Republican House leader McCarthy’s “flip-flop” on the cause of the January 6 insurrection is an example of this.
The best way to take away control of local Republican Party leadership from domestic terrorists and those that aid and abet them is to throw the book at those convicted of “trespassing” and worse in the Trump-incited insurrection on January 6. Conceivably, their number can include elected officials who encouraged these criminal acts, and make no mistake about it, they were criminal acts.
Once they see
that such violations of law for those convicted can mean ten years or so in a
place like Guantanamo Bay, local Republicans will back off from aiding and
abetting these criminals now secured in the G.O.P.’s midst. But it must be done quickly, while the crimes
are fresh in the minds of Americans.
Even now, “insurrection-deniers” are at work blaming it on “Antifa.”
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