Our Patriotic Duty
On Dissent
Here it is again, that day when United States citizen's celebrate thumbing our nose at an insane British monarch (George the Third, talking about the British monarch not the one we had a few years ago, ended up standing in a corner of Winsor palace thinking he was a clock (according to one source)) . There will be parades and, of course, fireworks, cheerful explosions of color to light up night skies and make every red blooded American celebrate his independence. Sorry Canada, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama did you think you were Americans?. Sorry everybody south of there - the only real America is North America. And as for you, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic and all you little island folk, we don't even know what to make of you. We're talking about America here. So we will enjoy our Jingoistic celebration without a thought of you unless somebody mentions building a wall to keep you out and then we'll probably add a few gunshot wounds to our celebration.
Now, I do like an occasional fireworks display. Not so hot on parades because I don't like crowds, and I honor the memory of all the women and men who have given of themselves in service to try and protect this fragile edifice called democracy. Some of them were my closest friends and I think they would be horrified.
In the United States it is not only fragile, it is in grave danger. Should current trends continue calling ourselves a democracy will only be lying to ourselves. The so called "Patriot Act" is the most heinous piece of tyrannical legislation imposed on the U.S. citizenry since - well maybe ever. We can credit our George III and the cowardice of congress ("Those who exchange freedom for security deserve neither."- Ben Franklin -apocryphal ). Patriotism requires courage. There will always be crazies and laws are not going to get rid of them nor protect us from them. Only continuous, directed, cognizant empathy and education can do that. Those who exchange promises of security for freedom will get neither.
The recent supreme court decisions granting even further "rights" to corporations (the same ones which we bail out again and again with taxpayer money because no individual can be held accountable for corporate actions and who's CEOs sail golden parachutes to private luxury retirement) are Machiavellian (see NPR's article When Companies Became People. Facebook has censored ISIS and ABC is censoring an unpopular opinions so the writing is in the wind..Thanks be we still have (for now) that most American of rights: the Right of Dissent.
In my opinion It is far more patriotic to burn a flag than it is to wave one. Waving one is easy. Standing up in the face of mindless Jingoism to burn a flag in protest an outrageous (real or perceived) affront to democracy shows the courage of one's convictions. I don't think ABC should censor Tim Allen's attacks on liberals. I don't even think that Facebook should censor whatever the flavor of Islamic extremists for the week. Democracy at its very core requires dissent. It is more than a right, it is a duty. Are you listening NSA? Up yours!
I believe in the spirit of democracy. The power to govern ultimately resides in the hands of the people. We're going to make mistakes (like George the Third, ours not theirs) but it's still the best over-all form of governance that anybody's come up with and, if not in the United States, the idea will prevail. Dissent will see to it. Dissent is our patriotic duty.
Somebody famous once said "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it." That's the American spirit I'm going to be celebrating.
I believe in the spirit of democracy. The power to govern ultimately resides in the hands of the people. We're going to make mistakes (like George the Third, ours not theirs) but it's still the best over-all form of governance that anybody's come up with and, if not in the United States, the idea will prevail. Dissent will see to it. Dissent is our patriotic duty.
Somebody famous once said "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it." That's the American spirit I'm going to be celebrating.
