From: matus [matus@snet.net] Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 9:16 PM To: matus@snet.net Subject: MFD List - Patriotism and dissent in time of war (In this trying time it is difficult to define exactly what it means to be 'patriotic'...Is uncritical and blind support of your government patriotic? As in the numerous 'This is not the time' responses I have seen...Or is a critical constant examination of a government that is supposed to be run by the people patriotic? Patriotism has no obvious definition, and really amounts to whatever the individual who says that they are patriotic means when they say it. Unfortunately, a fundamental tenet of America, freedom of speech, seems it may be the first policy casualty in the 'War on terrorism' and 'Homeland Security'. Voices that disagree with he popular connotation of what it means to be patriotic are getting greeted with harsher and harsher criticisms. - Mike) Patriotism and dissent in time of war ---------- Spokane Spokesman-Review Patriotism sometimes means pointing out when your country is in the wrong. But in wartime, many people are unwilling to hear dissenting voices. (10/23/01) http://www.free-market.net/rd/593036367.html Patriotism comes in all shapes, sizes No one holds franchise on love for country Related stories Dan Hansen - Staff writer Chuck Deandre has no trouble coming up with an example of a patriot. "One of my cousins got the Congressional Medal of Honor back in the '40s. He saved a bunch of guys," said the Spokane County resident. "I didn't really know him, but I remember that as something to be proud of, that one of my relatives had done that." The war hero. The Gold Star mother. The firefighters who recently raised an American flag over the ruins of the World Trade Center. Most Americans would agree these are images of patriots. But what of the pacifist and the anti-war demonstrator? What of those who grumble about taxes or refuse to vote? What of those who disagree with America's current military strikes against Afghanistan? Can they be patriots too? Flag-waving and other acts of national pride are common since terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11. Stores selling Halloween costumes report that Uncle Sam hats are more popular than ever. But the definition of patriotism remains murky, as it has since the Civil War. "Patriotism has always been an extraordinarily powerful force that has mobilized Americans and divided them," said Cecilia O'Leary, author of "To Die For: The Paradox of American Patriotism." "Intellectually, I know that America is no better than any other country; emotionally, I know she is better than every other country." novelist Sinclair Lewis Like many other Americans, Don Cochrane is displaying the flag. It's a paper image, taped to a window of his home in Wardner, Idaho. Cochrane said it's his way of saying he mourns for those killed in the attacks, and that he supports retaliatory military strikes. He accepts, too, that the effort may require restrictions on American liberties. Police should have more authority to tap phones, for instance. "That's the price you pay for living in a free country," he said. Cochrane is patriotic. But look closer and you'll see another banner on the same window as the flag. It says, "Just Say No to EPA." Cochrane considers many environmental regulations a threat to his freedom. He blames the Environmental Protection Agency for shutting down mining in the Silver Valley, and Clinton administration policies for putting him and other loggers out of work. He's been reading about the New World Order, and it's got him nervous. "Big brother is almost here," he said. Cochrane sees no contradiction in distrusting government under normal circumstances and rallying behind the flag during times of crisis. "I mean, let's face it, we're the cat's meow," he said. "Everyone wants to be an American." And to keep the country great, he said, "you have to be critical of your government." "Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons." philosopher Bertrand Russell Like Cochrane, Stormi Olsen is a government critic. "I'd like to consider myself a patriot," Olsen said at an anti-war rally this week at Spokane's federal Courthouse. "I'm struggling with the general perception of what that means and what it could mean." Olsen thinks it's patriotic to push America toward higher ideals. She thinks all U.S. citizens should have health insurance and that America should use more of its resources to help poor and oppressed people worldwide. She opposes the bombing of Afghanistan. The Rev. Paul Rodkey, a Spokane peace activist during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the current military action, notes that the dictionary defines patriotism as love of country. Love cannot exist without honesty, Rodkey said, and honesty sometimes means speaking out when it's not popular. "If you're a true patriot, you do ask questions, you do demand answers, you do demand changes," said Rodkey, who believes America provokes anger from some quarters with policies that are selfish and arrogant. Rodkey said he loves his nation and sometimes flies the flag. But he hasn't flown it since the terrorist attacks. He said he's turned off by what he considers the shallowness of the trend. "Where were all these patriots when we as a country had to make some important decisions and all we could talk about was cutting taxes?" he asked. Friday's Spokesman-Review included a letter to the editor calling protesters like Rodkey and Olsen "traitors" and their cause "garbage." "People look at me and say, `Wow, that's un-American,' " Olsen said. "And that makes me sad." "I think patriotism is like charity -- it begins at home." 19th-century author Henry James Abraham Lincoln expanded the meaning of patriotism when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, O'Leary said. "Up until that point, it was really just a blind allegiance. It was my country, right or wrong," she said. "In effect, Lincoln said patriotism means that the country has to live up to its ideals," such as freedom for all citizens. And when citizens of conscience feel it's not living up to those ideals, O'Leary said, Lincoln's form of patriotism means working for change. Black Americans followed that pattern during World War II, with a campaign called "double-V." While black and white soldiers were winning victory overseas -- a pre-Lincoln form of patriotism -- activists were following the Lincoln standard by fighting for civil rights victories at home. Patriotism means something different to each generation, said O'Leary. Nowhere is that more evident than at the checkout counter. "Rationing is vital to your country's war effort," read the print on a government ration book issued during World War II. Trying to buy more than your allotted share of gas, sugar and other goods was a form of treason, the document warned. "It certainly would have been unpatriotic to invest heavily in luxury items," even if they'd been available, said Jeff Pasley, an author and history professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia. "Patriotism has always been about giving up your individual desires for a common cause." But since last month's terrorist attacks, President Bush has urged Americans to continue living the good life. "Get aboard!" he said during a September news conference at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. "Do your business around the country. Fly and enjoy America's great destination spots. Get down to Disney World in Florida. Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be enjoyed." What Bush is suggesting is a different form of loyalty for a different form of conflict, said Martha Cottam, a political science professor at Washington State University. "If the president were to ask people to enlist in the military, you know they'd do it in a heartbeat," she said. "Instead, what he's asked them to do is kind of the opposite sacrifice: Don't be afraid, be brave, go on with your life." "Many a bum show has been saved by the flag." actor and playwright George M. Cohan How profoundly have Americans' attitudes changed? Consider this pre-attack comment from actor Rob Lowe, who portrays an idealistic presidential speech writer on the television series "West Wing." "It's not very cool to wear your emotions on your sleeve like that, particularly about your country, and about what's right and what's wrong," Lowe said. "I mean, we live in a very jaded, cynical time. And, you know, I play a guy who has none of that. Proudly. "I think I sound like a flag-waving nerd. And I love it." But look what's cool since Sept. 11. Images of flags are on baseball uniforms, magazine covers, hard hats and bumper stickers. They're being tattooed on human flesh, including foreheads. Crowds of teary-eyed fans sing "God Bless America" at baseball games. Singer Pat Boone re-released "American Glory," a 30-year-old album that features the "Star-Spangled Banner" and similar tunes. Many businesses have added patriotic soundbites to their reader boards. "Stand United," reads the sign outside the Maid O'Clover convenience store on North Division in Spokane. "We now have hot/cold subs." "I realize that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone." British World War I heroine Edith Cavell It's possible that Cochrane, Olsen and Rodkey are all patriots, argues J.D. Tuccille, a Libertarian commentator featured on various Internet sites. He's recently been accused of disloyalty for warning that Congress is using terrorism as an excuse to limit civil liberties. "The kind of flag-waving that says you're either with us 100 percent or you're not with us at all is really not patriotism," said Tuccille. "I would go so far as to say that it's unpatriotic because it violates fundamental principles that define what it means to be an American," such as freedom of speech. But Americans have never been tolerant of those who dissent during times of strife. Consider the case of Frank Little, a labor organizer in Butte, Mont., who denounced the draft during World War I. Little argued that working men the world over should unite, rather than fight wars that could only benefit their bosses. Little was taken from his bed and lynched the night of Aug. 1, 1917. No one was convicted. Bush and other leaders have urged Americans not to target Arab Americans or Muslims in their anger over the Sept. 11 attacks. Still, there have been scattered hate crimes, including shootings, beatings and arson. "I'm proud to be an American and I hate Arabs and I always have," said one of 300 angry protesters at a mosque in Chicago. He considered himself a patriot. www.matus1976.com