Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

The Opinions of Mankind

For the 4th of July, I have some thoughts on patriotism and America's reputation.

Contrast the current government's ideals with those of the country's founders:

Wm. Scott Harrop and R.K. Ramazani | "A Decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind ..."
For Truthout, Wm. Scott Harrop and R.K. Ramazani write: "Irony abounds in President George W. Bush's decision to speak at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, on the last July 4th that he will occupy the Oval Office. For it was Jefferson who wrote in America's Declaration of Independence that 'a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires' the colonies to set forth the reasons for their rebellion before a 'candid world.' America's founders agreed - international legitimacy mattered. Two hundred and thirty-two years later, the conscious disregard for the 'opinions of mankind' has come to define the Bush presidency.


Thoughts on what patriotism really means:

Michael Winship | What Patriotism Is, and Is Not
Michael Winship, for Truthout, writes about false accusations against Obama's patriotism, "Chances are, many of the perpetrators of this nonsense think they're being patriots, saving us from Obama and ourselves. And goodness knows, there's a long history of this kind of guttersnipery in American politics. As Obama pointed out in his Monday speech on the nature of patriotism, 'Thomas Jefferson was accused by the Federalists of selling out to the French. The anti-Federalists were just as convinced that John Adams was in cahoots with the British and intent on restoring monarchal rule ... the use of patriotism as a political sword or a political shield is as old as the Republic.'"



"My country right or wrong. If right, to be kept right. If wrong, to be made right." -- Carl Schurz

Finally, and most importantly, remember the fundamentals:

The Declaration of Independence

The Constitution

Many of the ideals in those documents were, and remain, ahead of their time. They are nevertheless grand, glorious ideals worth striving towards. Despite a history that contains slavery, genocide, and a host of other ghastly mistakes ... America's heart is in the right place. Follow that.
Tags: holiday, politics
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  • 8 comments
glitteringlynx

glitteringlynx

July 4 2008, 10:16:18 UTC 12 years ago

I don't get the people who are upset that Obama won't wear a flag pin. IT'S A BLOODY PIN!! Patriotism has nothing to do with a bit of flair or metal. It's much more than simply wearing a pin, that's for certain.
browngirl

browngirl

July 4 2008, 13:57:50 UTC 12 years ago

That's only because you have sense.

*grin*

I respect Senator Obama more for not participating in the reflexive flag-displaying that happened after 9/11, which was part of a wave of jingoism that really sickened me, seeing it all around me. I'm not going to go into further detail here, but I wanted to say that I *completely* agree with you on this.
ysabetwordsmith

ysabetwordsmith

July 4 2008, 16:48:02 UTC 12 years ago

I wonder if Obama knows the old rule about not putting the flag's image on anything but an actual flag. I suspect not, or he'd probably have mentioned it. More likely he just prefers substance to show -- an asset as a person, but often not in a campaign. Fortunately he seems to have enough charisma to make up for it. *sigh* Sometimes you have to put a false horn on a real unicorn so people will see it.