Posted on 07/04/2008 1:31:35 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Sen. Barack Obama spoke on the subject of patriotism this past week in an effort to undo some of the damage he has already inflicted on his own image -- through his associations, his statements and policy positions -- and to obscure his liberalism. Liberals rightly feel defensive about their patriotism because they always seem to find themselves blaming the United States for this or that, exhorting us to be more like the "enlightened" nations of Europe or forever shouting that we are a "laughing stock" in the eyes of other nations.
It was not a conservative who wrote in an editorial this week: "Tuck the soaring speeches in a drawer for another time. This year, America doesn't deserve to celebrate its birthday. This Fourth of July should be a day of quiet and atonement. For we have sinned."
It was Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Chris Satullo, who, like so many liberals, is angry at America because he sees it as standing for torturing prisoners, imprisoning enemy combatants without hearings, rendition and other denials of human rights. According to Satullo, America isn't safer because our alleged abuses have "spawned new enemies by the thousands, made the jihadist rants ring true to so many ears. So put out no flags. Sing no patriotic hymns. We deserve no Fourth this year."
Sorry, but you just don't hear much of this type of rhetoric from conservatives. And Obama and the entire Democratic establishment know it.
When conservatives reflect on America, the first things that come to their minds are not exaggerated tales about waterboarding or deliberately hatched lies about the National Security Agency spying on innocent old American ladies.
They beam with pride that America is still the greatest, freest and most prosperous nation in the history of the world. They see it as a beneficent promoter and defender of what is right, not as a stingy, imperial bully.
Obama's patriotism problem isn't just related to his liberalism. He has earned demerits in this category in his own right by refusing to wear a flag pin and foolishly -- and defiantly -- trying to justify it. Also, there are the statements of his wife that she is proud of America for the first time in her life, his associations with William Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his contemptuous assessment of small-town America, and his typically liberal appeasement and blame-America-first orientation.
Doubtlessly realizing all this, Obama delivered his patriotism speech in Independence, Mo. -- the heart of that small-town America he consummately insulted and alienated. While I disagree with much of what he said in his speech, my main problem is that his words were carefully designed to mask the extent of his extreme liberalism.
His description of patriotism wasn't entirely objectionable. But as with all of Obama's flowery orations, we should look beyond the rhetoric. What we really ought to be asking is whether he qualifies as a patriot under his own definition of the term.
He said: "Patriotism is always more than just loyalty to a place on a map or a certain kind of people. Instead, it is also loyalty to America's ideals -- ideals for which anyone can sacrifice, or defend, or give their last full measure of devotion."
Yes, but do Obama-style liberals really get warm and fuzzy over America's ideals? Do they really share the predominant worldview of the Founders of this nation, as Obama implies?
America's Founders believed that owning firearms is a necessary and indispensable personal right. They did not consider abortion a sacred right of women. They did not oppose capital punishment and certainly didn't intend to outlaw it in the Eighth Amendment. They would have been horrified with the liberals' idea that we should fight wars through the courts instead of on battlefields and confer constitutional rights on noncitizen enemy combatants outside the territorial jurisdiction of this country.
They did not believe in suppressing Christian expression or symbols in the public square or in selectively honoring free speech and censoring that which certain elites and malcontents consider to be politically incorrect or to be threatening to their liberal mainstream media monopoly. Their instinct was not to side with hostile nations or surrender our national sovereignty. They didn't believe that appellate judges should make law.
Even the most radical federalists among them would have been mortified at the evisceration of states' rights that has occurred under expansive activist interpretations of the Commerce Clause and the use of the tax code to punish producers and radically redistribute wealth to the point that almost half the people don't pay income taxes.
Ask yourself: When it comes to his patriotism, does Obama protest too much?
It is shot all to hell. The Gay groups and Liberals have taken over our schools,entertainment and news industry and illegal aliens the rest. America will be lucky to stand through half of this century. Nothing short of a civil war will change this and I am afraid the military would be turned loose on us but it just may be worth it to show these idiots enough is enough.Sounds strong but the only other hope is for A Republican to win and install A Conservative Supreme Court.
Well, the 1960's for one.
Why was there a 9/11 Commission?
I thought it was to find out what went wrong and how we might possibly have prevented another attack. You can’t have it both ways.
If we are to be soft and fair to all who mean us harm, and read Miranda rights to terrorists from other lands, then we will be attacked again and again. But the John Kerrys of this country are OK with that, as long as there will be a swift retributive attack thereafter.
Of course we will have to hope to Kumbaya that the enemies leave us with enough weapons left to be able to strike back. Peace out.
If obama was 1% patriot he would have punched william ayers when he got within arm’s reach.
Took the words right out of my mouth wasteland. I wonder what happened to the country I was born into in 1942, a much better year than 1960 even though we were at war, the people were Americans and knew it. Sure, you had some dissatisfied idiots but they were in the minority and the vast majority were proud to be, and to declare themselves, americans. Then came the 60s and all the idiotic baby boomers and their socialist BS. We should have shot them all, and I am not kidding. These same idiots are ruining our country today.
Yes, it is currently not the country it used to be. And it is up to US to fix it/ and to NEVER give up hope. Will it be easy? Nope. Will it happen quickly? Nope. Will it be darker before the dawn? Just might be.
But it is possible to leave this country a better place than we found it, for our children.
A drop in the ocean at a time ...
Obeyme’s “patriotism speech” never mentioned the word “FREEDOM”!
A lesson to all of us, when Obama speaks, we should be asking ourselves, “Is the message crafted so that he can bend it to his more liberal aspirations at a later date?” In every speech text I have read of his, the words are carefully crafted to say two things. The first which is prima facie is that the speech is technically everything mainstream America would want him to say. But the second is the subtext of the liar, the wiggle room which allows him to move his positions around to fit his true agenda at a later date. Every Obama speech is built this way.
Once I was a liar and that is how I wrote too. Liars write with the anticipation of that day in the future where they can avoid being pinned down by saying things like: “It was inartful.” “That was not what I meant.” “You misread the meaning of what I was trying to say.”
This guy needs to be pinned down and exposed before a lot of people get hurt (and by people I mean law abiding, hard working, typical Americans).
This is serious (spelled the right way!).
“If obama was 1% patriot he would have punched william ayers when he got within arm’s reach.”
Thank you for making that point.
Nothing he could say would damage his brain dead followers. Get used to it, he probably will be the next President. McCain is killing his own chances.
>>”Nothing he could say would damage his brain dead followers. Get used to it, he probably will be the next President. McCain is killing his own chances.”<<
Bye, bye! http://www.livinginthephilippines.com
Then came the 60s and all the idiotic baby boomers and their socialist BS. We should have shot them all, and I am not kidding. These same idiots are ruining our country today.
Nixon failed us.
Obama says freedom is slavery.
+1
INSTINCTS are what gave each of us LIFE through our ancestors over thousands of years, even millions of years......
The setting and the player: a “community organizer” who aspires to be Commander-in-chief......
Good people: do you want this person determining whether your life is to continue and that of your loved ones...yes, it does come down to that...for, lives are not as settled and assured as we in the affluent nations daily think...
Good friends: If you want to live until your natural death, do not place your life - and that of your loved ones - in the hands of B. H. Obama. He is DEATH. He is counter to the instincts that the CREATOR gave each of us.
for later
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.