Old Weird Ward
Unless otherwise noted, that which is posted here is opinion, which is protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution. If you don't like my opinions, go somewhere else. Nobody is forcing you to actually read this drivel.
The presumption exists that you can read at all.
That may be a large assumption.
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Friday, April 08, 2005
- - - - - Patriotism - - - - -
I've been thinking a bit, recently, of the concept of "Patriotism".
More specifically, the idea of "My Country, Right or Wrong".
For many years now, I've been hearing (and seeing in print), a lot of derision toward the term "My country, right or wrong".
I'd always thought that the quotation "My country, right or wrong" wasn't quite complete. That there was, somehow, something that was .... missing, not quite complete about that quote.
So, I "Googled" the sucker, and here's what popped up - both the original quotation, by a serving military man, and the expanded version by another man who had also been military, but had had time as a civilian politician to reflect on it.
The original, by Stephen Decatur, in a toast given at an April 1816 banquet in Norfolk, Virginia, to celebrate his victory over the Barbary pirates.
| Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong. |
But this revised and expanded one is much better; it suits me right down to the ground. Senator Carl Schurz, on the floor of the Senate, on February 29, 1872:
| The Senator from Wisconsin cannot frighten me by exclaiming, “My country, right or wrong.” In one sense I say so too. My country; and my country is the great American Republic. My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right. |
This is patriotism:
My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.
Of course, MY definition of "right" is probably a little different from YOUR definition. Which is why we have "politics" and "politicians", "Pundits" and "Commentators", "Editorials" and "Essayists". We have the First Amendment, which guarantees MY right to trot MY silly opinions out there, and guarantees YOUR right to rant and rave right back at me.
And somewhere in there, we'll meet. We'll shake hands, and mutter about the injustice of it all, but will still be able to live with the compromise.
Of course, I'll be "right" and you'll be "wrong". And, in the friendliest possible fashion, we'll bitch, snivel, and moan at each other. Usually over a friendly beer, (that I supplied) during a barbeque (that you supplied) in our neighbor's back yard.
Ain't it cool?
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