Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Mark Twain quote: "Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about."
A good and fitting quote for many "patriots" here and elsewhere. All hat and no cattle!!
Twains definition is good for the popular conception of a patriot for sure.
On a slightly more subtle, yet far more intense level, I think what troops do is very exemplary of a patriot's stance. They put their political opinions aside (usually) and literally put their lives on the line for their country's agenda. This puts them in a unique place for civic discussion as they often execute plans and take part in actions that are part of their duty, not their will. Not all soldiers who were involved in Iraq engagements agreed with the totality of the Iraq war. Their duty was not to agree, but to do their job. Many people supported this conflict, some eventually withdrew that support and some maintained it. A soldiers professional duty is inherently patriotic. They don't (usually) deploy depending on whether they like or support the Commander in Chief. They do their job. Something that many Americans, who still have jobs, dont manage to do effectively, instead whining all the way . Americans need to pull their boot straps up and grow a new thick skin.
Last edited by NomadScribe; 09-04-2010 at 03:46 PM..
Mark Twain quote: "Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about."
A good and fitting quote for many "patriots" here and elsewhere. All hat and no cattle!!
LMAO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NomadScribe
Twains definition is good for the popular conception of a patriot for sure.
On a slightly more subtle, yet far more intense level, I think what troops do is very exemplary of a patriot's stance. They put their political opinions aside (usually) and literally put their lives on the line for their country's agenda. This puts them in a unique place for civic discussion as they often execute plans and take part in actions that are part of their duty, not their will. Not all soldiers who were involved in Iraq engagements agreed with the totality of the Iraq war. Their duty was not to agree, but to do their job. Many people supported this conflict, some eventually withdrew that support and some maintained it. A soldiers professional duty is inherently patriotic. They don't (usually) deploy depending on whether they like or support the Commander in Chief. They do their job. Something that many Americans, who still have jobs, manage to do effectively, without whining all the way . Americans need to pull their boot straps up and grow a new thick skin.
Thanks for the rep. I actually meant to say that many Americans don't do this effectively, and I wish we would. Americans at home need to overcome the partisan bickering. I see soldiers often taking care not to get into beef about this- you never know who will be there to literally help your team and save your life. For American troops, solidarity is always the game of the day, or should be, not political preference.
On the home turf here, I see far too much destructive discourse coming from political disagreement. Something is off. And its not the current POTUS. This has been going on for some time.
Sorry to diverge off of the original topic. I think the original post has a great point.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
