Patriotism
Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
OK, I'm writing this because I'm annoyed by the "flag lapel pin" non-controversy. Really... NON-controversy. If this is the best the opposition can come up with, Barack Obama is a shoo-in.
Obama doesn't wear a flag pin. So MSNBC and CNN start asking "Is he patriotic enough to be president?"
Stupid question.
There is no greater act of patriotism than to put yourself out there in public, suffer the political attacks and smears, give up all your privacy, separate yourself from your family, work day and night for more than a year -- to run for president. This applies as completely to John McCain and Hillary Clinton as it does to Barack Obama. Unpatriotic people don't give everything they have to try to make this country better.
All political ideas are not equal. All candidates are not equal. Some candidates, if they become our leaders, will lead us into disaster. But anyone who cares enough about America to make the enormous sacrifices that a presidential candidate makes deserves to be called a patriot.
John F. Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." That's the truth about democracy -- it is not a spectator sport. Wearing the right "team gear" does not make you patriotic. Registering to vote and going to the polls to cast your ballot makes you patriotic. Standing up for your rights under the Constitution makes you patriotic. Bringing more people into the political process makes you patriotic.
So, let's not be fooled by arguments that not wearing a pin on your lapel has any significance. It's a distraction.
Patriotism is determined by what you do, not what you wear.
-- John F. Kennedy
OK, I'm writing this because I'm annoyed by the "flag lapel pin" non-controversy. Really... NON-controversy. If this is the best the opposition can come up with, Barack Obama is a shoo-in.
Obama doesn't wear a flag pin. So MSNBC and CNN start asking "Is he patriotic enough to be president?"
Stupid question.
There is no greater act of patriotism than to put yourself out there in public, suffer the political attacks and smears, give up all your privacy, separate yourself from your family, work day and night for more than a year -- to run for president. This applies as completely to John McCain and Hillary Clinton as it does to Barack Obama. Unpatriotic people don't give everything they have to try to make this country better.
All political ideas are not equal. All candidates are not equal. Some candidates, if they become our leaders, will lead us into disaster. But anyone who cares enough about America to make the enormous sacrifices that a presidential candidate makes deserves to be called a patriot.
John F. Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." That's the truth about democracy -- it is not a spectator sport. Wearing the right "team gear" does not make you patriotic. Registering to vote and going to the polls to cast your ballot makes you patriotic. Standing up for your rights under the Constitution makes you patriotic. Bringing more people into the political process makes you patriotic.
So, let's not be fooled by arguments that not wearing a pin on your lapel has any significance. It's a distraction.
Patriotism is determined by what you do, not what you wear.