Is America less patriotic than in the past?

by Glenn Littrell (GlennDL)

This question keeps recurring and seems to be appear more and more recently. Most of it seems to be in light of what some people perceive as an unpatriotic action by others, even though others see the process in question as a patriotic duty. Too often some raise the question when they witness criticism of their political idols.

Many people tend to look nostalgically at the past as being all roses and ice cream in comparison to their dissatisfaction with the here and now, always lamenting back to when we drank straight from the water hose, were supposedly watched over by neighbors, and the streetlight was our guide to when it was time to go home. But do these selective memories reflect better times? Or just better moments?

Yes, we weren't required to wear a seatbelt, but the impact of a child standing in the front seat being launched into the dashboard at a moderate speed of 15 miles an hour led to devastating results. Yes, we could say what we wanted if we were in the right group, or if we were the biggest person in the room. Back when we could be verbal bullies and obnoxious people was that a worthy character trait to want to return to? Where the good old days so grand when segregation, racism, sexism we're so prevalent. Was it such a great time?

Nostalgia has a place in some context but not all context.

It seems to me that nostalgic memories are usually subject to wishful thinking whether it be the memories of an optimist or pessimist.

The question seems to be offered up is a rhetorical statement that implies we are not as patriotic as we used to be.

Whether or not this rhetorical question is the result of seeing protest on TV or listening to constant criticisms of the country or the president I don't know, but that is my guess.

So let me try to answer the question with a rebuke that no we are not less patriotic now than before. For example:

Patriotism today and in the past:

• Today, as a Veteran I get thanked for my service, but didn't get thanked back then.
• Today it is not unusual for police officers, soldiers, and firefighters to be applauded when they walk through airport terminals. In the past they were openly and often called pigs or spit upon.
• Today we have an army that does not contain one drafted soldier. We have a volunteer army of young men from past and most recent generations who became soldiers not because they were forced to against their will. We have a true citizen army.
• I would venture to speculate that during Afghanistan and both Iraq wars desertions were at an all time low.
• Today we have peaceful protest concerning social injustices. Yes occasionally some protest cross the line but these are in the vast minority of all protest today. In the past most demonstration were confrontational and regularly turned violent.
• Today the families of Fallen Soldiers are routinely looked after and provided for by multitude of efforts. In the past such programs were largely symbolic.
• Today we have programs and charities such as the Wounded Warriors Project to raise awareness towards our wounded veterans. In the past these programs barely existed. Those that did exist and survived to the present have grown in scope and services.
• In the past when disagreements over are foreign involvements, resentment and blame was directed at the dutiful soldiers. An entire generation of soldiers were spit on, called pigs, drug addicts and losers, even by fellow veterans that went before them. Today such disagreements and protest are respectful of the veterans and seek only to blame those that send them into harm's way.

So no, in spite of the fact that you may not approve of Civil Disobedience and peaceful protest or even if you believe these are unpatriotic acts they in no way reach numbers or exceed the protests and riots of the sixties, let alone any previous time in the past.

If you feel this is not true you need to pick up a history book. You need to understand the Constitution that grants us those rights. You need to read the oath that in enlistee takes to protect the Constitution, not just his interpretation of the Constitution, or not just the rights of his friends, but to defend everybody's rights. Those rights include the right to assemble, the right to dissent, the right to protest, the right to criticize. The right to your political View.

Just like the right to vote is not just a right but also a duty and an obligation, so too is the right to dissent and criticize a duty when we feel a moral obligation to do it.

Protests have always been a part of American life. Historically and as written in the Constitution. Criticism of the country is in not in itself unpatriotic. We have to apply critical thinking in raising our children and pointing out to them when they do wrong so they will be able to rectify the wrong and not repeat their mistakes. It doesn't mean we don't love them. So too can we love our country and legitimately criticize it at the same time. It is without a doubt possible to love your country and be critical of it. It is possible that this criticism comes from a desire to move the country forward and to a better place.

As far as criticism of the president, the entire election process nominations, debates, and campaigning themselves are an engagement of critique and criticism. Additionally complaints about who criticized the president tend to come from those who support the person who was elected to the presidency. Happens all the time, then and now. The process of holding their feet to the fire is one that we need and is in itself a national tradition.

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• Armed Services Blood Program
• Compensation
• Education & Training
• Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
• Indiana Military Support Corporation
• National Cemetery Administration
• The American Legion Online
• U.S. Department of V.A.
• Union Veterans
• VA Forms
• https://snafu-indy462.blogspot.com/

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In the past when man’s curiosity was peaked he sought out more information, but today…

We seem to live in a society where in spite of an ever increasing abundance of resources to obtain accurate information on virtually any subject we are overwhelmed by a cacophony of inaccurate and dishonest dissemination of falsehoods and misinformation.

Too many of us are either too lazy or too easily distracted to make use of the available…

From <http://www.glennlittrell.org/2015/01/misinformation.html> read more