Patriotism Please!

I was patriotic, when patriotism wasn’t cool. Back in the day…1990, I was the boss of a small Real Estate Company with the word “American” in the title. I wore a coat and tie every day. The shirt was white, the jacket was blue and the tie was red. I also had a flag lapel pin and a magnetic sign on my vehicle with a flag. I was often picked on for being “Mr. Patriotic”. It was not simply a gimmick but I really had pride for my Country and all that was American. My patriotism had nothing to do with politics but I assumed that the flag was a uniting symbol. I know that we have our differences…North, South, East and West but when push comes to shove, we stand together. Of course after I left the above named company, I no longer wore the daily patriotic gear. After the events of 911, the country rallied and proved that no matter whom the President was or what party was in charge, we could unite as a Country. The problem is, that over a brief period, it seemed that the powers in control took advantage of the support and unity in this great Nation and took us to a divisive place where patriotism was considered a requirement and if anyone even questioned the leadership, you were shouted down and told that anyone not offering blind support to the President and his policies, was in fact against the troops and pulling for the enemy. People started supporting Party over Country. Places of worship also became patriotic show places….I even witnessed a person trying to worship in a church service to the star spangled banner. The ironic part is that some of the same people that were so “patriotic” and supportive of the former President, are now openly wishing for failure and worse for the current President. You cannot have it both ways, you either are a patriot and support the Leader and the Troops or you are simply a party hack and only interested in following your party or hating the other party or even worse, maybe you are simply interested in chaos and anarchy and that would be truly sad. Can you even imagine what would have happened if a group of African American men had shown up at a Bush speech with weapons of any sort? I think we all know the answer to that one. The last thing that I need is a lecture on patriotism or supporting the Country because I’ve been there and done that. If you find yourself filled with hatred and pulling against the United States, simply because your political party lost an election, you may need to take a long look into the mirror and question your own patriotism.