Patriotism is in the Eye of the Beholder

It's the 4th of July, and I spent the morning at our community’s annual parade, which gives rise to thoughts of patriotism. What does that word mean, exactly?

Does patriotism mean the same thing to a Tea Party Patriot as it does to a member of the ACLU? How about to the Klucker marching in his hooded robe and waving the American flag? Is Edward Snowden a patriot or a traitor? What about Daniel Ellsberg? (Pentagon Papers, 1969-71. He, branded as traitor by conservatives and others back then, apparently thinks the patriot description is more apt.)

Who is the patriot in Egypt? Or Syria? Do we like the military coup in Egypt because we dislike or fear Morsi and the Islamist party he represents? Never mind that he was democratically elected. But do we despise the revolution in Iran because the Shah (deposing another democratically-elected leader in a coup orchestrated by our CIA) was on our side? Was Ronald Reagan a patriot or did Iran-Contra make him just another violator of the Constitution?

Revolutions are tricky things. The winners become patriots while the losers are either tyrants or radicals. Case in point, the Boston Tea Party could have gone down in the history books as another example of terrorist vandalism by radical colonists had Washington and his army been captured in New York in 1776.

On the 150^th anniversary of Gettysburg, dare we ask if Robert E. Lee was a patriot or a traitor? Had the South won, would General William T. Sherman still be considered a military hero or a vicious barbarian?

Is saying, “I love my country” enough to qualify as a patriot, or do I have to love it the same way you do? Do I have to love it the way I saw it was back in the good old days or can I only love it the way you hope it will be when we’ve progressed to true justice and equality? Can I believe that universal health care is a fundamental citizenship right and still be a patriot?

Can I only be a patriot if I am an absolutist on the 2^nd Amendment; or can I still be called a patriot if I believe that perhaps the country is enough different 225 years later that some modifications should be discussed? Can I be critical of our country and still be a true patriot? Can I recognize errors or historic missteps and still be a patriot?

Because I’m flying my flag, am I more of a patriot than my neighbor who doesn’t? I took off my hat when the flag passed by a the parade: am I a patriot but the guy next to me not? Is my neighbor who served during Vietnam more of a patriot than I, who didn’t? How about the pacifist protestor who served in the Peace Corps, can she be a patriot, too? Does wearing a flag pin in my lapel make me a patriot? How about a flag-themed tie or t-shirt?

Can I be a patriot if I don’t vote, or if I lie and cheat to evade my share of taxes? Can I be a patriot if I lay off workers in this country to increase my profits by using a sweatshop in Bangladesh?

With unanswerable incendiary questions like these, it’s no wonder we symbolize this holiday with explosions and fireworks.

I don’t pretend to have the answers to these questions. I am, however, thankful that we live in a country where I can ask them.

Happy July 4^th!