I am a Patriot. I am proud of my country. I am proud of the revolutionaries, of the men who wrote the Constitution. I am proud of the men and women who worked against slavery and worked for equal rights of all people. I am proud of men and women who fought to save the Union. I am proud of the workers who organized to guarantee better working conditions in factories and mills. I am proud of the organizers, marchers, boycotters, and freedom riders who pushed through equal rights. I am proud of the protesters trying to prevent our young men and women being used as cannon fodder for unjust wars. I am proud of the protesters in Wisconsin trying to bring democracy back to their state.
I love my country and the people who live here. A true Patriot loves one's country and wants what is best for it. A Patriot would work to preserve a better life for their fellow countrypeople.
We need to take back this word. A Patriot would not be trying to dismantle our social safety net. A Patriot would be fighting big media and big corporations from gutting our country. A Patriot would be fighting to help the Unions get their power back and help workers unite.
We need to take back the word from the hands of corporate lackeys who would be happy to see fellow citizens out on the street, bankrupt and homeless. Republicans who wrap themselves in the flag use doublespeak to rob our country in an act of terrorism. They are not Patriots. A Patriot would never wish to see their country burn for their ideology.
If you wish to create a better life for citizens by protecting their rights as given in the constitution, by ensuring that no child or adult in need should be turned away from medicine, food, or shelter, then you are a Patriot.
It is time to take back the word and the POWER that it gives.
Now time for a great Patriot, Pete Seeger singing a great anthem written by another Great Patriot, Woody Guthrie:
((youtube rzeE238nDR8))