On June 30, 2013, Steve Lipsher, Op/Ed writer for the Denver Post, wrote an article entitled Patriots or scoundrels?

 

Lipsher begins his article by saying, “This is the week to wave Old Glory and sing the national anthem proudly as we celebrate Independence Day.”

 

What Lipsher objects to is the way “those among us who tend to “display” their “red, white and blue fervor the rest of the year.”  They do this by overtly demonstrating their nationalistic zeal by provocatively and ostentatiously questioning the patriotism of those who disagree with those who express any kind of criticism toward our beloved nation whatsoever, or, heaven forbid, disagree with the flag waving “chauvinist’s” political views which may be different than their own. This results in those who harbor such ill will toward those who don’t embrace the same political philosophy that they have as being viewed with disdain and bigotry, even when they have an honest disagreement with the extremist’s viewpoint.

 

As Lipsher points out, instead of displaying “heartfelt allegiance and love of country,” the extremists have shown unwarranted praise of country, leading to “false patriotism, rooted in empty slogans and reflexive — not thoughtful — displays of bravado….”

 

Lipsher states that “Far too many self-appointed ‘patriots’ actually practice an ignorant, spiteful form of nationalism instead, believing that no other country could possibly be as great as ours and rationalizing our numerous transgressions.”

 

Lipsher describes these kinds of “zealots” are represented by the Tea Party supporters. Their motto is “America-first, and in some cases, they literally “wrap themselves in the flag,” to which he describes as “boorish behavior.”

 

Lipsher states that these extremists equate “love of country” as being demonstrated by “absolute defense and embrace of the Second Amendment,” which is the right to bear arms amendment. He states these zealots view the Second Amendment as the most important Constitutional proviso because it represents the like minded pseudo patriots’ “critical defense against a paranoia-imagined government takeover.”

 

Lipsher suggests such words as “liberty” and “tyranny” ends up being “mere buzz words, without any apparent appreciation for their meaning.”

 

Regarding our military, Lipsher states that “the loudest among us say, ‘Support our troop.’” Yet, he believes that “most never having served in the military and never actually doing anything to support our troops….” He goes on to state that these same groups advocate “international isolationism ironically coupled with aggressive exertion of force overseas.”

 

Talk about mutually exclusive events being paired together, as if both “isolationism” and “exertion of force overseas,” can be practiced without conflicting objectives.

 

Lipsher also objects to those among us who exhort our government to “Close our borders and kick the Mexicans out.” That kind of ‘shooting from the hip’ dialogue is not conducive to constructive debate.

 

Lipsher suggests that the Tea Party members proclaim American exceptionalism “with religious ardor as justification for unfettered capitalism and disdain for international relations.”

 

In my mind, that is a kind of false advertising because it suggests that all we need to do is uncritically continue to do what we’ve always done, believing we continue to be an exceptional nation in the same way when the term and theory of American exceptionalism was first introduced to this country by the Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville in 1831.

 

There are many reasons to believe we’re not as ‘exceptional’ as a nation as we once were after the Revolutionary War. The reason being that over the years our natural resources, industrial capacity, and with few, but rather pronounced exception of the existence of slavery in the 1700s, there was not the relative rigid class distinction during our Founding Fathers’ times compared to today, where the middle class is shrinking at the expense of the poorer and richer class inflating.

 

Those politicians and nonpoliticians alike who speak with enthusiasm and verve of American Exceptionalism today are simply living in by-gone-days, when America was indeed exceptional. We may be exceptional in other ways, but, today, certainly not in the way that we felt was so when our country was born.

 

Besides, every nation may be able to describe themselves in one or more ways as being exceptional, if we use the term to mean outstanding in one way or another.

 

In my next blog I will explain why I fear the dialogue that Lipsher’s excellent blog cites is so harmful and may help destroy our democratic system of government and ultimately our republic.

P