My country, right or wrong
An email correspondent insists that anyone who opposes the war in Iraq is a traitor who is no more honorable than Benedict Arnold or Tokyo Rose ... or Jane Fonda.
We are supposed to support our president as commander in chief, period, he says.
Fair enough, I respond.
So, what if some president in the future decided to invade Sweden. Should we just march jauntily to Stockholm 'cause he or she as commander in chief wants us to?
His reply:
We ain't talking about Sweden here. You Liberals always want to change the subject. Although I might consider it a good move, since it would remove the source of those Yuppie Icon Volvos that clutter our streets and highways. :)
I don't argue that the intel regarding Iraq was not perfect, but we knew they had poison gas, they had used it on their own people. And we knew that they had a nuclear program, the Israelis struck it in l986.
So, even I knew that Saddam had WMDs. Now, remember, Alan, your favorite Libs in Congress, Clinton, Kerry, et al, voted IN FAVOR of the invasion of Iraq. I realize they are trying to weasel out of that vote now, but history is history.
And remember, Your Boy Clinton thought it necessary to bring military action, however wimpy it was, against Bosnia/Serbia and, remember, we ARE STILL THERE. We are also STILL THERE in Japan, Korea and Germany, so where is the hue and cry from your crowd to
withdraw from those foreign entanglements?
Now, addressing your hypothetical, if my Commander-in-Chief thought it necessary to invade Sweden, I would support that decision 100%. Remember my mantra, "My Country, right or wrong, but My Country".
I am sufficiently afraid now.
Comments (3)
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Your correspondent doesn't remember the whole quote himself, Allen: "My country; and my country is the great American Republic. My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right." - Senator Carl Schurz, February 29, 1872
And boy, were Bush & Co. WRONG! My only hope is we can somehow set it right.
Posted on April 1, 2007 5:01 PM
Thanks, Jim. That qualification would seem implicit in any rational pronunication of patriotism.
It is, frankly, a little scary when people see only one piece of the equation.
Posted on April 1, 2007 10:52 PM
Another reasonable partial definition of patriotism is "skeptical of those in power." In other words, questioning the motives of those in power and thinking for oneself is a requirement of patriotism.
Posted on April 2, 2007 4:17 PM