"what [exactly] Is A Patriot?"

[HARDCORE]

?WHAT (EXACTLY) IS A PATRIOT??

According to the dictionary, a ?Patriot? is defined as:

?One who loves his country and zealously guards its welfare; especially a defender of popular liberty!?

There have been many well-known men, women and even children, who fit nicely into this patriot category. They include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Molly Pitcher, Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, Nathan Hale, and even little known Button Gwinette, a signer of the Declaration of Independence!

The mere children who stood at the fore-front of battle during the American Revolution and during the Civil War, beating their drums or blowing upon their pipes, must also be considered to be patriots! But do all patriots engage in mortal conflict or lay their life upon the line in troubled times? Can they also be those, who through hard work, firm ideals and an inner courage that transcends shot and ball, also do their integral part to keep this nation of ours free and free thinking? ?YOU BET YOUR LIFE THEY
CAN!!?

A True Patriot is not judged by the color of their skin, their religious ideology, or they party affiliation, but rather by a courage that may not always be visible upon the surface, but is always there when push comes to shove! He (or she) may not always agree with the so-called politically correct, but rather may buck the tides when his own conscience dictates that he must! He does, however, always love the country that sired him and it?s solid ideals, even if that love does not always extend to some transient political whims!

He obeys the law, but is not adverse to speaking out against that which he perceives to be wrong or harmful to both nation and fellow citizen alike!

?What exactly is a patriot, can anyone really say for sure?? One thing, however, is absolutely certain - I have met many, through thought and ideas, freely espoused upon this site! For these patriots may not always sound off as to their inner convictions, but instead opt to read the thoughts and feelings of others, and by doing so, agree or disagree in silence, but these too are patriots none the less.

Remember, for every Patrick Henry or Thomas Jefferson, there are thousands of men and women who serve this nation in silence. ?And these too are American Patriots of the finest order!!?

VERITAS

[Tamaroa]

Nice thoughts there. I would add another dimension though. A patriot's feelings for his country are unwavering. They are constant throughout the good and bad times. A patriot is also aware of the symbolism of his/her flag and treats it with the proper respect.

Last September I posted on this board some of my thoughts as we New Yorkers were recovering from the attack on the trade center. One of the things I noted was that until September 11, 2001, very few people felt good vibes toward our police and our firemen. Also, you saw a preponderance of American flags start to fly everywhere.

Question -- Why didn't we have the same respect and admiration for the firefighters and policemen before the attack? Moreover, why is everybody not only flying flags that were not flying them before, but they make no effort to understand flag etiquette. The number of shredded flags I see flying from cars is amazing. in addition to that, on several occasions I had to stop people who were mounting flags on the back of their cars to tell them that the canton was in the wrong place. they had it to the right when everyone of us knows it should be on the left.

Did the attack create fair weather patriots or will they eventually understand the true meaning of the word.

Bill

[HARDCORE]

Should Be Read Again!