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Unexpected Patriotism (inspired by Robert Reich) [1]

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Date: 2022-07-04

Still trying to speak the truth and holding faith that the truth still matters.

I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve been in a pretty dark place since the latest spate of rulings from our Supremacist Court, overturning Roe being the most bitter of several pills being forced down our throats. It’s rough knowing that in times when it matters, when the chips are down and it’s life or death, people with the most power are out there doing harm rather than good, by choice. BY CHOICE! Fury and disgust have been my baseline emotions for a few weeks now. It feels like months.

Have you had the “flee the country” conversation with your friends and family yet? I have, it goes something like this:

Friend 1: “That’s it, after [latest outrage] we’re looking into leaving the country. New Zealand looks nice.”

Friend 2: “We can establish a commune and live like Vikings!”

Spouse: “Hey Greg, have you thought about this? What would it take?”

Me: “Well...”

Here I found, completely to my surprise, a well of patriotism that I didn’t know I had. Sitting there amid the howling furies of the night, surrounded on all sides by the shrill keening of terror, rage, and disgust, was a place of calm that remains unmoved. This must be what faith feels like.

I’m not leaving my country behind. Win or lose, I’m staying here to fight it out. I want there to be a nation that actually represents liberty and justice for all, and where I am now represents my best chance to help make it happen.

As it so happens, Robert Reich has also had patriotism on his mind and published his take in the Guardian. It’s short and to the point, so I’ll just share the first opening sentences to hopefully whet your appetite:

On this Fourth of July, it’s worth pondering the true meaning of patriotism. It is not the meaning propounded by the “America first” crowd, who see the patriotic challenge as securing our borders. For most of its existence America has been open to people from the rest of the world fleeing tyranny and violence.

Go read the rest of it, it gave me hope that I’m not the only one who feels this way, and I think a lot of us could use a moment to feel some hope.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/4/2108328/-Unexpected-Patriotism-inspired-by-Robert-Reich

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