Dateline: 4 March 2014
The Ukrainian Revolution— Was it sponsored by the United States? |
I have often quipped that the best way to learn any subject is to write a book about it, and researching early American patriotism was no exception. When I began compiling my group of vanishing spirits with patriotism at the head of the list, I at once began learning. . . As I researched and analyzed the subject ... I soon realized that patriotism has become all too closely related to war: the most patriotic people in history (like the Nazis) were always the most warlike and ruthless.
Great thinkers, I learned, very often frown upon patriotism, and the more I thought about this spirit, the more I too wondered about its real values. “This heroism upon command,” wrote Einstein, “this senseless violence, this accursed bombast of patriotism—how intensely do I despise it!” One philosopher called patriotism “the religion of Hell.”
I had never regarded patriotism in such a light, and I began to think. I remembered my first encounter with pseudopatriotism about half a century ago while I was a student at military academy: while folding the flag at sundown with a fellow student, I had accidentally let it fall to the ground. “You son of a bitch!” my helper cried. “You let the American flag touch the ground!”
That was long ago when obscenities were treated as obscenities and I wasn’t going to allow anyone to call my mother a dog. A fist fight followed and I still carry a small scar of the incident. I suppose it was a mini example of how wars start, where there is as much punishment to the punisher as there is to the sufferer, all in the name of patriotism.
In the beginning, the word patriotism came from the word pater (father) and patriotism was “a quality of respect of one who is devoted to his family in a fatherly fashion”: it had little to do with war or nationalism. Therefore I offer that the word patriotism be substituted whenever possible, by the word respect. I find respect to be the vanishing American spirit most worthy of return to our beloved nation.
Respect for family, respect for the nation and the land, respect for the flag and the law, respect for mankind and respect for oneself—these have been outstandingly wanting during the last few years. Within the family, within the nation and to all other nations, the only hope for the survival of civilization is respect or love for one another.
—Eric Sloane
“The Spirits of ’76” (1973)
Eric Sloane probably wrote those words in 1972, when opposition to the Vietnam War was in full swing. More and more people were fed up with what our country was doing on the other side of the world. I still don’t understand why Americans had to fight a war in Vietnam. Ifanyone else can give me a good explanation, I'd like to hear it.
12 comments:
I think something is wrong with the Paul Craig Roberts Link. It gives me an error message of being too large.
I got an e-mail from his this morning and he says he has been having problems with his web site (and was a little suspicious about it). I can't get on there at the moment. I'll double check the link and repost if I've made a mistake. Thanks for the heads-up.
I redid the link and it worked for me, though it took a few minutes for the page to reload—much longer than it should have. The article is not long. If, for some reason, his web site goes down, I will take the liberty of posting his essay here (I have a copy)
I'm getting the same too large error as of 11am 3/04. Your blog post is spot on..
In a similar article today over at WND, Pat Buchanan wrote that the American interests at stake in the Ukraine were "Zero."
http://www.wnd.com/2014/03/tune-out-the-war-party/
We Americans have gotten into the habit when discussing such things to get waaaaay too abstract. Let's change that, shall we? Am I, that is, ME personally willing to go and fight for someone else's freedom (Assuming for the sake of argument that that's the actual reason)? What about my son? Do I sacrifice him on that alter, too?
Hopefully, that sort of questioning will lead to some sobering self reflection. Still, we dare not despise the ability of the corporacratic/neocon class to market our potential involvement as absolutely essential to our survival, whatever the reality may be.
Regards,
David Smith
David,
That's a good article. For those who want a simple link to it, here you go: Tune Out The War Party!
I've temporarily posted ALL (I only posted part for an hour or so) of PCR's scathing denunciation of the Obama administration in this fiasco. It will be removed when the link in my essay is back to working like it should.
Thanks, Brother Kimball, for simplifying that link to PJB's article!
Regards,
David Smith
The reality is that this reflects the views of Washington since before WW2. The only difference between overt dictatorships and Washington is that the shadow government operates in total secrecy and through covert means that claim to be something they aren't.(NGO's and non-profit foundations) I hope peace can come to this world, but I'm afraid that when hubris filled megalomaniacs like our Lord have the finger on a big red button, Satan whispers in their ears to push it. And they tend to listen.
A good history of the Vietnam conflict can be found in Warren Carroll's, "Crisis of Christendom". It is neither for, nor against. Just good history, from a Christian perspective.
Dear Anonymous,
Before I pass my own judgement on what you said, would you please clarify what you meant by "...like our Lord...". Who do you mean by "our Lord"? The statement sounds like you are saying that "our Lord" is a hubris filled megalomaniac with a finger on a big red button. Just wondering. Thank you,
Mick
Yes, I will give clarification. I read it and realized that I was lacking in context. I left out Obama, as in Lord Obama. Not the Lord Our God. My mistake.
Thank you anonymous, I get it now it makes sense, "lord Obama". Appreciate the clarification,
Mick
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