I never thought I would pay so much attention to politics, but like so many of my friends, I now start the day with a small dose of CNN to see what the state of our country is. During this last year I have noticed so many people introduced as patriots. What makes one a patriot? Instead of going to the internet, I decided to pull out my trusty hard copy dictionary. Patriot: one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests.
Things that make you go hmmm. I love this country and can’t imagine living anywhere else.Now this part about supporting “its authority and interests” needs a little more clarity. I respect authority, does that count? Then I looked at the next word “patriotic,” inspired by patriotism, befitting or characteristic of a patriot. Then there was “patriotism,” love for or devotion to one’s country. To what extent is this devotion? Do you need to serve in the military to be considered patriotic? Do I need to fly a flag continually at my home or is it ok to just display it on a few holidays? Did you know that there is a Patriots’ Day? Since 1969 it is recognized on the third Monday in April as a legal holiday in Massachusetts and Maine (which until the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was part of Massachusetts) in commemoration of the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775.
The Monday holiday creates a three-day weekend. It is also the first day of a vacation week for public schools in both states and a school holiday for many local colleges and universities, both public and private. The day is a public school observance day in Wisconsin. Florida law also encourages people to celebrate it, though it is not treated as a public holiday. Now that is an interesting piece of history.
In everything that I have looked up thus far, it is not mentioned if you have to be a part of a particular political party to be a patriot. I was wondering if getting a National Rifle Association membership would make me more of a patriot. Perhaps going to the local gun range. Speaking of the gun range, are there gun ranges in Black neighborhoods or urban areas? I don’t know where the closest one is. If the NRA membership will do the trick, I am strongly thinking that I will join. Will people start introducing me as a Patriot after joining?
Getting back to love of country…how much more can you demonstrate love or devotion? We as a group of people have been belittled, we’ve been treated as less than human, we have assisted in building a country where we have had to fight and are still fighting for respect and equality…for us to do all of that it must be love. So the next time I am around some patriots, I am going to remind them that I, too, am a patriot and I want to be introduced as such.
(Email Debbie at debbienorrell@aol.com)
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What is a patriot? (August 9, 2017)
