The Decline Of Patriotism In America Rant

     Are you patriotic?  Are you an American patriot?  Do you love the United States of America?  Have you ever pondered these questions?  Have you ever answered them for yourself?  Perhaps the exercise might be a little less daunting if it were presented differently.  Try this.  It might be useful and then again, it might not.

Are you a patriotic American?___ Extremely; ____Very; ____Somewhat; ____Maybe; ____ Not At All.

Do you love the United States of America? ____Extremely; ____ Very; ____Somewhat; ____Maybe; ____Not At All.

     At first glance, these seem like very clear and unambiguous questions but if you stop and consider, they are anything but.  In fact, these questions and others like them are rather complex and complicated and answering them honestly requires more than just a little soul searching and serious reflection.  Perhaps another type of polling technique might make it easier to see where you stand on these issues.  How about we try it this way?

Are you a patriotic American? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10.

Do you love the United States of America? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10.

Zero, of course, represents a flat out NO while the number ten signifies a very high degree of patriotism.  Not all that easy, is it?

     And therein lies the fucking rub!  Thirty, forty, fifty, or one hundred years ago, these questions were easily answered and the vast majority of Americans stood squarely and resolutely in the extremely patriotic camp.  There was little if any doubt, confusion, or angst in answering these questions.  There was no shame or embarrassment involved in answering these questions.  There was no shame or embarrassment involved in being patriotic and love of country was indeed the norm.  You see, back then America was united, proud, and sure of itself.  Americans were very cognizant of the concept of American Exceptionalism and we reveled in our unique founding and the fact that it was a radical departure from and break with thousands of years of human history and development.  There had never been in the history of history a country like the United States of America.  We were indeed both unique and exceptional.  As a nation, we were unified, proud, and very confident about the future.  There was no doubt that America’s best days were yet to come and that we would continue to be the world’s leader and mankind’s best hope.

     The Thorndike-Barnhart Advanced Dictionary defines patriotic as, “loving one’s country,” or, “showing love and loyal support of one’s country.”  Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus defines a patriot as, “one who loves and zealously supports one’s own country.”  As we look around at our nation today, I wonder how many Americans would proudly, confidently, and unabashedly “admit” to being patriotic and proclaim out loud in front of God and everybody that they love the United States of America?  I would venture to guess that the number is significantly less than it was just a few decades ago.  I would also guess that public displays of anti-Americanism are far more numerous than public displays of what might be termed pro-Americanism.  Look around at your own neighborhood, for example, and count the number of American flags on display.  When I grew up it was a common and familiar sight.  Not anymore.  In fact, showing the colors is indeed a rare thing even on special occasions like the Fourth of July.  You’d be surprised, by the way, at how many Americans don’t recognize that date and couldn’t tell you the year we declared our independence from Great Britain.  This isn’t just sad, it’s tragic almost beyond description.  If, in fact, the average American citizen doesn’t feel proud to be an American, then our nation is in very deep trouble.  Patriotism is necessary for a country’s continued survival.  Without patriotism there can be no nationalism – no love of country.

     Patriotism and nationalism have been the glue that has bound this country together and made it the greatest nation in the history of mankind.  The fact that literally millions upon millions of Americans don’t recognize the legitimacy of the concept of American Exceptionalism is more than just a tad troubling.  Too many of our citizens see us as no better than any other national entity on the planet.  Far too many of us feel that to publicly display love of country is no more than a quaint, outdated, and useless notion that simply has no place in the 21^st Century.  It’s viewed as old fashioned, antiquated, and completely out of step with the present day.  Nationalism and patriotism are out while globalism and one-worldism are in.  We are admonished to think of ourselves not as American citizens first but rather as global citizens whose allegiance must transcend old, outmoded concepts like love of one’s country and pride in its accomplishments.  We are to view America as but one of over one hundred and ninety other nations around the globe and that we are no better and probably a lot worse than any of them.  We should place our allegiance and loyalty on foreign, international organizations like the United Nations and the World Court over and above our loyalty and devotion to our own history, traditions, and institutions.  Our own borders, language, and culture are meaningless in this new age of globalism in which pride in nation and loyalty to country must be stamped out and destroyed in favor of devotion to some “visionary” and utopian New World Order.  In this brave new world (to coin a phrase) the individual is completely subordinate to the state and all must work in concert for something nebulously referred to as, “the greater good.”  To this end, long held and cherished American traditions like rugged individualism, self-reliance, and self-determination must be swept away.  All decisions from the smallest to the largest will be made for us and not by us by an omnipotent and all-intrusive STATE reminiscent of Orwell’s BIG BROTHER.  Our own wants, needs, and desires must be completely subordinated to some larger authoritarian-totalitarian entity that controls every aspect of our lives from cradle to grave.

     Our magnificent socio-economic system of Free Market Capitalism which has made us the wealthiest, most powerful, and most generous nation in history must be completely destroyed and replaced by some brand of state-sanctioned Socialism designed to enslave us to the arbitrary and capricious whims of the anointed few.  Individual achievement and success will count for nothing while notions of “equality” and “fairness” will be forced down our collective gullets.  Concepts like equality and fairness can only be “guaranteed” by some form of government coercion which contradicts the entire concept of Free Market Capitalism which is the epitome of voluntary interaction between individuals and entities.  The envisioned New World Order will be imposed upon us by force and coercion because it is completely antithetical to human nature.  In the new Global Age, there is simply no room for concepts like patriotism or nationalism.

     Well then, how did we get to where we are today?  How did we go from a united, proud, and patriotic people to the point where far too many Americans feel no love for or pride in our nation?  How did we fall so far so fast?  There is, I believe, one major, glaring reason and explanation for this phenomenon:  Liberalism and its lemming-like adherents.  Yes, I know.  That will sound far too simplistic to many folks out there.  They can’t believe that it’s not far more complicated and convoluted than this.  But remember Occam’s Razor:  all things being equal, the simplest explanation is almost always the correct one.  Liberalism and its hard-core followers in the LFE (Liberal Fucking Elite) literally loathe and despise this nation and, tragically, for the most part they are native born American citizens.  They have lived their lives here, been educated here, and work here and yet they ardently and passionately believe that the United States represents the epitome of evil incarnate. These misguided anti-Americans were young “Hippies” way back in the 1960’s and are remembered most for protesting the Vietnam War all those years ago.

 

     Well those young America haters are now in their senior years and 

they still despise this country.  The difference now, however, is that far too many of them hold positions of power, influence, and authority in our nation’s affairs.  The entire Democratic Party and especially its inner circle are all on the Far Left and their policies and positions are purposely designed to do nothing but harm this country and bring it to its knees.  There are no more so-called “moderate” Democrats out there in positions of leadership as was once the case.  I give you as the most obvious example President Barry Boy and his entire administration from top to bottom.  They are at their very core Far Left Liberals.  These are the folks that gave us that abomination known as Obamacare which allows the government to control over one-sixth of the American economy (see The Obamacare Rationing Rant of 4/15/12).  The so-called Affordable Care Act has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with health and health care but instead has everything to do with the expansion of an ever more powerful central government which will intrude into every single aspect of the lives of the citizenry.  This is, of course, the exact antithesis of the very limited government with very limited power that our brilliant and prescient Founders created.

     Additionally, we can point to Obamacore that constitutes nothing less than an attempt to completely take over America’s educational system from pre-K right up through college and university (see the Obamacore Rant of 7/29/13).  It is a blatant attempt to control and dictate the educational curricula of every single school and student in the entire nation.  It is nothing more than undisguised and unabashed extortion.  “Well listen here school district XYZ, you do what we want or you’re not gonna get those millions upon millions of federal dollars that you so desperately need!”  How’s that sound?  Yet, this is standard operating procedure for the LFE that controls what our children learn and even think.  It is nothing more and nothing less than brainwashing.  It certainly doesn’t qualify as, “education.”  Furthermore, our educational system and institutions at all levels are overwhelmingly populated by Far, Far Left teachers, administrators, principals, college professors, and university presidents.  Our kids are literally and purposely taught to despise the United States of America.  They are forced to “learn” that the U.S. is nothing more than the world’s largest aggressor and oppressor with absolutely no redeeming qualities or values. 

     They are taught a completely “revisionist” history of America which purposely ignores and/or distorts all the good that this nation has accomplished in the world.  In other words, our children are being lied to day in and day out, year in and year out.  They are not being taught honestly about the greatness and goodness of their own country.  They are never taught patriotism or nationalism but rather just the opposite.  They are taught to loathe and despise their own country and after twelve to sixteen years of being pounded with this Far Left anti-American Bullshit, they end up believing it and living it.  It is both a travesty and a tragedy.  These folks who are in charge of a large chunk of the lives of our young ‘uns are not educators or teachers but instead are nothing more than propagandists for the Far Left in our country and this has been unrelenting and pervasive for well over fifty years!  Patriotism and nationalism are not in-born or instinctive traits.  They must be taught, learned, and reinforced just as anti-Americanism must be taught, learned, and reinforced.  It is no more complicated than that.  In this regard, the LFE has been highly successful in their mission of turning our youth against their own nation.  Today’s students, of course, will one day be our future leaders, shakers, and movers.  They will set our national policies, priorities, and agendas.  It is always so and what we learn in our youth stays with us forever.  What we were taught as young people is what we will pass down to our children who will pass it on to their progeny.  Literally generations of our children have been denied the truth about the United States and have been taught to despise and denigrate it.  This can only mean that patriotism, nationalism, and pride in country are being stamped out and this is being done purposely and passionately.  Once a population “loses” these qualities, this country as historically founded and presently constituted will cease to exist!

     Every single government agency out there has been coopted by our current Socialist-in-Chief and are now used to literally change the nature and structure of our nation.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under our Far Left leadership has but one purpose.  Of course, you say, to protect the environment right?  Wrong!  The EPA is now being used to completely undermine and destroy both the concept and experience of private property which has always been a hallmark and highlight of the American journey (see the Environmental Protection Agency Rant of 5/28/13).  Perhaps you have achieved the American Dream of owning your own home.  Congratulations and well done!  But there’s this really big tree in your front yard and you need to take it down.  Why you want to cut that tree down which is on land that you own is nobody’s business but yours.  No problem.  The only decision you have to make is whether to do it yourself or hire a tree service to do the work for you.  Simple enough?  Nope, because here comes the EPA to perform its environmental impact study.  The Agency discovers that your tree is actually the home of some endangered beetle, bug, or other type of insect and you are prevented from cutting down that tree on property that you own.  Where’s your right to private property now?  Right down the toilet like so many other cherished American rights that those on the Far Left want to destroy.  Care for another example?  Absolutely.  Let’s go to your backyard.  You’re having a drainage problem.  Every time it rains really, really hard you’re left with a small lake instead of a yard.  You don’t want that.  You want to regrade the property so that the problem is solved.  Once again, nope.  The EPA swoops in and declares your back yard to be a “wetland” and cannot be touched!  Bye-Bye private property rights.  These constitute but two examples that the government has used the EPA to undermine and destroy long-held and revered American rights and traditions.

     There exist countless other examples like this but a mere two more will more than suffice to make the point.  I give you the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a feared and fearsome government agency.  As most working Americans are acutely aware, the IRS has got to be the world’s largest and most efficient collection agency.  It’s easier to commit murder in this country and get away with it than it is to avoid paying your taxes!  Hell, the IRS has literally thrown octogenarians into prison for failure to file and pay up.  I kid you not.  For all of its coercive power, however, it is supposed to remain completely fair and unbiased.  It doesn’t matter if you are a Republican, Democrat, Communist, or completely a-political.  You don’t pay, you’re fucked!  Doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight, bi-sexual, or any other damned thing.  Cross the IRS and you will be punished.  Well, like so much else under the Socialist-in-Chief’s reign of destruction, The IRS has become nothing more than the enforcement arm of the Democrat Party.

     You don’t think so?  I give you the entire Tea Party Movement – and it is a movement.  Obama and his mob don’t like the Tea Partiers and, in fact, have set out to deny them their First Amendment rights.  Obama and his jack-booted comrades have denied the Tea Party folks the right to politically organize effectively by not allowing them the right to raise money in order to support their political views and candidates they wish to see elected.  The Tea Partiers have over and over again applied for tax exempt status so that they can better participate in the electoral process.  Has Obama treated groups that support his destruction of the United States the same way?  That’s a rhetorical question.  What do you suppose are the offenses, the sins, committed by the evil Tea Party organizations out there?  Well, let’s see.  First, they want this country to return to the very, very limited government envisioned and created by our Founders.  Yeah, that’s really dangerous.  Second, these “seditious” types want to return to a strict interpretation of our magnificent Constitution.  They are what’s known as “originalists” and for this, of course, they must be severely punished with constant IRS audits.  These audits, for those of you who haven’t experienced the pleasure, are brutal, unending, and can lead to financial ruin and a stint in a federal lock up.  Yeah, we’ll show those dangerous, seditious Bastards who love their country and want to return America to its former greatness a thing or two!  Furthermore, these wacky Tea Partiers want to take the radical step of returning this country some semblance of fiscal sanity.  They fully understand that a nineteen trillion dollar national debt is not even close to sustainable.  They would like to see another amendment added to our Constitution that requires the government to spend only within its means.  You know, just like you and I must do.  Yup, we’d better get rid of these Tea Party guys!

     In addition to all of the above, we could speak of Obama and his infamous Executive Orders.  I’m sure you remember his dire and ominous warning that if Congress doesn’t give him what he wants, it really doesn’t matter.  After all, he’s always got his pen and his phone!  That’s right, he’ll completely ignore the House, the Senate, and the American people.  It’s more than just a little obvious that Obama and the rest of the LFE don’t want to govern but rather they want to rule.  After all, it’s such a bother governing according to the will of the people.  I really don’t believe the wannabe dictator puts much credence in such pesky notions as, “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”  That would be asking way too much of this Socialist freak!  In all of the above, there is not even the slightest glimmer, not even the tiniest shred of patriotism or nationalism.  Not one bit of love of country and appreciation of our magnificent Founding can be found because it just isn’t there.  If our leaders will not evince a sense of patriotism, nationalism, pride, and love of country are the rest of us supposed to follow suit?  Apparently so.  If our vaunted leadership displays such disdain for America’s founding, institutions, and traditions how can we expect our brainwashed youth to do anything but?

     What is most troubling here is not the particular individuals who have been voted into power, but instead the tens upon tens upon tens of millions of American citizens who voted for them because they believe that Far Left Liberalism will stand them in better stead than traditional American values, traditions, institutions, and history.  The elections of 2008 and 2012 marked a sea-change in this country’s growth, development, and historical meaning.  It marked the disintegration and repudiation of everything the United States has ever represented or aspired to.  If the 2016 presidential election once again favors the LFE and the Treasonous Shrieker is successful, if this perjury committing anti-American Bitch becomes the next Commander –in-Chief, I fear the country I love and revere is lost forever.

     A piece entitled, “Guest Opinion: The Decline of American Patriotism (http://www.dailyiowan.com),” is relevant here.  The author queries, “The question is, where have these positive and patriotic attitudes gone and how can we as Americans get them back?”  Damned good question, don’t you think?  The author goes on to say that, “Notably, negative events cultivate negative attitudes.  For example, students in some public elementary and high schools no longer recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  Because of this, students are missing out on one of the first instances of American pride.”  Additionally, she notes that, “the nation is currently so intensely divided politically that young people who are growing up in this environment are being educated more on hating and disagreeing than on the many reasons why they should be proud of their country.”  Author Jessica Kolner goes on to note that, “Loving your country and being proud to be an American is something entirely separate from supporting one political party over another; it is entirely separate from anything the United States has ever done, politically or otherwise, in the past.”  She explains that, “American patriotism appeals to your heart.  It’s an admiration for our Founding Fathers, a respect for what is written in the U.S. Constitution.  It’s an intense appreciation and gratitude to those who have fought and gave their lives so that we may live freely.  But most of all, American patriotism is the belief that you have been undeniably blessed to have been born in the greatest country in the world.”  Amen and amen!  I wonder how many of us out there, especially among America’s youth, can read that last and say they agree with it?  I would venture to guess that those numbers are declining precipitously and this next presidential election may well provide a definitive answer to that question.

     Another piece entitled, “Loyalty is a Two way Street – The Dying of Patriotism in America (http://eaglerising.com),” begins by stating, “If you’ve been paying attention you will have noticed that American patriotism is definitely on the decline.”  Well, that’s fairly clear and unambiguous and doesn’t seem to leave too much in the way of doubt.  The piece maintains that, “Americans loved our country for two important reasons.  The government protected us from enemies, foreign and domestic, and left us free to live our lives as we saw fit.”  The author asks, “Do you feel protected now?  And we certainly aren’t free from government interference in our lives anymore.  So why, many ask, should we be loyal or patriotic if our government does not live up to that standard anymore?”  Additionally, “More people than ever in the shrinking middle class feel oppressed, not nurtured, by a government that restricts our rights, increases our taxes, and fails to protect us.”

     This statement speaks to a key or central issue that America faces today: the complete failure of the current leadership in our nation at present on both sides of the aisle but especially on the part of the Far Left Liberal anti-American crowd.  When a population loses faith in the leadership it hasn’t necessarily lost faith in the nation, its history, or traditions.  The remedy, of course, used to be to vote the Bastards out and elect a new set of Bastards until they screw things up.  This technique seemed to have served us well for most of our history.  I believe, however, that this is no longer the case.  We have reached a turning point of a sort.  So many Americans seem to have lost faith in the system, not just in one party or the other.  This seems to be a rare thing in our history.  There seems to be more disaffection, confusion, and division in our nation than has ever before existed and this is also attributable to the Liberals in our midst.  Their specialty seems to be the old divide and conquer gambit. 

     They have an unprecedented record of pitting one group against another and creating dissention among and between as many so-called special interest groups as is possible.  When this kind of division occurs and especially when it is purposely done, unity is dangerously eroded and perhaps even destroyed.  Without a sense of unity, a sense of purpose, and a sense of cohesiveness patriotism cannot help but suffer.  Patriotism must be fostered and nurtured and if a nation’s population feels betrayed by its leadership, the sense of loyalty and pride flags precipitously and this is more than merely dangerous.

     The author of the piece uses ancient Rome to support his premise.  He notes that, “America wouldn’t be the first society to decline because it lost the support of its citizens.”  He notes that when the Roman Republic fought Hannibal’s Carthage in the Punic Wars, it lost almost 100,000 men in a mere two years.  The Romans, however, refused to give up but instead persevered and eventually achieved victory.  This was because Rome had the, “support of their citizens – mostly free farmers who felt they had something worth fighting for in spite of their losses.”  He then contrasted this to the, “sack of Rome by roughly 30,000 Visigoths in 410 A.D.  Rome then was a huge empire.  Yet most Romans living on the public dole didn’t feel they owed any loyalty to the rulers and their wealthy supporters.”  The point here is, obviously, Rome witnessed the death of patriotism and nationalism.  The loyalty and love of country that had existed under the Republic had completely evaporated.  The Roman Empire had become nothing  more than a shell of its former self – a paper tiger, if you will.  The similarities between then and now are frightening.  More Americans than ever before are living on the dole and sucking at the public teat. We are awash in a sea of food stamps, public housing, and free Obamaphones.  There are over ninety-four million Americans who can’t find employment, and our own Rubicon has been crossed by armies of modern day Visigoths who have zero love or loyalty for America.  The similarities between then and now are more than just obvious.  They are a clarion call and a dire warning.  They are a harbinger of the destruction of the greatest nation God ever gave mankind.  Patriotism, love of country, must inevitably suffer under these conditions and it is my contention that those on the Far Left in America can’t wait for the day when it all comes crashing down!

     The piece asks, “Who will defend our country in the future if too many Americans feel the same way as those ancient Romans?  The progressive elite won’t risk their precious selves, besides they believe we are a racist, evil country that needs to fundamentally change,” as per Obama’s infamous promise.  The author continues that a, “key ingredient in patriotism is love of country.  When your country, or your leaders, are no longer worthy of love or respect, is it any wonder that patriotism is dying?”  The writer notes that, “Many Americans are starting to feel the same way about our country.  We must remember that when we elect our next President.  It’s time for a change of direction because the pathway we are headed down now leads to an America that is not worthy of the sacrifices of patriots past and present.”

     Unfortunately, this view is not merely pessimistic but is starkly realistic and accurate.  We do seem to be headed in the direction of ancient Rome and other long gone civilizations.  Is America’s time coming to an end?  Has this bastion of hope, promise, and optimism that has indeed been the world’s shining example reached its nadir and bottomed out?  As I look around the current political-social landscape, I am anything but reassured.  Has our great country run its course and will soon take its place on that so-called ash heap of history?  If this is indeed the case, then we have no one to blame but ourselves because we let it happen.  We will not be invaded by some hostile foreign force nor will the radical, fucking maniacal Muslim mother fuckers be able to destroy this great nation.  We will have done it to ourselves by abandoning and forswearing our own history, traditions, institutions, and values.  If this nation is to die as historically founded and presently constituted, it will be an undeniable case of national suicide!

     An article entitled, “The Death of American Patriotism (http://hhsherald.com),” is useful in helping to assess the state of patriotism in America today.  The writer maintains that our nation has always been defined in part by its, “strength, determination, and perseverance.  All of which makes up the strength of American patriotism.”  A nation defined by these characteristics is a nation that is unified, confident, and strong.  As I look around the current political and social state of our country, I really don’t see much that might be  described as strength, determination, and perseverance.  I don’t see these traits reflected in our politics, in our popular culture, in our news media, or anywhere else for that matter.  I see nothing but divisiveness, discord, and a complete lack of unity.  This, I believe, is no mere accident but has been perpetrated on us by the LFE since at least the 1960’s.

     Liberal Democrats in our country are Hell bent on creating as much disunity in America as is possible.  They are busily sabotaging our country and instilling in Americans as much confusion, self-doubt, and uncertainty as is humanly possible.  Their leader, our very own Saboteur-in-Chief, gleefully oversees the loss of American patriotism.  He knows full well that as a population loses patriotism, a void is created that must be filled because as the old saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum.  What will fill that vacuum?  Reliance on a highly centralized, all powerful, and all consuming federal government.  The ultimate goal is a population which is totally dependent on government for all of its wants and needs.  This, obviously, entails the loss of individual freedom and liberty and the abandonment of all of our cherished traditions, values, and institutions.  Under these circumstances, patriotism – love of country – cannot fail to wane and decline.  Only a confident and optimistic people can maintain the necessary levels of patriotism for continued progress and success.

     The piece accurately notes that our strength, determination, and perseverance led to our, “independence, liberty, self-governance, and a land of rich resources which paved the way for great opportunity.  Through our brief history, America has shown the resolve to uphold freedom and crush oppression and tyranny around the world.”  The writer insists that, “Belief in our principles had made America strong,” and we made it, “our responsibility to protect the weak and cast out the wicked.”  Yeah, that sounds like the country into which I was born and have learned to love and cherish.  Something, however, has changed over time and it does not bode well for America’s future.  The piece maintains that, “it seems as though America has had a decline in patriotism and pride in our country in recent years.  This can be seen in our country through the growing disrespect of soldiers and veterans, the distrust of our government, the self-absorbance and ignorance of our population, and the abuse of our freedom of speech.”  Can anyone out there seriously disagree with this assessment of our national condition?

     If you can, then you are absolutely part of the problem and that problem is Far Left Liberalism run completely amok!  The problems we face today are the result of at least fifty years of the LFE continually  attacking their own nation and filling the hearts and minds of our youth with lies and distortions about our history and role in the world.  The Far Left’s unrelenting attacks on this nation’s values and virtues have taken a heavy toll.  Once the seeds of self-doubt and loss of confidence take root, feelings of patriotism and belief in the nation can’t help but steadily erode and disappear.  The author concludes that, “America must find her patriotism again to regain her strength.  What’s happening in America now, has happened in past civilizations.  The Roman Empire crumbled because its people lost their way.  They forgot the principles which made their nation great and paid greatly for it.  We must be smarter than they were.  We must remember what made our country great.”  Good advice really, but I fear that far too many Americans can’t remember what made America great because they never learned what made America great.  Liberal control of our educational system and all of our media outlets have seen to that.  When patriotism is not taught, it ceases to exist and a loss of patriotism spells the decline of a nation and ours is no exception.

     Thus far, the evidence for the decline of American patriotism has been presented in anecdotal fashion which is certainly useful and instructive.  It might be interesting to ponder some statistical evidence to support the hypothesis that Americans are steadily becoming less and less patriotic.  A piece entitled, “American Patriotism is Dying a Slow Death: The Pride Americans Feel For Their Country is Slipping Away (http://www.infowars.com),” provides insight here.  The article begins by stating that, “there was a time not too long ago when Americans were so patriotic it was palpable.  You couldn’t throw a rock in any direction without hitting someone with stars and stripes in their eyes.  There was a near unanimous belief that we were the shining city upon a hill, and that we were and always would be the greatest nation on earth.”  Well, not so much anymore.  The author maintains that, “the sentiment is still there I suppose, but you can almost feel it evaporating a little bit every day.  The pride Americans feel for their country is slipping away, and that is an undeniable fact.”  Indeed, a World Values Study notes that in terms of patriotism, America is actually behind countries like Mexico, Rwanda, and Armenia.  In fact, only 56% of American claimed that they were very proud of this country which was down from over 62% in 2009. 

     Additionally, the author points out that in 2009 the number was over 62%, 71% in 2004, and 77% in 1999.  Do you see a pattern here?  Pre-Obama, the percentages of Americans who declared themselves to be extremely proud of the nation were significantly higher than they have been since that America-Hating Son of a Bitch took office!  I see a direct correlation here.  How about you?  The piece maintains that we have become a nation of basically good people, “led by narcissistic psychopaths,” which exactly describes Obama and his sycophants.  The piece concludes that, “Those of us who have justifiable reasons to lack pride in our nation are not a minority of extremists.  We actually love America or at least what America was supposed to be.  But we know that nation is very nearly gone, and has been replaced with something despicable.”  That’s really quite a statement and an indictment when you think about.  I will always love this country as founded as well as its historical mission in the world.  Like the author, however, I am disgusted and revolted by those in power and I am equally horrified by my fellow countrymen who voted them into office.

     The Gallup Organization, famous for its polling, offers a piece entitled, “New Low of 52% Extremely Proud to be Americans (http://gallup.com),” is particularly revealing.  Author Jeffrey M. Jones explains that as, “the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, 52% of U.S. adults say that they are extremely proud to be Americans, a new low in Gallup’s 16-year trend.”  The piece continues that, “Americans’ patriotism spiked after 911, peaking at 70% in 2003, but has declined since, including an eight-percentage-point drop in early 2005 and a five-point drop since 2013.”  Not very encouraging, is it?  Most disturbing, however, is the loss of patriotic feeling among our nation’s youth and unless that trend is somehow reversed I believe it will eventually lead to the death of this great country.  A nation’s future lays with its young people and once they lose faith in the goodness of their own country, there is very little hope for the future. 

     The article continues that, “young adults today are also one of the few subgroups that are significantly less likely to be patriotic than in January 2001, before the 911 rally effect.  At that time, 51% of 18-to 29-year-olds were extremely proud to be Americans,” The writer notes that because, “No one who is 18 to 29 today was in that same age group in 2001 or 2003, the trends in patriotism among young adults could be evidence that those in the Millennial generation are less patriotic than young adults in generations that preceded them.  And that generational change may help explain why there has been a further decline in patriotism among all U.S. adults over the last three years.”  This is the result of Liberalism.  As mentioned earlier, the Far Left in America has had a literal death-grip on America’s educational system from pre-K up through college and university.  One of their main goals has been to turn America’s young folks against their own country and they’ve done one Hell of a bang up job!  Congratulations LFE!!

     In a letter to the editor entitled, “Whatever Happened to American Patriotism? (http://blogs.denverpost.com),” the author notes that, “When I was boy, patriotism meant a genuine love of country and a willingness to sacrifice.  It meant far more than a flag lapel pin or a ribbon-shaped Support the Troops sticker.”  He further observes that, “people felt good about their country, and speaking ill of her was considered fighting words.”  We’ve come a long way since then, but unfortunately in the wrong direction.  We’ve lost that cohesion that united us as a nation and a people.  We’re no longer confident about the country’s future and more and more Americans are convinced that America is headed in the wrong direction.  You want someone or something to blame?  Absolutely.  It’s Liberalism and the Far Left that have done an amazing job of creating uncertainty, doubt, and temerity among us.

     Once a population loses confidence in the nation’s historical role, purpose, and future discord and division take hold.  The letter to the editor continues by asking, “Where did genuine, heartfelt love of country lose its way?  When did we stop believing in our values and purpose as citizens of America?  In other times of insecurity, we were led by the words of our leaders to rise above fear and doubt.  Roosevelt’s calm assurance that we had nothing to fear but fear itself, or Kennedy’s plea to ask ourselves what we could do for the country, as well as the themes of a Great Society and a Shining City on a Hill, played not to our fears, but to our hearts.  And, as Americans, we were inspired to share in our country’s challenges as well as in her greatness.”  Who’s out there inspiring us now?  Good old Barrack Hussein O with his, “I’ve got my pen and my phone,” arrogance?  How about Banshee Hillary who infamously asked after learning of four American deaths, I mean murders, in Libya, “What does it matter now?”  Yeah, these two are the very epitome of inspiration aren’t they?

     Leadership, however, is not the only problem.  There is an old saying that in a democracy, people get the government they deserve and I couldn’t agree more.  That so many millions of Americans voted for our Saboteur-in-Chief tells me unequivocally that they care not at all for our nation’s founding and they certainly do not believe in the concept of American Exceptionalism.  They do not believe in America’s goodness or greatness but do all they can to tear it apart and bring it down.  They have absolutely learned to despise their own country.  They are not at all patriotic and seem to be very proud of that fact.  They wear it like some kind of Badge of Honor and delight in denigrating the United States at every opportunity.  An article entitled, “Editorial: The Patriotism Gap – Polls Show That Liberals Love America 

Less (http://washingtontimes.com),” is particularly relevant here.  The writer maintains that the, “patriotism issue broadly parallels the battle lines of the culture war.  Those brought up in an educational system in which the United States is portrayed negatively – as the country of slavery and segregation, of unjust wars, environmental pollution, evil capitalism and all manner of oppression – have no particular reason to be patriotic.”

     The problem here is that most of these poor, misguided shmucks never had a chance to develop a sense of patriotism and a love of country.  They have been completely brainwashed by years of anti-American propaganda shoved down their throats and hammered into their mushy brains by an “educational system” that doesn’t give a flying fuck about educating but cares only about propagandizing.  The piece goes on to say that, “To those who hold a competing image of the United States – as a shining city on a hill, as the font of freedom, as a country of faith, hope and charity, as the product of a divine plan, as the defender of democracy and the last best hope of mankind – this vision needs no fundamental transformation.  The rising tide of patriotism is a response to the assault on these American ideals, a defense of the first new nation founded in liberty.  Patriotic Americans are not yet ready to give up the fight.”  No, we are certainly not ready to give up the fight but to many of us it certainly seems like the deck is more than stacked against us.

     A nation that has lost – or is losing – its sense of patriotism as well nationalism is a nation adrift.  It is a country without purpose, meaning, or faith in its future.  As Lincoln so aptly put it so many years ago, a house divided is indeed in deep shit!.  This nation has become so divided, fractured, and fragmented that it may not be able to stand much longer.  The frightening reality is that too many of our own citizens seemingly want exactly that result!

Much Luv Y’all and Have a Great Day!

The Fifth Horseman

(Dr. David M. Rich, Ph.D.)