Posted on 09/19/2002 5:44:04 PM PDT by christine
Patriotism, Nationalism, or Militarism
by Fran Tully
To quote from Miracle on 34th Street, "There are a lot of bad isms in the world, but commercialism is one of the worst." I agree. But in my list of worsts, I would like to include, communism, Marxism, socialism, racism, terrorism, and militarism.
Without exception, these all represent social systems which falsely promise a form of Utopia, but in practice, can only lead to the destruction of those societies.
I have recently read a very disturbing article called, PATRIOTISM: A MENACE TO LIBERTY (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/Writings/Anarchism/patriotism.html) on the web site of one of America's most liberal universities. One of the many problems I had with the article was the author's apparent misunderstanding of Patriotism as that of an ultra Militaristic soldier, with blind loyalty to their leader.
In fact, one of the biggest differences I see between a patriotic citizen (Patriot) and a soldier (serving our National Armed Forces), is that the Patriot may act freely, of his own accord, and may choose to fight or not to fight, as his conscience dictates. By contrast, the soldier may have initially volunteered for "service", but that is where his "thinking" ended. His decision making process is virtually over in regard to fighting. He undergoes lengthly indoctrination to ensure that in the heat of battle, he will not think, but respond, instantly, mechanically, blindly, to orders as he has been trained to do. Without this "military" discipline, his life or the lives of his fellow soldiers will be in jeopardy.
This difference is enormous. Governments have absolute control over the soldier. Unfortunately, this control is often abused. The service of these men is more often than not, misused by the government for political means – not for the defense of one's country, which is the reason the army exists and the reason the soldiers volunteered.
While the soldier is taught to fight when ordered to do so, the Patriot is taught that fighting may be necessary to preserve our natural rights for ourselves and so that future generations are not deprived their rights by a tyrannical government. The Patriot makes a conscious decision to fight for a just cause, freedom, although some would argue that a true Patriot is compelled to fight and there really is no 'conscious' decision. The Patriot takes up arms as a matter of self-preservation, and only as a last resort. The soldier simply follows orders and may in fact be ordered to violate the rights of others.
Patriots believe that life is precious. They only embrace war if they believe there is no other solution. Having exhausted all other peaceful means, they feel that war is justified and are therefore prepared to die for that belief. This is why soldiers fear Patriots.
Many soldiers maintain their blind loyalty to the "leader" long after their servitude has ended. This loyalty causes these veteran soldiers to look upon anyone who questions or speaks out against the current leadership with pure disdain. They remain loyal to the President's administration believing that they are honorable men who will always do what is best for the country. Unfortunately, history does not support this belief. In fact, even the founding fathers warned us not to trust the politicians and even warned against a standing army within our own borders – specifically because of these strong beliefs.
The biggest misconception that some veterans have is that one can not be a true Patriot unless they "volunteer" to serve in the armed forces. This blind allegiance does not allow for the idea that citizens can be Patriotic unless they are willing to surrender their sovereignty, surrender their rights, and become a mindless robot for a corrupt government corporation. The fact is that some people refuse to serve because the army has become an integral extension of an extremely corrupt government. Now, don't get me wrong, I believe that many of those who volunteer to serve in the armed forces do so with honorable intentions. I also believe that a strong military is necessary for the security of our country. However, I do not agree that one must join the armed forces to demonstrate one's Patriotism. In fact, I believe that a more patriotic act is to actively participate in the regular militia – which our government has all but outlawed.
The regular militia, as defined by the founding fathers, was to consist of all able-bodied persons. They were to practice training with their weapons and their local "teams" and be prepared to go into military action with a moment's notice. Being prepared meant having enough guns, ammunition, food, clothing and training to go into action immediately if required to do so. The militia could be called up by the Governor in cases of extreme national disaster, or they could be called upon by their local leader in the event that the government was beginning to abuse its intended power. Now why do you think that the government would make it illegal for the regular militia to practice?
The militia represents the body of all Americans. The Patriot movement is often synonymous with the militia. The Patriot, while portrayed as a backwoods, uneducated, anarchist with a machine gun by the media, is actually the everyday American who has a love of his country, an understanding of the constitution, and a burning desire for the government to act in accordance with the constitution. They know unequivocally that their rights are endowed by their creator – not granted by the government. They are honest people who are disturbed at the government's refusal to "play by the rules". They hold on to their precious rights and pray that the day never comes when they will be required to take up arms against the tyrannical government. However, in their gut, they feel that day coming closer with each piece of unconstitutional, oppressive legislation, and every infringement on their rights. The Patriot is what keeps America free.
#1 that is why they joined the Armed Forces...
Did someone steal it? 8^)
Christine, a wonderful post! Ms. Tully hit this one out of the park. And I don't even own a machine gun :o( But I did stay in a Holiday Inn
What more should we expect from a collection of anarchist papers from a left-wing institution?
Sorry Christine, but this lady is dead wrong here. There is no 'mechanical, blind response' to orders on the battlefield. A soldier or Marine that does not actively think and take his OWN initiative will soon be dead.
It's obvious this lady equates us with Napoleonic armies. It's obvious she has no idea what she's talking about when it comes to modern day American armed forces.
btw, i said hello to you over at you-know-where the other day. ;)
Having been a serviceman, all I can say is I think the author has some misconceptions of military training. The couple of months of basic "indoctrination" and other schools and training excercises that come after are all geared towards one crucial thing: ensuring that the individual soldier does not freeze on the battlefield. This author seems to imply that joining the military subsumes the individual will of each soldier, unless they somehow are a 'patriot.' To me this is a great over-simplifcation of what military training is in general, and an somewhat of an insult to our all-volunteer armed forces.
Everyone had different reasons for joining the army, navy, etc, so why impugn some as insufficiently patriotic?
Government isn't going away, and if it does anarchy won't be any paradise. We ought to take steps to make sure government doesn't get too powerful. Political organization is probably the best way to do this, better than other alternatives, though it's not at all likely that a major rollback of government powers is coming any times soon.
Which has been proven to be incorrect lately more times than it has been proven correct.
Boonie Rat
MACV SOCOM, PhuBai/Hue '65-'66
Was is painful? ;^)
Yes, I know you said hello. And I answered... didn't ya see?
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