[dontcareaboutmyid]

Robby Liautaud, Essay on Patriotism

“[Patriotism] ...is a word which always commemorates a robbery. There isn't a foot of land in the world which doesn't represent the ousting and re-ousting of a longline of successive "owners" who each in turn, as "patriots" with proud swelling hearts defended it against the next gang of "robbers" who came to steal it and did--and became swelling-hearted patriots in their turn.”

So said Mark Twain in his “notebook”. A great and accurate quote if one is to be hung up on the ownership of land or the land itself rather than the ideas contained within that land.

To me, patriotism is not a belief that my country has the best farmland or beaches or military power. My patriotism stems from my beliefs in personal freedom, capitalism, peaceful succession of power and other philosophies and simple truths.

We set and defend our boarders to enable the principles of our nation to grow, and those boundaries become a tangible representation of our intangible thoughts.

Thus to put stock in our land is simply to put stock in our beliefs. To de-value patriotism because our land was wrested from the hands of others is only a misunderstanding of simple thought. While land is immobile, our thoughts and beliefs are transient and will lead us to where ever they can have a safe haven. The land is immaterial, the taking of it history, and only the philosophies it contains are worthy of patriotism.

If I were allowed to re-write Mark Twain’s quote, it would read...

“Patriotism, what glory it is; it is a word that always commemorates victory. There isn’t a foot of land in the world that doesn’t represent the values and vices of its owners.”

Happy Independance Day my fellow Americans