Nationalism vs. Patriotism in 21st century USA

Loyalty to the United States of America does not automatically mean loyalty to the united states government.

Thomas PaineThomas Paine once wrote:"It is the responsibility of the patriot to protect his country from it's government."

To me this means it is not only our right as citizens to question the policies and decisions of our elected officials, it is our duty to do so.

It seems to me that it is the desire of the nationalist to protect his government from the patriot. To defend the belief that America is infallible and beyond reproach. This is a dangerous line of thinking, one that has led to numerous human tragedies throughout history.

I continue to read articles from these "Bush apologists" who attempt to revise the events of the past eight years, and cast them in a less damning light than they are currently held. The idea that it is somehow damaging to our nation for President Obama to "apologize" for portions of our foreign policy over the course of the previous administration is laughable.

First of all, i'm not sure that the United States Government is held in particularly high esteem overseas, due in large part to the policies Obama apologized for. Secondly, it is a very nationalistic point of view to believe that apologizing for things that are pretty much universally accepted to have been wrong is somehow damaging to our prestige.

To me, the bush administration represented a dangerous jag towards nationalism in this country, and many citizens have drank the kool-aid and continue to savor the taste.

George OrwellGeorge Orwell, in his "notes on nationalism," writes, “All nationalists have the power of not seeing resemblances between similar sets of facts. Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage — torture, the use of hostages, forced labor, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians — which does not change its moral color when committed by ‘our’ side.… The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.”

If this doesn't sound familiar to you, then i submit that your lips may be stained blood red with the nationalistic kool-aid as well.

President Obama is not our saviour. He is simply another in the long line of politicians that have occupied this nations highest post. It is up to you and me, the citizens, to make our voices loud enough to be heard and strong enough so they may not be ignored.

Only through an honest and searching look inwards, at the reality of the United States and democracy in the 21st century, can the true patriotic american hope to affect any meaningful changes for future generations.