#91) What is Patriotism?

May 12, 2017

Dear Mr. President,

The following is written by Timothy Snyder, excerpted from his excellent book On Tyranny.

"What is patriotism?  Let us begin with what patriotism is not.  It is not patriotic to dodge the draft and to mock war heroes and their families.  It is not patriotic to discriminate against active-duty members of the armed forces in one's companies, or to campaign to keep disabled veterans away from one's property.  It is not patriotic to compare one's search for sexual partners in New York with the military service in Vietnam that one has dodged.  It is not patriotic to avoid paying taxes, especially when American working families do pay.  It is not patriotic to ask those working, taxpaying American families to finance one's own presidential campaign, and then to spend their contributions in one's own companies.

It is not patriotic to admire foreign dictators.  It is not patriotic to cultivate a relationship with Muammar Gaddafi; or to say that Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin are superior leaders.  It is not patriotic to call upon Russia to intervene in an American presidential election.  It is not patriotic to cite Russian propaganda at rallies.  It is not patriotic to share an advisor with Russian oligarchs.  It is not patriotic to solicit foreign policy advice from someone who owns shares in a Russian energy company.  It is not patriotic to read a foreign policy speech written by someone on the payroll of a Russian energy company.  It is not patriotic to appoint a national security advisor who has taken money from a Russian propaganda organ.  It is not patriotic to appoint as secretary of state an oilman with Russian financial interests who is the director of a Russian-American energy company and has received the "Order of Friendship" from Putin.

The point is not the Russia and America must be enemies.  The point is that patriotism involves serving your own country."

For someone who says he wants to put "America first" you sure have a funny way of doing things.

Sincerely,

Amy Beaton