Patriotism: “Last Refuge of a Scoundrel!”

Patriotism rears its ugly head as the
righteous umbrella of oil and Zionism.

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As Barack Obama and John
McCain attempt to sway public opinion over who of the two is the penultimate
patriot, the stomach roils.  Was it not unbridled
patriotism that got us into this mess in Iraq and continues to stifle debate
in the hallowed halls of Congress?  As
beliefs is all but country fades, what drives American domestic and foreign
policy is patriotism, a subjective condition defined by the ruling elite.

It was patriotism that
put Jesus of Nazareth on the cross – the ascendancy of the nation-state of Israel over the prophetic Messianic hope in unholy
alliance with the supremacy of Rome
over its conquered subjects.

It was patriotism that
propelled the Third Reich into near-world domination.  The Germany that had failed in its
anointed mission in WW1 looked to Adolph Hitler to restore its God-ordained glory
in WW2. 

It was patriotism that
protracted 9/11 from a mission of justice in Afghanistan
to a mission of pride and greed in Iraq.

It is patriotism that
dampens all debate over American foreign policy and installs scoundrels in the
highest annals of power.

What Samuel Johnson had
in mind when he declared patriotism to be the "last refuge of a scoundrel" has
been a matter of debate for over two-hundred years.  It is possible that only recently has the
world come to grips with the characteristics of a scoundrel as it witnesses
American hegemony in the Middle East.  Patriotism rears its ugly head as the
righteous umbrella of oil and Zionism.

A scoundrel is one who
employs dissension and disorganization to advance his own interests.  The rise of patriotism since 9/11 can,
therefore, be traced to the triumph of opportunity over honor.  Those who have abandoned belief in anything they
cannot see, touch, taste or hear become fiercely committed to "My country, love
it or leave it," hoping that by leaving it, there will be more power and riches
for self-styled patriots.

American Christians who
profess citizenship in the Kingdom
of God bridge the great
divide between the eternal and the temporal by merging the Bible and the
Christian faith with the theocratic nightmare of a Christian nation.  Patriotism thus becomes the common ground
between Caesar and God.

The presidential election
of 2008 is shaping up as a debate over who is the most patriotic.  Barack Obama and John McCain are spending
millions defining themselves as the greater patriot.  (It is, I suppose, no accident that Microsoft
Spellcheck draws a heavy red line under both Barack and Obama, while John and McCain
deftly escape the edit.)

Yesterday, Gen. Wesley
Clark suggested that getting shot down while piloting a fighter jet was no
qualification to be President.  McCain
has launched a counter offensive on matters of allegiance to country, while the
ever-judgmental Christian Right insists that his lack of Evangelical pedigree
negates that allegiance.

Obama, on the other hand,
has launched a defense of his patriotism by countering the weirdness his
moniker and the uniqueness of his color. 
Three little corrections would clear the air for Microsoft lovers and,
presumably, for the blogidiots clinging to the belief that he is a closet
Muslim bent on destroying America."
Add another "r" to Barack, replace the "b" in Obama with "s" and be
photographed eating a greasy pork rib. 
No watermelons, please!

Self-styled patriots are
in full operational mode, while the greatness of America is being sacrificed on the
altar of "What's in it for me?"

Samuel Johnson had a lot
to say, we are told.  He has been
heralded as the most quoted English writer after William Shakespeare and one of
the most popular figures of the 18^th Century.  When he talked of patriotism, however, he was
addressing those upstart Yankees who were fermenting rebellion against the King
– much the same as American diatribe against any nation that would dare
question our policies and
motives.  Care for a French Fry?

Out of the volumes of his
work, a little gem stands out:

"…the greater, far the greater number of those who rave
and rail, and inquire and accuse, neither suspect nor fear, nor care for the
publick; but hope to force their way to riches, by virulence and invective, and
are vehement and clamorous, only that they may be sooner hired to be silent."[1]

 

While the preponderance
of the American public longs for the restoration of sanity and civility in our
government, far too many rave, rail, inquire and accuse with no care or
accountability for its destructive effect. 

In the event that the
election of 2008 becomes mired in the futile search for a patriot, we will have
learned nothing from this seemingly endless nightmare of the past eight
years.  Worse yet, we will be saddled
with another eight years of the mediocrity that wraps courage in a flag.

[1] ADDRESS TO THE
ELECTORS OF GREAT BRITAIN.
1774,  http://www.samueljohnson.com/thepatriot.html