Summer Most Heat Moon
Patriot. Or not? If patriotism is a libertarian in a tri-foil hat, Revolutionary musket slung over her shoulder and ready to hunt elephants, then I’m not one. If patriotism is a flag-waving, bible-thumping, climate change denier, then I’m not one. If patriotism is a Love or Leave It bumper sticker and an NRA decal on the back window, then I’m not one.
If patriotism is a swell in the heart when, on returning from a trip abroad, a customs officer says, “Welcome home.”, then, yes, I’m a patriot. If patriotism is a love of this land in all its geographic and geological diversity, then I’m a patriot. If patriotism is a belief in equality, not only before the law, but within society, then I’m a patriot. If patriotism is a belief in the shared journey of those who live in this nation, then I’m a patriot.
I am a patriot and I claim this day as a celebration of my nation, one committed to justice, to fairness, to equality, to brotherhood and sisterhood among all peoples. We cannot allow the nativists and the bigots and the chauvinists and the jingoists to be the only ones who love this country and stand up and say so. After the 60’s, I said never again would be that true. Never again.