We know the word, but what does ‘Patriotism’ mean?

Advertisement

TheFlashToday.com NEWS & SPORTS – FREE & LOCAL

Patriotism.

One word with many connotations. Thumb through Webster’s Dictionary and you will find their definition: “love for or devotion to one’s country.” But what does that really mean?

In the weeks to come, I will delve into many facets and forms of patriotism here in America, and explore with you the deep and powerful meaning behind those words.

To christen this new column, I would like to close this week with the indelible words put forth by one of our nation’s greatest leaders, Theodore Roosevelt:

“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”

Jonathan S. Weiss is the President of Veterans Outreach Initiative of Texas (VOIOTX). He lives in Stephenville with his wife Maggie Weiss. Views expressed in this column are his and do not reflect those of The Flash as a whole.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.