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For Which We Stand

In celebration of the Fourth of July and the birth of our independence, communities and cities across the nation will be spending the day enjoying parades, barbeques, and fireworks. Not ignorant of the strong and ever-important intellectual cause for celebration on this day, however, we at The Critical Mass Blog would like to draw attention to two areas of immeasurable value: the need for national patriotism and for honor for the Flag of our nation.

Alexander Hamilton once remarked that,

It is a known fact in human nature that its affections are commonly weak in proportion to the distance or diffusiveness of the object. Upon the same principle that a man is more attached to his family than to his neighborhood, to his neighborhood than to the community at large, the people of each State would be apt to feel a stronger bias towards their local governments than towards the government of the Union…

Natalie Maines, of the Dixie Chicks, seems to agree. She recently told reporters that,

The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism. Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country… I don't see why people care about patriotism.

To think that this blonde-haired grudge-holder shares the sentiments of one of the nation’s most venerable founders ought to make most readers cringe. Fear not. Though heralding the honorable banner of Federalism, Hamilton was no stranger to the national spirit. In fact, as a native of Jamaica, Hamilton’s truest ties to America were to its whole. And his sentiments above need not refute the value in that.

On the contrary, it is that very love for our closest communities which gives us cause to love our nation. What is a nation anyway, but a collection of communities? And what would any of those communities be without the support of the others?

Patriotism is not blind allegiance, heedless of errors; it is the sovereign unity which binds men to their homes and, thus, to one another. Miss Maines likely feels affronted by the divisiveness found in our country today; patriotism is not the cause, it is the cure.

Why does one need to be patriotic? Well, there is a saying: For God and for Country. Allegiance to God is certainly of the utmost importance. But after hoisting the banner of what is right and above the world, it would be prudent for one to examine which banner to hoist in the name of right within the world. That is to say, while God is the final arbiter of all rights and wrongs in the world, there is still much we can do between now and judgment day. As man has fought with himself – since creation – over how to achieve this method of human flourishing, factions have formed, some better some worse.

Our nation is our banner of what we hold to be dear and important in the pursuit of the good life – or at least it ought to be. If there were ever a case in which to declare that ‘no man is an island’, this would be it. Love your country for what it is or love it for what you strive to make it, but not to love it is worse than mere indifference.

Thus, every year, on (or around) the Fourth of July, we come together to appreciate our common banner – both immaterial and Star-Spangled. And just as our national banner of right ought to be honored, so should the physical one which stands for it.

Although some our leaders fail to recognize this significance, we at the Critical Mass Blog do not; note the top of this page. Desecration of the flag, beyond being infantile and crude, accomplishes nothing. I heard one late night TV pundit exclaim that burning the flag was the best way to honor it; I wonder if he would say the same of his church or his mother (if he has either).

Humility is only honor when it is a voluntary action of that being humbled. We are doing no service to the flag by desecrating it. Rather, by honoring it we help take part in promoting a reminder both of the ideal of our nation of the all-important idea that there are still sacred things in this fallen world.

And so, as we all stand proud (getting goose-bumps if you’re like me) and listen to the national anthem this Fourth of July, I invite you to be a Patriot of our nation and Patron of our flag. Finally, we ought not to forget our soldiers across the world. The Star-Spangled Banner is, after all, a tale of American military victory.

Happy Independence Day!

Posted on Tuesday, July 4, 2006 at 02:18AM by

Maynard Hutchins |

14 Comments |

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Reader Comments (14)

Roger Pilon of the right wing libertarian Cato Institute put it best. "I am here not to defend flag desecration but to defend the right to desecrate the flag, offensive as the exercise of that right may be to so many Americans. That position may strike some as contradictory. It is not. In fact, there is all the difference in the world between defending the right to desecrate the flag and defending flag desecration itself. It is the difference between a free and an unfree society. This amendment, as it tries to shield us from offensive behavior, gives rise to even greater offense. By offending our very principles, it undermines its essential purpose, making us all less free."
I couldn't have said it better, myself.

July 5, 2006 |

Dear C,

Pilon's remarks reek of slippery-slope sentiments and alarmism. They also belie a dearth of sound principles.

There is a difference between 'unfree' and respectful. The former is simply a rhetorical excitation, whereas the later speaks to the importance of ordered liberty.

The idea that propogating infantile and objectionable 'speech' (flag burning is not speech, I don't care what any courts say) is the best, or even a good, way to respect the principle of open dialogue is sheer nonsense. It also depends on an overly expansive understanding of freedom of speech - a topic for another time.

In the end, a lot of my reasons for my position are going to be very similar to my reasons for absolutely detesting libertarianism.

-Maynard

July 5, 2006 |

Maynard Hutchins

I understand your furor, but I feel that all authority should be questioned and that is a fundamentally human sentiment. And nonetheless you cannot mandate respectful or make disrespect illeagal. After that, respect can be a POV (example: I do not believe that I am disrespectful by not praying to God, some may).
But to better understand your posistion, why do you detest libertarianism? And furthur more why would detest your fellow good natured humans? Alot of those obnoxious CT elite liberals would detest you for saying that, but I do not detest you or them. I believe, from your writting and response, that you are trying to do what you think is best. I am a libertarian, good natured, and trying to do what I think is best. Isn't that what matters?
Thanks for the response, I look forward to your follow up.

July 5, 2006 |

I suppose I'm not human, then :-p

And yes, you can mandate respect. Whether it is a good idea or possible is another question. And again, I'm not in mandating respect - but I am in fabor - in some instances - of restricting profanity and disrespect.

Regarding my love for people, I make a strong point of not detesting people, only ideas.

Finally, no, trying to do what is best is not what matters. Actually doing it is what matters. Everyone tries to do what they think is best. It's the metaphysical foundation of choice. What matters is caring that you're right and actually getting as close to right as possible.

July 5, 2006 |

Maynard Hutchins

To address your last paragraph, you are correct. I simply worded myself wrong. What I meant is that to do what you feel in your heart is right matters the most. Afterall, Gandhi said something along the lines of you must be the change you wish to see in the world!
Now on to more important things. May I please ask why you do not believe all authority should be questioned? Isn't that very American after all, to ask why our my leaders doing this? If our Founding Fathers didn't who knows if you or I would be even alive, if so where, today? What would the world be like?

And further, I do not think it is possible to mandate respect because I believe it is silly and stupid. We all have our own limits and boundaries. Please dont push yours or, please don't let it happen, Al Gore's on me!

This is a nice dialouge between oppossing views, I await your response Maynard.

July 6, 2006 |

Thanks for the response.

I want to make sure that saying we shouldn't question 'all authority' doesn't mean we should never question it, nor that we shouldn't always be able to do so to a practicable and prudent extent. Examples of unquestionable authority range from God to parents to elders, to a lesser extent continually down the line.

I've never been very contrarian when it comes to rules and rulemakers (unless their just plain stupid), so I suppose much of it is my personality. But let us not forget that the world kept turning for many a century without the ability, by and large, to question authority - and I want to clarify that no one should confuse that statement with an endorsement of past injustices.

As for whether we would still be here, well, at least half of me would. My great, great, great, etc., uncle came over on the Mayflower.

Finally, I agree for the most part that mandating respect usually fails. But discouraging, curbing, or prohibiting disrespect is different. In those instances, as opposed to the first, the goal is not to force an opinion on the person, but to protect something from the ugly manifestations of opinions they already hold.

Cheers.

July 6, 2006 |

Maynard Hutchins

Here we come to a dividing line. I cannot argue with you on God; so I will almost entirely skip over that. I will say, however, that if there is a God I believe in all his, her, it's (whatever God may be!) goodness that God would wish us to question the motive's and actions. Parents, I've come believe in a much harder line of parenting the suburbanites usually get. I would call it traditional. But I do believe that I won't to foster democracy in my home and teach my kids not to live in a subservient society. And while, in this hypothetical case, I am the parent they are human and therefore deserve not to ruled over without question.

And well I would say that embrace of traditional gender roles, something I cannot say I oppose as a matter of individual choice, is contrarian to popular op