In the wake of one of the most asinine hypothetical arguments of modern times, that which demands we either pledge or demur our support for an American President who is also Muslim, now seemed like the perfect time for me to call out the most un-patriotic, un-American Americans. Ironically, they are almost always those who claim to love America the most, yet know nothing about its’ true founding and moral fiber and basis.
Ben Carson, the Republican Presidential candidate is low lying fruit and an easy target this week. It is hysterical to watch both he and Fox News try to re-write history and claim he meant something other than what we all know he meant. There is only one acceptable answer to the question of “Can a Muslim be the President of the United States,” and that answer, without hesitation is as follows:
“Article 6 of the Constitution makes it clear that there shall never be a religious litmus test of any kind when it comes to determining a United States President. A Muslim, just like an Atheist, is eligible to be President. The question is whether or not he or she could reassure the American public that their policies and beliefs would be wholly centered on faithfully executing the laws of the land and the Presidency of the United States in all that it entails. If they could, then of course they could then be President.” Doy.
I have neither the time nor inclination to deal with narrow-minded unenlightened simpletons who may also be racists. This is an easy question and a stupid one all at once because no Muslim is running for President nor is one on the horizon to do so. The idea that prominent people can’t answer such a simple query, in my opinion, disqualifies them from being our Commander-in-Chief and makes them all look silly…and Un-American.
Sadly, they’re hardly alone; in some cases, the overwhelming majority of Americans are completely Un-American while claiming to be the most patriotic of them all. It’s a paradox wrapped in ignorance and it would make our Founding Fathers wretch.
TRUE AMERICANS NEVER PLEDGE: The Pledge of Allegiance was written 116 years after our nation was founded; why? Because those who fought for our Independence never would have pledged their allegiance to anything other than their own ongoing freedom. Perhaps the most sickening, vile, un-American modern tradition we engage in is pledging our allegiance to a country, thus by proxy, aligning and marrying ourselves to a nation; the exact thing our Founding Fathers fought and wrote against. Both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison wrote literally that no free man should ever pledge himself to a nation, and of course, Patrick Henry, the man who famously cried “Give me Liberty of Give me Death,” would have chosen dying over saying a pledge of allegiance. God forbid, however, you point any of this out to the tin foil hat crowd who insists that only true Americans put their hand on their heart and commit themselves to the nation. The irony of ignorance would be funny if it weren’t so appalling.
BURN BABY BURN: The easiest example of American stupidity is the ongoing attempt to outlaw flag burning as a means of protest. Once again, if we harken back to history, we find that the truth is that the Founding Fathers didn’t even fight under the flag during the revolution and considered the American flag to be an afterthought in its entirety. Burning the American flag is one of the most American things that can be done and those who refuse to acknowledge that prove their insignificance and xenophobia. As fictional President Andrew Shepherd brilliantly expressed, “You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest.”
DEPORTING THOSE WHO DISAGREE: In modern history, a common refrain has arisen of telling people who disagree with or dislike various American policies that they should leave the country. Very mature. Very American. Good Gravy.
Last week, British actress Emily Blunt became a naturalized U.S. citizen . . . and then in interviews, she joked that it might not be as awesome as it sounds, because America isn’t really that awesome. She told the “Hollywood Reporter”, quote, “[The night I] became an American citizen . . . we watched the Republican debate, and I thought, ‘This was a terrible mistake. What have I done?'”
Let the firestorm begin, culminating with multiple people of note saying things identical to that of Fox & Friends” Co-host Anna Kooiman who said, quote, “Well you know what, then why don’t you leave Hollywood, California, and let some American women take on the roles that you’re getting, because Americans are watching your movies and lining your pockets.” Yup, that’s American; joke or make an unpopular observation about our nation and how do we respond? We kick you out. That’s some serious Freedom of Speech we have isn’t it? How can possibly expect our own country, let alone the world, to take us seriously when we behave like such children?
VOTE OR DIE: We end with a non-American (who based on the previous example should probably be kicked out just for being here and taking jobs from Americans, but I digress…)
Trevor Noah takes over the Daily Show this week for Jon Stewart and has already shown he’ll take the program in an even further direction to the left…or maybe the right based on his very public assertion last week on the Colbert Late Show, which he doubled own on later, that it should be made illegal to NOT vote in America. Noah is from South Africa and he views Americans as taking for granted their powerful right to vote. He’s correct, but what he fails to understand is that part of freedom is the freedom to not participate in the country. That’s why we don’t have coerced service, another incredibly un-patriotic suggestion made by the most un-American Americans. Countries who insist that their population then serve the nation or participate in voting include China, North Korea and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. What in the holy hell are these people thinking?
Those who hysterically cry out that these are the very problems with America; we don’t care, we don’t blindly love the nation, we don’t serve….miss the mark when they then propose changing the nation and its foundation in order to “fix” it. There is nothing American about insisting that people love the nation; that’s Fascism.
To be clear; you are free to love America, pledge your allegiance to it and proudly fly its flag. I do some of those things. You are free to feel angry when others don’t. You are not free to insist that they fall in line with your way of thinking and behave in a way that contradicts their feelings, nor to create law to enforce such. True freedom includes dissent, and it must. True freedom does not include any sort of forced patriotism or service. True freedom is not a bunch of people dressed the same, professing the same beliefs, and blindly following their government, their military and/or their leaders and elders. We have such little actual freedom in this world, we must work harder to preserve those we still have and should have.
http://www.forwardprogressives.com/our-pledge-of-allegiance-and-the-myth-of-one-nation-under-god/
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/04/10-things-might-not-know-about-our-independence/#ixzz1RWY0jTYH
