“The true patriotism, the only rational
patriotism,
is loyalty to the Nation all the time,
loyalty to the Government when it deserves it.”
loyalty to the Government when it deserves it.”
Mark Twain
(1835-1910)
This reminder from Mark Twain comes to me by way of my trusted
personal advisor in Dixie.
I don’t feel comfortable with Twain’s view that distinguishes
“the Government” so completely from “the Nation.” At least, I think, you can’t
have one without the other, in our modern context. Neither is dispensable—we are, collectively, the Nation, and the Nation cannot persist without government.
Yet, I’m drawn to Twain’s bald awareness that governments can be
disreputable and undeserving of respect, let alone loyalty. In many respects,
our current representative governments in Washington and in many states are
abhorrent and not deserving of our loyalty.
Anyone who feels that way has an obvious remedial recourse: stop
voting for incumbents.
Why do we keep re-electing the people who won’t do The People’s
business?
Copyright © Richard Carl Subber 2014
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