Beware a patriot scorned

There is nothing in the republic that has gotten the dusting-off and brushing-up that “Patriotism” has, and there is nothing worse these days than to be branded unpatriotic. A man can stand convicted of animal torture, but if he’s patriotic he is, as some level, all right.

Being “unpatriotic” has been elevated to a de facto crime. There seems to be some unwritten but widely acknowledged law that identifies unpatriotic behavior. It is a law that encompasses a multitude of grievances: failing to display an American flag, protesting the war against Iraq, questioning the government, alluding to the suffering of Iraqi civilians, ordering “French” fries, and maligning Texas.

Despite the unrelenting chorus cries of “God Bless America,” this sentiment has little, if anything, to do with God, who takes a back seat to the new secular faith in the global “right of way” of the United States. I am mindful of the words of Guy de Maupassant, who wrote, “Patriotism is a kind of religion; it is the egg from which wars are hatched.” In the current version of America, patriotism is religion in extremis; in a word, it is fundamentalism. And like all fundamentalisms, it is a kind of fever. It burns white hot, and as it burns it changes into something more dangerous – jingoism.

The recent images of giant Saddam statues toppling in Baghdad only serve to quicken the blood of the American patriot. And who among us is not, to some degree or other, seduced by what appears to be the heroic conclusion of an American adventure? I must admit that the joy of celebrating Iraqis touched me, and it took a great deal of strength to hold back a gentle tear when that Iraqi man kissed one of our male soldiers (what would Jerry Falwell think?).

And yet I must shake myself awake and remind myself that victory, celebration, flag-raisings and jubilant citizenries have always been part of military campaigns. Every conquering nation has pictures of its soldiers being greeted by the “liberated.” For the latter, it is a wise and logical move. They are unarmed, their own army has been vanquished and they are face to face with the invaders. Why shouldn’t they smile, toss flowers and hope for the best? Still, there are problems.

The most salient problem is that the Americans who joined their government in whooping to war still have little idea why we got into it in the first place. After much picking and pawing about for a rationale, the president and his Cabinet finally settled on Saddam’s “weapons of mass destruction.” At the moment, those opposed to the war are making much of the fact that no such weapons have been found. One radio commentator remarked that the White House will be in big trouble if these weapons are not found.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. The patriot does not require that these weapons be found. The patriot does not need anything like a rationale for war. The only thing the patriot needs is a direction. If you doubt this, look at the fate of those who have questioned the Iraq adventure. They are being denigrated as un-American, even as traitors. In other words, the patriot has great faith in the judgment of the government while showing a total lack of faith in the First Amendment, which is viewed as an inconvenience at best; at worst, it is viewed as an error in need of rectification.

The patriot has mistaken zealotry for love of country. He has misapprehended free speech as blasphemy. It would be interesting to know what the patriot would make of the pronouncement of Teddy Roosevelt – a bellicose Republican who had actually been to war – that “to announce that there must be no criticism of the president is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable.” He said this during World War I.

The activity in Iraq having ebbed, the anger of our new breed of patriots has only waxed stronger. There is a sense among them that not only they, but the whole country, has been done a disservice by those who questioned – and continue to question – the wisdom of the invasion. The “hot” conflict in Iraq is essentially over, but the war at home may be just beginning, for hell hath no fury like a patriot scorned, and some pacifists are already ducking for cover. It is little wonder that Oscar Wilde referred to patriotism as “the vice of the vicious.”

Robert Klose teaches at University College of Bangor and frequently contributes essays to The Christian Science Monitor.