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E-mail StoryWhat it is a patriot?
| Saturday, May 10 2008 5:41 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, May 10 2008 5:43 PM
Singing anthems, saying a pledge, wearing a lapel pin and displaying a flag at your home may make you feel patriotic, but just what is a patriot?
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You are a patriot if:
* You are a good citizen and do what is right.
* You give rights and freedoms to others that you hold for yourself.
* You support the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
* You support the government when it is right and oppose it when deemed wrong.
* You seek happiness and justice for all its citizens.
* You recognize that we should treat everyone as fellow countrymen and women and not as competitors to be put down.
* You do not impose your religious beliefs on others in the public sector.
Does patriotism involve loving your country?
Yes, but what does this mean?
By country, does that mean the land, or the people, or the plants and animals, or the present administration, or a combination of some or all of these?
Can you love a government if it is abusive, deceitful, bullying and immoral?
DAVID M. KERANEN
Bakersfield