Tag Archives: Patriotism
Happy Independence Day, from New York
I’m counting today as a vacation day, too. But, happy Independence Day!
Answering American Exceptionalism
Richard Cohen takes a crack, arguing that the right erroneously suffuses the phrase with religiosity, creating a dangerous situation where we view all our acts as justified, because God’s on our side. To him, the American right, led by the likes of Palin and Gingrich, wields exceptionalism like a shield against error, in the process […]
The Harmlessness (and Inevitability) of “USA! USA!”
I’m going to depart from my usual mood — appeals to rationality, &c &c — to differ, for the moment, with Salon’s attempt to take the high road by condemning, as classless and un-American, the exuberant celebration of our enemy’s death. I remain in general a big fan of the High Road. Toby’s West Wing proclamation — […]
Proud to Be an American
So this post is backdated, because yesterday was a busy day. I second-chaired an immigration hearing where we won a grant of asylum for a woman who fled an eastern European after her first husband was killed for his faith; her son was killed for being a Baptist; and her brother for inquiring into her son’s […]
Multiple Narratives in the Founders’ Legacies
Although incapable of articulating (much less defending) a single policy position, the conservative movement and the tea party groups that together pass for its intellectual core seem brilliantly capable of making sweeping appeals to (putatively) originalist values. The latest is a “Mount Vernon Declaration” — named for and dedicated to President Washington’s ideals, but signed […]
Cheney Acknowledges a Patriotism He Once Rejected
In its never-ending task to glorify all things Republican, and transform politics into page-six tabloid fodder, Politico offered over the weekend an examination of “Why Dick Cheney Attacks [President Obama],” with predictable analysis. The Republican narrative is reported as fact, with pushback occurring only late in the article, as what “critics say”: Cheney’s just a […]
Jon Stewart, the Joint Chiefs, and Patriotism
Last night, Jon Stewart managed to book one of those rare interviews — Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since Bush’s last year. The interview itself was remarkable for two reasons: first, that a comedian (“we come on right after, I believe, puppets that make crank calls”) can attract this […]
Democracy In New York
As the sun rises on another election day — at least, here in New York, it’s election day — we should set aside our differences for a moment, and reflect on the incredible ease with which these days come. Not every nation is so lucky, but then again, we’ve fought for the right to expect […]
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