Since it is the 250th anniversary if the US I have set about re-acquainting the American people with the original Founding Father with a series dedicated to Thomas Paine.
I am always amazed to see any Right winger use Paine as some sort of icon for their beliefs….it is humorous for if they knew anything about Paine they would realize that he stood for damn near everything they hold dear.
…
The only thing Paine liked less than monarchical rule was its enablers, anyone who relinquished their freedom willingly to an aspiring tyrant.
This is not only wrong, Paine insists, but against nature, since all of us are created equal.
But even that’s not the worst part. Those who sacrifice their own freedom on the altar of monarchy also sacrifice that of future generations. Their “unwise, unjust, unnatural compact might (perhaps) in the next succession put them under the government of a rogue or a fool.” Ouch.
“Most wise men,” Paine adds, “in their private sentiments, have ever treated hereditary right with contempt; yet it is one of those evils, which when once established is not easily removed; many submit from fear, others from superstition, and the more powerful part shares with the king the plunder of the rest.”
It was Paine that chided Americans to throw off the yoke of Britain….
“In ‘Common Sense,’ Thomas Paine defines common sense as the fundamental ability of all people to reason and discern truth, regardless of social standing or education. He argues that this innate capacity, when applied to political matters, reveals the absurdity of hereditary monarchy and the necessity of self-governance based on the consent of the governed. Paine’s ‘Common Sense’ is a call to action, urging colonists to reject British rule and embrace republicanism, a system of government where power resides in the people.” (To discern the truth….something Americans have lost)
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What was Paine’s specific vision for human society? Long after the successful defeat of British colonialism in “the colonies,” he wrote this passage in “Rights of Man, Part the Second”: “When it shall be said in any country in the world that my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them; my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want; the taxes are not oppressive; the rational world is my friend, because I am the friend of its happiness—when these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and its government.”
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“Anyone needing to be reminded of core Enlightenment beliefs—that government can only be empowered by its citizens; that such citizens are born with certain natural rights; that none are born superior to any other; that all will be treated equally before the law; and that the state has a duty to help the neediest of its people—reading Paine offers a political and spiritual inspiration, one that has driven men and women to achieve greatness across history. Of Paine’s many reasons for daring to publish work for which he could have been hanged or guillotined in the United Colonies, the United Kingdom, or France, this legacy is his glory.”
The US resistance movement fighting the Trump regime’s effort to destroy everything Thomas Paine stood for and fought for, and more, will be stronger if we raise him up more and more over the coming months as we approach the 250th anniversary on July 4th next year of the issuing of the Declaration of Independence. There’s no question which side he would be on if he was alive today.
(znetwork.org)
This is something I wrote a couple of years ago about Thomas Paine….
I have been a fan of Paine since I was 14 when my grandfather gave me a copy of Common Sense….it was eye opening and profound….we need another Thomas Paine to bring some light to the darkness that now engulfs our nation…..we need Thomas Paine.
I shall forego the “Dump’ for this Saturday to bring you some history as we are beginning our celebration of the birth of America, 250 years and counting.
As a political historian I always like to look at cause and effect and the publication of Commonsense, was cause that lead a bunch of wealthy white guys to declare independence from Mother England.
Some believe that the DoI was the beginning of our struggle for independence….I disagree. It began with Thomas Paine and the publishing of his pamphlet ‘Commonsense’ on 10 January 1776.
Common Sense made a clear case for independence and directly attacked the political, economic, and ideological obstacles to achieving it. Paine relentlessly insisted that British rule was responsible for nearly every problem in colonial society and that the 1770s crisis could only be resolved by colonial independence. That goal, he maintained, could only be achieved through unified action.
Hard-nosed political logic demanded the creation of an American nation. Implicitly acknowledging the hold that tradition and deference had on the colonial mind, Paine also launched an assault on both the premises behind the British government and on the legitimacy of monarchy and hereditary power in general. Challenging the King’s paternal authority in the harshest terms, he mocked royal actions in America and declared that “even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their own families.”
Finally, Paine detailed in the most graphic, compelling and recognizable terms the suffering that the colonies had endured, reminding his readers of the torment and trauma that British policy had inflicted upon them.
(jackmillercenter.org)
The Constitution of the United States as proposed by Thomas Paine in Common Sense
Since Paine’s contribution is mostly overlooked by Americans here is the full text of Commonsense….
But for those lazy amongst us….these are the main ideas within Commonsense….
Monarchies Violate Laws of Nature and Religion
Thomas Paine believes monarchies are an invalid form of government because they violate the laws of nature and religion. Paine argues all people are born as equals, which is a function of nature. No person or family is better than another. That line of reasoning concludes there shouldn’t be a ruling class. Paine also thinks those who do rule should not be able to pass their position to their next of kin. Nature doesn’t grant one family superior intelligence or leadership abilities, and it’s very possible the next person in line for the job will lead his or her followers into ruin. Monarchal rule and hereditary succession violate the very laws of nature.
Monarchies also violate the word of God. Paine points out there were not any kings in the early days of humanity (at least according to scripture) and there weren’t any wars. Paine implies these two are related. He contends the devil invented kings, which were first adopted by the heathens, as a tool to promote idolatry. Both Gideon and Samuel warn their followers about the dangers of worshiping someone other than God. In Samuel’s case the Israelites don’t listen, and they are smitten for disobedience. Paine believes this biblical evidence proves God is the only true king.
Independent, Democratic America
Paine insists the British government doesn’t have the colonists’ best interest at heart. It cares only about its own profit and success, and it treats the colonists as second-class citizens. Americans do not have the same rights as those who live on British soil and are unfairly punished when they try to uphold their interpretation of the British Constitution. The grievances between the two parties, as well as the bloodshed and destruction caused by the British army, are too great to repair. The only answer is for the colonies to separate themselves from Great Britain.
To those who quaver in fear of losing the protection and benefits afforded by the British government, Paine points out Great Britain is much too far away to protect the colonists from any imminent danger, and it is much too small of an island to govern a territory as large as the American colonies. Though he admits there have been benefits to British rule, he contends life in the colonies would perhaps have been even more pleasant and fruitful had Great Britain never controlled them at all.
An independent America will need a government of its own. Paine has already proven monarchical rule is unsuitable for the success of a nation and the happiness of its people, so he suggests a representative government elected by the people. This structure is in line with what he believes nature intended, as each person’s voice will be represented equally. The law will be king in America, not a monarch.
The Fight for Independence Cannot Be Postponed
Paine urges his readers to take up the cause of independence now. The tensions between Great Britain and the American colonies are only going to get worse, and the damage done at the battles of Lexington and Concord and during the Siege of Boston cannot be repaired. If anything, the situation will worsen. Waiting for a better time would mean the loss of experience gained during the French and Indian War (1754–63), which would decrease the colonists’ chances of victory. Delaying the push for independence could mean being tethered to Great Britain indefinitely, and as Paine points out, a country dependent on another is weak in the eyes of the world.
America may be a young country, but it has a lot of assets, including its youth. “Youth is the seed time of good habits, as well in nations as in individuals,” he writes. Developing continental unity now will be much easier than 50 years down the road when individual colonies are deeply entrenched in their own ways of life. Colonies are not yet at their peak populations, which means there aren’t too many people or ports to protect, yet there are still enough men to form a robust army. People haven’t yet developed strong roots in their communities, nor have they made their family fortunes in business. Unlike British civilians, who may carry the weight of wealth and family tree, the colonists have little to lose by going to war. That will surely change if efforts for independence are postponed, which will make it harder to raise a capable army.
American Independence Benefits the World
Paine argues American independence will help all friendly nations thrive, especially those who engage with trade. Separating the colonies from Great Britain will create open and free trade. That means the colonists decide to whom they will sell and for what price, which will help the American economy grow and which will benefit other, primarily European, economies as well. When no longer bound by Great Britain’s trading laws, they will be free to import goods from other countries, such as Spain and France, as well as to import goods to them, all of which will improve the international economy. Paine doesn’t leave out England—he thinks open trade will benefit the British government and its citizens alike.
Trade isn’t the only part of international relations that will improve with American independence. The colonies will be able to maintain strong and friendly relationships with other countries even if those countries are quarreling with Great Britain. As subjects of the British government, the colonies often found themselves in the middle of disagreements with other nations, and there was always the risk of going to war over matters that didn’t pertain to those living in North America. Freedom from Great Britain allows the colonies to declare neutrality during international conflicts, which preserves existing relationships and protects the American citizens, their property, and their economy.
Now after reading that who was the original Founding Father?
Sixteen years ago I wrote this piece doing my part to give Thomas Paine his due….something this country has never been able to bring itself to do.
And then there is everybody’s hero, George Washington…..a person that I do not think should be held to such high esteem…..he should be known as the first president but then that is about all the accolades I will give him.
But to me the highest form of political cowardice was when Washington, the man not the city, ignored Paine’s pleas for help when he was arrested in Paris in 1793.
On December 28, 1793, at the height of the Reign of Terror in France, Paris police rousted Thomas Paine in the cold hours before dawn, arrested him as a “foreign conspirator” and locked him in a wet, 10-by-8-foot cellar in Luxembourg Prison. The only light came from cracks in a boarded-up window. Paine was sure the guillotine awaited him.
Citizen Thomas Paine, whose pamphlet Common Sense helped ignite the American Revolution, was an enthusiastic early supporter of the French Revolution. He received a hero’s welcome when he arrived in Paris in 1792 and was even granted honorary French citizenship and a seat in the National Convention, the body charged with writing a constitution for the new republic. But Paine angered Maximilien Robespierre and other Jacobin extremists when he urged the Convention to spare the life of the deposed French king, Louis XVI. Instead, Jacobins brandished the king’s severed head in front of a cheering crowd. Then they proceeded to round up thousands of suspected counterrevolutionaries who, Paine observed, fell “as fast as the guillotine could cut their heads off.” Now they’d come for him, too.
Of course there are some the dispute the reason why Washington refused to help Paine…..I have heard many from religious to economic…..it matters NOT to me….Paine was the soul of the Revolution and in as such this country owed him all its support and assistance when needed.
But instead it was possibly divine providence that saved Paine….matters not for it WAS NOT the president of the United States.
WE have just celebrated the Declaration of Independence which help set this nation on the road to freedom from Mother England.
The most important document of this era was the publishing of Common Sense by Thomas Paine….if one reads the document they will notice much that much of it was is also in the DoI……check it out here….
Common Sense is a political pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775-76 and published anonymously on January 10, 1776, during the beginning of the American Revolution. Common Sense advocated that the thirteen original colonies (which later became the United States) gain independence from Great Britain. In his pamphlet, Paine makes a passionate case for independence by focusing on moral and political arguments. For almost three months, Paine managed to maintain his anonymity and did not become officially connected with the independence controversy until March 30, 1776.
In the first section of Common Sense, Paine makes a distinction between society and government, arguing that government is a “necessary evil.” As society continues to evolve, Paine feels that a government becomes necessary in order to prevent the natural evil in humankind, and accordingly, he sees the need for laws. He explains that order must be promoted in a civil society. Further, laws must take into consideration the impossibility of all people in a society meeting centrally to make laws. Therefore representation and elections become necessary. This model is intended to mirror the situation of the colonists at the time of publication and Paine references the Constitution of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. However, Paine identifies two tyrannies in the British constitution—monarchical and aristocratic tyranny, where those in power rule by heredity and contribute nothing to the people. He clearly detests this.
In the second section, Paine evaluates monarchy. He begins by arguing that all men are equal at the time of creation and, therefore, the distinction between kings and subjects (as in England) is an inherently false distinction. Paine then examines some of the problems that kings and monarchies have caused in the past and concludes the following: “In England a king hath little more to do than to make war and give away places; which in plain terms, is to impoverish the nation and set it together by the ears. A pretty business indeed for a man to be allowed eight hundred thousand sterling a year for, and worshipped into the bargain! Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.”
In the third section, Paine examines hostilities between England and the American colonies and argues that the best course of action would be independence for the colonists. Paine proposes a Continental Charter that he states “should come from some intermediate body between the Congress and the people.” This Continental Charter should outline a new national government, which Paine argues should take the form of a Congress. Paine suggests that a Congress might be created in the following way: each colony could be divided in districts and each district would “send a proper number of delegates to Congress.” The Congress would then meet annually and elect a president.
The fourth section of the pamphlet includes Paine’s optimistic view of America’s military potential at the time of the revolution. For example, he spends pages describing how colonial shipyards, by using the large amounts of lumber available in the country, could quickly create a navy that could rival the British Royal Navy.
If there are still any doubt try reading it for yourself……
Try reading the document and stop depending on some political party to define what the document means……learn about the beginnings of this great nation….
AS usual I would like to make it as easy as possible to learn…so for those that are too damn lazy to read….a short video….
We have just celebrated the call to arms with the Declaration of Independence….the document that set in motion the birth of the United States of America.
Sadly there is much about the beginning of our great nation that is seldom taught to our young……and I try to rectify that oversight.
In the beginning there was the word……
Once the document was written by Jefferson (a point that I dispute) it was signed by the reps at the Congress that ordered the document….but there are a couple of names that are missing from this historic document…Thomas Paine whose ideas were the very basis of the DoI…… https://lobotero.com/2010/07/04/thomas-paine-the-father-of-the-u-s-of-a/ ……and John Dickinson from Pennsylvania who refused to sign the document…and yes I said REFUSED.
In the decade before the American colonies declared independence, no patriot enjoyed greater renown than John Dickinson. In 1765 he helped lead opposition to the Stamp Act, Britain’s first effort to get colonists to cover part of the mounting cost of empire through taxes on paper and printed materials. Then, after Parliament rescinded the Stamp Act but levied a new set of taxes on paint, paper, lead and tea with the Townshend Duties of 1767, Dickinson galvanized colonial resistance by penning Letters From a Pennsylvania Farmer, a series of impassioned broadsides widely read on both sides of the Atlantic. He even set his political sentiments to music, borrowing the melody from a popular Royal Navy chantey for his stirring “Liberty Song,” which included the refrain: “Not as slaves, but as freemen our money we’ll give.”
Yet on July 1, 1776, as his colleagues in the Continental Congress prepared to declare independence from Britain, Dickinson offered a resounding dissent. Deathly pale and thin as a rail, the celebrated Pennsylvania Farmer chided his fellow delegates for daring to “brave the storm in a skiff made of paper.” He argued that France and Spain might be tempted to attack rather than support an independent American nation. He also noted that many differences among the colonies had yet to be resolved and could lead to civil war. When Congress adopted a nearly unanimous resolution the next day to sever ties with Britain, Dickinson abstained from the vote, knowing full well that he had delivered “the finishing Blow to my once too great, and my Integrity considered, now too diminish’d Popularity.”
Paine is a hero to me…..I was given a copy of Common Sense by my grandfather when I was 10 years old……and later he gave me his book on the collective works of Paine……..so I was reading Paine at an early age and continue to do so today…..he is the one person on my list of famous people to have a beer with (if I ever get the chance). I am convinced that Jefferson wrote the DoI from notes given to him by Paine.
He is the original founder of the United States of America…..as a matter of fact he was the first person to use that title.
I have written several pots about Paine and his life…..
To say that Paine was a “Liberal” is an understatement as you have seen in the posts above…..so that is where I do not understand why many conservs and even Tea Party supporters use Paine as a icon or as their site name….he stood for the very things that they are always yelling about and condemning…..
Now that I have that off my chest….
The man that wrote the words that lead this nation to war with their mother nation is also a man that was later hated because of his views….confusing right?
When Thomas Paine’s ship pulled into Baltimore harbor on October 30, 1802, a large gathering of friends and admirers were waiting at dockside to welcome him back. Others stood by as well, some filled with loathing, merely to observe a famous figure. Since leaving the United States in 1787 to find a builder for his iron bridge, Paine had authored some of the most incendiary tracts of the 18th century, had been imprisoned and narrowly escaped Robespierre’s guillotine, and was widely reported to be a drunk and an atheist.
When he journeyed to Federal City on November 5 to pay his respects to the country’s third president, he found that he needed an alias and help from a presidential aide to get a room at Lovell’s, the city’s only hotel. As he later wrote a friend and future biographer, Thomas Clio Rickman,
“You can have no idea of the agitation which my arrival occasioned. From New Hampshire to Georgia (an extent of 1,500 miles), every newspaper was filled with applause or abuse.”
Paine will always be the person in history I most admire….so when I read about his treatment after the revolution just galls me….but it showed just how “one way” the American people can be.
I have been a real fan of Thomas Paine most of my life…..my grandfather gave me a copy of “Commonsense” when I was 10 years old(I still have the copy in my library) although it did not mean much to me until I was 14 and I read it cover to cover….from that day on he has been a big influence in my life and my thinking…..I began reading everything the man ever wrote and I finally got a copy of his “Rights of Man” and his views on war changed everything for me…..
The more one reads Paine the more one will see how he predicted a lot of the BS that is happening with this country……especially our unquenchable thirst for war…..
Around the globe, the United States faces more enemies than ever before. American troops are deploying to Syria and Libya, and returning to Iraq to combat maniacal ISIS terrorists, among others. American forces are shipping out to the Baltic States and Ukraine to contain a revanchist despot in Russia. America’s navy is steaming into the […]
The list goes on and on. Never in its history has America confronted so many adversaries at once. It’s unprecedented. Even World War II, with 50 times the number of US military casualties, had only two theaters of operation.
New foes pop up faster than old ones can be dispatched. An entire generation of American soldiers is fighting twice as long to liberate Afghanistan from tyranny as it took their forefathers and mothers to liberate themselves from the tyranny of a British king.
We all have our ‘heroes’….those people that we would like to go to a pub and have a beer and talk with……mine, since I was 12 years old has always been Thomas Paine……
Today is the birth date of Thomas Paine….29 January…..a man that we Americans owe a great deal to and have NEVER repaid that debt. A man who most Americans have forgotten.
The man who transformed the colonies from pussy whipped subjects of the crown into rebels that demanded and achieved independence from mother England. The man that help America grow a spine and demand independence.
Yesterday was Constitution Day and keeping with the thought I decided to post this draft I have had for some time and could not decide when to post it……..A title many have sought, but few can claim……..NOW is as good of a time as any……
With the death of Ted Kennedy many have been calling him America’s liberal lion….a good title for a man that work tirelessly for the middle class and the poor his whole career and did so with the help of many Repubs in the Senate…….he deserves the title….but was he America’s “real” liberal lion?
There have been many Americans that could claim this title….How about FDR? Regardless of what you think of his politics, he was and is an American liberal lion. His policies did more to help the American people cope with a massive depression and still be able to look to the future, even when all was bleak. Without his policies there would be many more Americans living in poverty than there are today and we have way too many doing so these days……but does he deserve the title of “American Liberal lion”?
Or….let us step back a little further into our history……how about Woodrow Wilson as the American Liberal lion? I know…I know…he got us into WWI….but there was more to him than that….besides being the only president that had a PhD……….he gave us many liberal policies, unfortunately most have been totally crap on in the years afterward…policies like the Fed (who many think is some sort of anti-Christ)….or the Federal trade commission….or the income tax (which he is being demonized for)…..or Clayton Anti-trust Act…….or the Federal Farm Program (which is a buzz kill for conservs)……and the League of Nations, forerunner of the UN, was his idea (which is being crapped on from all quarters)……whether you believe in his policies or not….they were very liberal for the day and in some cases liberal by today’s standards as well……with all his accomplishments can he wear the mantle of American Liberal Lion?
Another step into history……how about our Teddy Roosevelt? Yes! I said TR was a liberal! Not while he was president but later when he and Taft had the split in the GOP. Why would I say he was a liberal? The Progressive Party that he founded for the 1912 election….some could say that his battle with Taft gave Wilson the presidency….that would be his detractors……but a liberal? Believe it or not…a liberal! Some of the policies pursued by the Progressive Party……national health insurance, women’s suffrage, workers compensation, limits and disclosure of campaign donations, just to mention a few of the ideas……so yes….very liberal ideas….but a liberal lion?
Let me stop pussy footing around……we can look at each of the so-called “liberals” through our history but the one true American liberal lion is……Thomas Paine!
Why would I say that? After all he was a Brit that came to the Colonies for a job in printing…..good one! But shows a serious lack of American history….
Before the publishing of “Common Sense” which Paine wrote about the colonies should declare independence and establish our own country….most of the so-called revolutionaries were more concerned with reconciliation with Mother England than declaring independence…..even the “hero” of the revolution, Washington once wrote to a friend….
If you ever hear of my joining any such measures, you have my leave to set me down for everything wicked.
And then there is everybody”s “hero”, Jefferson…….
“Believe me , dear sir, there is not in the British Empire a man who more cordially loves a union with Great Britain more than I…..It is neither our wish or our interest to separate from her (England). ……Let them name their terms and let them be just….”
As you can see most of the Founder’s were more concerned with reconciliation than independence….all that changed after the publishing of “Common Sense”….once the common man heard what Paine was saying the movement for independence became more common place…..Paine’s very liberal concept…..but it did not stop there…..
Paine was the first person in the colonies to talk about ideas publicly like….
He proposed the Abolition of Negro Slavery; proposed Arbitration for International Peace; advocated Justice for Women; pointed out the Reality of Human Brotherhood; suggested International Copyright; invented a suspension bridge and smokeless candle; proposed the Education of Children of the Poor at public expense; suggested a Great Republic of All Nations of the world. He urged the Purchase of the great Louisiana Territory. He proposed pension payments or Old Age Pensions. He also suggested protection for dumb animals.
All ideas are LIBERAL….he was very outspoken on these issues…..and because he was so outspoken….he deserves the title, American Liberal Lion……all others that came after Paine are just pale imitations of a TRUE Liberal Lion…..if we had listened to the others then our independence would have been a long time coming and we would look more like Canada…….
We should honor him for what he was……THE TRUE FOUNDER OF THE USA…..Why? He was even the FIRST person to use the title United States Of America………and AMERICA’S ORIGINAL LIBERAL LION!
Today is the 4th of July or what we like to call Independence Day (the holiday, not the movie)….actually Constitution Day, 17 September, should be celebrated more…why? the DoI was basically a list of grievances against the King and what could happen if not addressed……the Constitution is far more important because it set up a system of government that has been copied the world over……but that is another post for another day……….
Okay my gripe has been addressed……onward……
In these days of rabid patriotism (see my page on patriotism)…….one group or another is beating their chest like oversexed, crazed primates….and of these groups we hear names of our Founders, like Jefferson or Adams or Hamilton or……well the list goes on and on……we are told just how patriotic they were in their defense of the Declaration of Independence and the war of said subject……but what made them these shining beacons of patriotism? I can tell you that some catchy little slogan is NOT patriotism!
Was it their work to found a new independent country…..or maybe it was their rhetoric or how about their contributions, monetarily that is, to the war effort….Just what makes them so patriotic?
Men like Jefferson and Madison and Adams and on and on….were excellent wordsmiths, which by the way were NOT that interested in independence as much as reconciliation…..they wrote about all the things they thought were important….another BTW…..all their writings were NOT that original but rather continuations of other political philosophers of the past like Locke……but beyond all that….what made these men patriotic…….was it their words? Or maybe it was their deeds……but keep in mind these were, for the most part, wealthy land owners and businessmen….so what made them these shining beacons of patriotism?
Like today, rabid patriotism is in the mind of the beholder…..but true patriotism is doing what is best for the country with all your resources…..so, I ask again….what makes these people patriotic? Did these men offer up their wealth? Maybe if the insurrection had failed they might have been paupers in the end…..but did they offer up their wealth in support of the country and the cause? To my knowledge, as limited as it may be, the answer is NO………they wrote opinions and the met and the argued, but none threw their cash at the cause……NONE, with the exception of one…..Thomas Paine.
I will bet that all read this are just a bit miffed at my accusation……I shall explain why I say this…..
Common Sense which is known as the start of the demand for independence, was written by Thomas Paine after his arrival in the Colonies from England…the publishing house of Robert Bell…..the agreement was that they would split the profits…Paine did not want to profit from his work and instructed the publishers to donate the money to the used to buy mittens for the troops…….and he was not finished…..in 1779, when working for the Pennsylvania Assembly, he gave $500 to the relief of the hard pressed troops…..his example helped raise three hundred thousand pounds from private donations…..the welfare of the troops and the success of the cause were everything to Paine…..BY the way, Paine was NOT a wealthy person by any stretch of the imagination….so his patriotism came from the heart.
Now think back through your historical learning….any other Founders so inclined?
To my way of thinking…Paine is the best example of what a patriot is all about….and this is the man that has been all but ignored as a Founder….he deserves much more from a country that he helped to create and supported…….
A true patriot is not someone with flashy words and flying a flag or a wealth of magnets on one’s car….a true patriot is someone who does all he/she can in support of their country….even it the country ignores you…..with that I close with a quote from Paine’s The Crisis…….it is as true today as it was in the 18th century…….
