Stump Lane

This post was deleted by hackers 1/12/2009 and recovered from a cache version and re-published. The post was originally parked at http://www.stumplane.us/blog/?p=299 but not anymore! The comments were likewise deleted and recovered. They have been pasted into the post body under the cut.

I’M NOT A PATRIOT. I was just born here. Donald Douglas at American Power, on the other hand, writes:

These people [vocal Iraq war opponents] embrace anti-Americanism as a badge of honor, and they denounce love of country as some radiactive “shibboleth,” and in so doing, they work to destroy the institutions and values to which patriotism directs its loyalty.

No, I just reserve my love for people rather than institutions. I wouldn’t call it “anti-Americanism,” so much as anti-coercion. More of a broad suspicion of faceless authority and amoral power structures.

“Love of country” seems weirdly thoughtless to me— “national belonging” not being a universal truth —but I wouldn’t say “radiactive.” Irrational jingoism is the scary-ass radiactive shibboleth here.

Lastly, I’m only in the ‘question everything’ business. Being anti-coercion, I can’t clear it with my conscience to actually “work to destroy” anything. I’m just a non-violent, free thinking, hobbyist. BLARG!

I only speak for myself, of course, but I propose Douglas’ passage be corrected thus:

These people embrace anti-coercion-ism as a badge of honor, and they denounce irrational jingoism as some radiactive “shibboleth,” and in so doing, they call into question the institutions and values to which patriotism directs its loyalty.

Which still surely describes a Thought Criminal in Douglas’ view, but surely not a threat to the republic.

Bill Hicks:

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