Slate: Obama is Patriotic for Being un-Patriotic....

According to the author, Obama is being "courageous" and "on firm constitutional grounds." Does he really think anyone felt his lack of patriotism was unconstitutional?  For his sake I hope he's kidding...

You've probably read about the viral—and misleading—e-mail accusing Barack Obama of refusing to put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. (The video, in fact, shows him listening to the national anthem with his hands clasped in front of him, although some consider that a sacrilege, too.)

The widely circulated e-mail seems designed to play upon Obama's previous public decision to stop wearing a flag lapel pin. To suggest there's a pattern there. If so, I would say all these pledge-and-pin, hand-and-heart, loyalty-ritual fetishists are misguided about American history, especially the importance to that history of the challenge to loyalty pledges. If it's a pattern in Obama's behavior, I think it's a courageous challenge to conventional wisdom on firm constitutional grounds (however politically self-destructive it may prove in the short run). When was the last time you saw a politician make that trade-off?

Does anyone else feel the way I do? Glad to be an American, privileged and grateful for its freedoms, but conflicted about pins, pledges, flag worshipping, and other rituals of compulsory or socially enforced patriotism, like the hand over the heart during the national anthem? (NO -ed.)

Slate.com

ZIP

Comments

[Elric66]

He grew up in a Madrass, thats all I need to know. Well that and belonging to ablack supremist church.

[Dug]

Elric66,

Apparently all you need to know could fit into a very small container. I'd elaborate, but that would involve me assuming you might absorb some information that is outside of the realm of what you "need to know." I'm sure your ignorance brings you great comfort.