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what can I do to show my patriotism?
Posted on 2008.05.19 at 14:33
Your job as an American is this:
Do your job as an American this year.
Over the last 232 years, millions of people have died and continue to fight to protect your freedom and liberty to live in peace and prosper. We have had hundreds of great leaders who spoke and lead with wisdom and great words and deeds that inspired us as Americans to become the greatest nation on earth and to set an example admired by the rest of the world. We have a beautiful country and wonderful friends and neighbors who work hard for what they have and deserve the joys they receive.
Many of us like to make a daily show of our patriotic appreciation for the sacrifices and progress other Americans have made and continue to make daily for the future of our country. Putting a flag on your car is sure nice, but exercising your right as a patriot to VOTE is one small way you can actually do something tangible to honor all of those people alive and dead who have provided you with the freedoms and liberties you enjoy. It is wonderful to simply enjoy the liberties we have, but what could be a better gift to honor them than to do your part to extend the same liberties to future generations of Americans?
Thankfully, choosing to take part in the election process is a gesture of patriotism we can all take part in as Americans. Unfortunately too many of us vote without knowing what we are voting for... If you really wish to make a contribution to your country, part of your job as an American Patriot should really be to do your best to listen to such information and understand the issues and help other Americans to understand them if the opportunity presents itself. This election year please ask lots of questions and carefully consider the answers you get from our leaders and the media that deliver their messages to you. Promises and lies are abundant in an election and it is easy to be misled by joy or fear, love or hatred. It is up to you to make an informed decision based not only on your values but more importantly- an understanding of the wisdom of democracy and using pure common sense. Don't take your liberty for granted and don't let anybody mislead you. Nobody in the world is or ever will be more important than you - you owe it to yourself to really understand what you believe.
In addition to voting, we can also make patriotic choices with our wallets. Greedy corporations who corrupt politicians would have less power if we stopped buying their products. Another great way to show your patriotism is my doing your part to keep your local economy strong and your friends and neighbors in business by buying more things locally instead of going to a big box store like Wal Mart. Buy your produce from your neighboring farmers at the farmers market on the weekend or get a pizza from the little place down the street. Giving your money to a corporation that pays it's workers little and gets it's merchandise shipped from overseas does little to help our national or local economy. It may be slightly more expensive for now, but think about how it will help out over the course of time. Buy better stuff from somebody local who really takes pride in their work. They'll appreciate the business and you'll be contributing to your local economy in a positive way. You will appreciate better stuff and need less of it. Less stuff= more money and more stability for you!
If you don't like the price or environmental consequences of gas, buy it from a company that researches alternative fuels that don't harm the environment or make food prices higher for poor people. Better yet, don't buy a new car that runs on gas. There are plenty of great used cars that will look and run like brand new for 5 or even 10 years and then again you are saving money. A new car loses it's value significantly the exact moment it is driven off the lot. A boycott might prompt auto makers to reconsider their refusal to create vehicles that run on sustainable resources that would pollute less and last longer. The technology to electrically run a car on any number of sustainable resources (hydrogen collected from water, solar power, etc) is currently available almost anywhere in america. We are one of the most technically advanced nations in the world and there is nothing we can't accomplish when we make it our goal. Have you ever wondered how we can send a laser guided missile to hit a target less than a meter across half way across the world via satellite but we are still burning gas and coal for energy?
Imagine the dent we could make in the price of healthcare if we all ate a little healthier and exercised more! Eating less processed food would also hurt unethical corporations that create harmful drugs and chemicals that are used to treat meat and vegetables for maximum profits but make us sick. Antibiotics and hormones in the animals we eat, harmful unregulated chemicals in food colorings and flavorings and pesticides used on our veggies are the biggest causes of cancer in the US. Find out about what you're eating and live a longer, happier life! (-and have a few more bucks in your wallet too!)
Show you care about America and the people that make it a great place to live. Do your part to protect yourself and your country from faceless corporations who take advantage of our ignorance. Wise up, spread the word and speak up for yourself. 232+ years worth of greatness is counting on you. America's greatest leaders thought freely, fought bravely, loved greatly, lived simply and spoke wisely.
Do your job as an American this year.
Over the last 232 years, millions of people have died and continue to fight to protect your freedom and liberty to live in peace and prosper. We have had hundreds of great leaders who spoke and lead with wisdom and great words and deeds that inspired us as Americans to become the greatest nation on earth and to set an example admired by the rest of the world. We have a beautiful country and wonderful friends and neighbors who work hard for what they have and deserve the joys they receive.
Many of us like to make a daily show of our patriotic appreciation for the sacrifices and progress other Americans have made and continue to make daily for the future of our country. Putting a flag on your car is sure nice, but exercising your right as a patriot to VOTE is one small way you can actually do something tangible to honor all of those people alive and dead who have provided you with the freedoms and liberties you enjoy. It is wonderful to simply enjoy the liberties we have, but what could be a better gift to honor them than to do your part to extend the same liberties to future generations of Americans?
Thankfully, choosing to take part in the election process is a gesture of patriotism we can all take part in as Americans. Unfortunately too many of us vote without knowing what we are voting for... If you really wish to make a contribution to your country, part of your job as an American Patriot should really be to do your best to listen to such information and understand the issues and help other Americans to understand them if the opportunity presents itself. This election year please ask lots of questions and carefully consider the answers you get from our leaders and the media that deliver their messages to you. Promises and lies are abundant in an election and it is easy to be misled by joy or fear, love or hatred. It is up to you to make an informed decision based not only on your values but more importantly- an understanding of the wisdom of democracy and using pure common sense. Don't take your liberty for granted and don't let anybody mislead you. Nobody in the world is or ever will be more important than you - you owe it to yourself to really understand what you believe.
In addition to voting, we can also make patriotic choices with our wallets. Greedy corporations who corrupt politicians would have less power if we stopped buying their products. Another great way to show your patriotism is my doing your part to keep your local economy strong and your friends and neighbors in business by buying more things locally instead of going to a big box store like Wal Mart. Buy your produce from your neighboring farmers at the farmers market on the weekend or get a pizza from the little place down the street. Giving your money to a corporation that pays it's workers little and gets it's merchandise shipped from overseas does little to help our national or local economy. It may be slightly more expensive for now, but think about how it will help out over the course of time. Buy better stuff from somebody local who really takes pride in their work. They'll appreciate the business and you'll be contributing to your local economy in a positive way. You will appreciate better stuff and need less of it. Less stuff= more money and more stability for you!
If you don't like the price or environmental consequences of gas, buy it from a company that researches alternative fuels that don't harm the environment or make food prices higher for poor people. Better yet, don't buy a new car that runs on gas. There are plenty of great used cars that will look and run like brand new for 5 or even 10 years and then again you are saving money. A new car loses it's value significantly the exact moment it is driven off the lot. A boycott might prompt auto makers to reconsider their refusal to create vehicles that run on sustainable resources that would pollute less and last longer. The technology to electrically run a car on any number of sustainable resources (hydrogen collected from water, solar power, etc) is currently available almost anywhere in america. We are one of the most technically advanced nations in the world and there is nothing we can't accomplish when we make it our goal. Have you ever wondered how we can send a laser guided missile to hit a target less than a meter across half way across the world via satellite but we are still burning gas and coal for energy?
Imagine the dent we could make in the price of healthcare if we all ate a little healthier and exercised more! Eating less processed food would also hurt unethical corporations that create harmful drugs and chemicals that are used to treat meat and vegetables for maximum profits but make us sick. Antibiotics and hormones in the animals we eat, harmful unregulated chemicals in food colorings and flavorings and pesticides used on our veggies are the biggest causes of cancer in the US. Find out about what you're eating and live a longer, happier life! (-and have a few more bucks in your wallet too!)
Show you care about America and the people that make it a great place to live. Do your part to protect yourself and your country from faceless corporations who take advantage of our ignorance. Wise up, spread the word and speak up for yourself. 232+ years worth of greatness is counting on you. America's greatest leaders thought freely, fought bravely, loved greatly, lived simply and spoke wisely.