Why the Left is NOT patriotic!

By Doug Hagin

Of all the great divides between the left and right wigs of American politics, one stands out more vividly with each passing year. That divide, the greatest of all divides is over one thing, patriotism.

Yes, yes, I know, those on the left will be very angry and disconcerted over such a clear assertion. They will, I am sure, send me a plethora of emails telling me how very wrong I am, and that is OK with me. They will be incensed anyone would dare question their love of America, and again that is fine with me.

No matter how loudly or how often the political leftists in America protest in favor of their patriotism to America the facts are very clear. No matter how passionate the left claims to be about the Constitution, America's history, or security, the truth shows them to be the opposite.

Now the Left may indeed love America as much as the right does. They may care as deeply for the best interest of this great nation. They may admire and support our military as much as Conservatives do. They may have as much reverence for the Founding Fathers as the political right does. If they truly do, however, they have very odd manners of showing it.

Take the matter of the Founders of America. Both sides of the political aisle love to boast of their love and admiration of the Founding Fathers. Yet when the boasting is put to the ultimate test, it is the Left, which starts to show a disdain, rather than devotion to the principles of the founders.

Those who study the writings and ideals of the men who risked everything to form this nation see very clearly the ideology of the left is far removed from the ideology of those who created this nation. The left stands on the opposite side of the founders on issues of gun ownership, religion, taxes, personal liberty, respect for life, and the size of government. To be blunt the ideology of the left is rooted not in the Constitution the founders gave us. Rather it is based in the Communist Manifesto in many ways.

Now one might question how patriotism can be fairly measured by how closely your ideology binds itself to the United States Constitution. However, how can anyone who works to undermine the Constitution, and yes Liberals do that exact thing everyday, be considered patriotic? Face it, there is no America without the Constitution, and if Liberal ideology prevails, the constitution will be mute in many ways. Sorry, but patriotism does mean respecting and believing in the Constitution.

How about issues like religion? Which wing of American politics is closer to reason, to the Constitution, and therefore closer to true patriotism? The left is very much against any public display of religion. They can deny it; they can rail against the gall of anyone suggesting the left is intolerant of religion. However, when the evidence is examined it is the left, not the right, which is trying to eradicate any public displays of religion. Which side practices zero tolerance for a nativity scene, or a cross, or Christmas parades? Yes the political left does. One of the ideals of America is freedom of religion, the right respects that principle, the left does not.

No right is inherently more American than the right to defend your person, family and property. Which side is defending this most essential liberty? The right is, the left, meanwhile has been actively trying to dismantle that right. So is it fair to say those who favor gun control, and severely limiting the right to bear arms, are somehow less patriotic, than those who defend this greatest of all liberties? Yes, it is absolutely fair and right to do so.

Now let us look at the single greatest test of true patriotism, how each side supports our military forces. No one on either side will fail to claim to love and honor the United States Armed Forces. Simply put no group of people is more deeply loved and respected than our military is.

There is, however, a very clear distinction between how the left and right treat our military. Take cuts in defense spending for example. The left never seems to meet a reduction in defense spending they do not like. The right, on the other hand, recognizes far better that defense spending is essential to national security.

The left, by all measures, loathes a strong defense. Just as the left balks at supporting the most essential of individual liberties, self-defense, they balk at truly supporting the right of America to have the strongest military in the world. Where the right looks upon a strong military and the willingness to use it as the best way to preserve our freedoms, the left sees these things as arrogance and imperialistic tendencies.

Look back at the Cold War. Which side consistently predicted nuclear holocaust would be the price of America having the strongest nuclear arsenal? Yes, it was the left wasn't it. Still today, even though they were proven dead wrong on it, the left still insists disarming America and cowing to the Soviet aggressors was the better course. How can anyone claim to be a true patriot when they demand their nation weaken itself and endanger its very existence?

To get a very clear, and very disturbing view of exactly how the left really feels about our military consider how each side "supported" our troops during the Vietnam War. Which political side accused our military of atrocities and being "baby-killers"? Which side spat on returning veterans? Which side burnt their draft cards while heroic Americans did their duties and fought Communism to free South Vietnam? Yes, again, it was the left that stabbed our soldiers in the back and supported the enemy we struggled against.

Even today, it is the left that still falsely says our military lost in Vietnam. Hardly true at all. The fact is the United States was not defeated, our politicians, greatly weakened by leftist influences, lost the war. Of course, the leftists of the modern day also dearly love to compare our current war on terror with Vietnam. They love to spout out words like quagmire and say Iraq is another Vietnam. These actions effectively are the same as spitting on our troops.

In every war since Vietnam, which side has predicted tragedy and hardships for our troops? Yes again it is the left. Every time they are given a chance to actually support our armed forces, the left predicts failure for the American military. Is that their definition of patriotism?

Every accusation that a terrorist makes about our military is committing atrocities is welcomed by the left as an example of how rotten America truly is. They openly believe any negative accusation about our military, no matter how loathsome the accuser is. Is that patriotic? NO!

© Doug Hagin