By Steve Rossiter ——Bio and Archives--August 5, 2022
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Patriot: noun 1. One who loves, supports, and defends one's country. 2. A person who loves his country, and zealously supports and defends it and its interests. 3. One who loves his country, and zealously supports its authority and interests. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. From Wordnik.I have stumbled across what I think of as a much better definition of patriot. The definition above does nothing to make a distinction between one's country and one's government. I think those of us in American and Canada recognize that our country and our government are not necessarily the same. We are living a reality in North America that our governments may not have the best interest of our countries at heart. Marxism in government may serve our elite ruling class government officials, but it is at the cost of liberty for the vast majority of our respective citizens. Mark Twain provided a definition of patriot that is far more germane to our 21st century circumstances. "A Patriot is someone who stands for his country always, and for his government when it is deserved." The emphasis is mine. To me this is a far more meaningful, impactful, and practical definition than the traditional definition.
"Every civilization carries the seeds of its own destruction, and the same cycle shows in them all. The Republic is born, flourishes, decays into plutocracy, and is captured by the shoemaker whom the mercenaries and millionaires make into a king." ~ Mark Twain
"When a government betrays the people by amassing too much power and becoming tyrannical, the people have no choice but to exercise their original right of self-defense — to fight the government." ~ Alexander Hamilton
"When the representative body have lost the confidence of their constituents, when they have notoriously made sale of their most valuable rights, when they have assumed to themselves powers which the people never put into their hands, then indeed their continuing in office becomes dangerous to the state" ~ Thomas Jefferson
"Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God." ~ Thomas JeffersonA patriot stands with his/her country and its constitution always! When the government of that country loses its way into corruption, lawlessness, and tyranny, it is then the patriot's duty to re-establish that country as a nation of laws.
"In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." ~ Mark Twain
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After a 55 year career as a professional pilot in the military, in law enforcement, in the private sector, and in federal civil service, I am now retired.
In many of these positions I repeatedly took an oath to defend the United States Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.