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PeprallyUSA.com is dedicated to expression of love of country, and enthusiastic support of those who serve our nation.
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Holly Morgan, pictured above, was homeschooled and will be attending Murray State University in the fall with a major in Elementary Education. She writes, "I was born into a patriotic lifestyle. My father was a member of the United States Air Force. Naturally, someone growing up in a military environment would acquire a strong love for the country his parent (or parents in some cases) serves. I lived on military bases up until 3 years ago, and it was a change not hearing the national anthem played every afternoon at 4 oıclock sharp and seeing everything come to a standstill to honor our flag, the symbol of our great country. Patriotism and service to our country runs deep in my family. My motherıs father was an officer in the Navy for several years and her grandfather was a veteran of WWII. On my fatherıs side, I have an uncle who is an Army Reservist as well as a police officer. Not much about my life has been ordinary. I attended base schools until I was 11 years old when my parents decided to homeschool my two younger brothers and me. I was not upset about the transition. In fact, I loved being homeschooled. I attended classes every Monday at the church through which we were enrolled, and for a graduation ceremony, I walked down the aisle with a senior class of 35 other homeschoolers. For the 2002 2003 school year, I was elected to the National Honor Roll and the Whoıs Who Among American High School Students. I received two scholarships from Murray State University, and was selected as a semi-finalist in the Air Force Aid Societyıs scholarship. I have worked in my churchıs AWANA program for the past 6 years as a leader in Cubbies (the 3 4 year old class). To send a message of thanks or love or support to those in service to America, CLICK HERE DO YOU WANT TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR PEPRALLYUSA.COM? Help us encourage Americans to actively participate in the governing of their country,to support those in service to America, and to motivate all our citizens to improve their own communities, by making a financial contribution in any amount. Send whatever you can afford to PeprallyUSA.com, 4464 Milton Ave., Camillus, NY 13031. Or, buy an ad for your business, in your home town. They are very modestly priced! Or, buy an ad to tell someone how much you love them, or to say thanks. Send request for information on advertising to sales@peprallyusa.com. Of course, we are always glad to receive emails with your comments about PeprallyUSA.com; send them to comments@peprallyusa.com.Copyright © 2002-3 PeprallyUSA,LLC. All rights reserved. PeprallyUSA.com is a trademark of PeprallyUSA, LLC. "Show 'em how you care" is a service mark of PeprallyUSA, LLC. |
The Image of a Patriot by Holly Morgan
Over the past years, patriotism has gotten a bad reputation. "Why has patriotism gotten such a bad rep?" you may ask. Well, for several reasons. Some of these reasons include the beliefs that patriotism is an excuse for war, for mischievous behavior, and for being intolerant and prideful. Many people today view patriotism as an excuse for war hungry people to get their views out. These peace-loving people feel that to be patriotic about the values that our country holds dear, such as personal freedoms and rights, is simply an excuse for Americans to go to war and "force" our government upon the people we are trying to free. Skeptics feel that the patriotism felt by these Americans drowns out the feelings of remorse and grief over every life that is risked and/or lost during the course of a war for freedom. Furthermore, these skeptics feel that the wars that are fought are solely to glorify the United States of America and are not truly fought to help a distraught nation. What could be done to change this misconception about patriotism? For starters, people who feel that patriotism is an excuse for war should be shown how these so-called war-mongers truly feel about war. These patriots view war as a necessity to bring freedom to people who are oppressed and have no way to stop the government that is controlling them and taking away their freedoms. Though these patriots feel war is necessary in a situation such as this, they do not like the idea of war. The patriotism they feel for their country helping a lesser privileged nation does not eliminate their dislike for having to risk, and in some instances lose, lives to do what they feel is right. Also, skeptics should be shown that wars fought to defend the freedoms of other nations are not fought in order to bring glory to the United States, but that the opposite is true. The wars fought have been fought bring pride to a country that has had no reason to feel pride in itself. These men and women, who are ridiculed for their open expression of patriotism, open doors to people in other countries that have never been opened before. Another common misunderstanding about patriotism is that patriotism is an excuse for mischievous behavior. An example of this behavior would be vandalism. There are people who claim to be patriots that vandalize both public and private property for the sake of their "cause." These "patriotic" people use several methods to get their point across. These methods can range anywhere from spray painting graffiti in a public park to damaging personal and public property in order to force people into agreeing with their "patriotic" views. Many people who are skeptical about patriotism may see this kind of behavior, and then view patriotism as nothing more than an excuse to cause problems. A way to end this false impression is to explain how not all, or even many, patriots act this way. While there are some, most people who are patriotic do not lower themselves to acts of malevolence. In fact, many true patriots would view these acts as hypocritical, because these socalled "patriots" are abusing the rights they so openly defend. Typically, the people who do these acts of"patriotism" do use it as an excuse, but they feel no patriotism at all. These people simply want something that will "ok" their acts and not put the blame solely upon them. The final aspect of patriotism's bad reputation that I will discuss in this essay is the belief that patriotism is simply intolerance for foreigners and extreme, obnoxious pride in country. When a person that has this misconception of patriotism hears another expressing his patriotism, the misinformed person begins to think of the other as an intolerant and prideful American citizen. They feel that this person automatically dislikes foreigners in America and believes them inferior. He also thinks that this patriotic person has so much pride in his country that he can not accept the ways of other countries. This false patriot resents any country besides his own, and would, in most cases, be considered a closed-minded person who can not see past his own thoughts to accept those of others. We can dispel this mind-set by simply explaining the true meaning of patriotism. The true meaning of patriotism is simply love and devotion to one's country. Patriotism is a devotion to the values of our country and the willingness to make sacrifices to protect those values. Patriotism is being prideful about one's country, but not to the point of scorning other countries for not being exactly like America. Patriotism is not intolerant of foreigners in the United States, but, on the contrary, welcome these people and strives to protect the values for them as well as home grown Americans. While we may never be able to fully dispel every misconception that gives patriotism a bad rep, we, as Americans, should strive to show people that true patriotism is not bad. True patriotism is what gives this country a hero in the form of a soldier, a guardian in the form of a police officer, and bravery in the form of a fireman. Links to other pages at PeprallyUSA.com Peprallyusa.com Home Alabama Home Other States How You Can Help Support Our Heroes Jobs at PeprallyUSA.com Win!Win! CONTESTS! |
