What it Means to be a Patriot

When I hear the word patriot, I can’t help but think of Mel Gibson, thrusting an American Flag like a spear into a redcoat’s horse. Mel’s character, Colonel Benjamin Martin (based on historical figure Francis Marion), was a true patriot. Being a patriot does not necessarily mean being an obedient subject. Our founding fathers, the original American patriots, loved their country so much, that they overthrew their government in a violent war that raged on for 8 years (they eventually stormed airports to achieve victory). Being a patriot means loving your country. It does not mean loving your government unconditionally. The constitution provides the right framework for a functioning democracy, but it will only function properly if we elect the right legislators and leaders to govern us.

Our founding fathers were brilliant when they came up with the Constitution of the United States of America. They foresaw potential challenges with the democratic republic, and they tried to plan for them. One of such contingencies was to make the constitution amendable. If we all come together and agree on something, we can alter the framework of our government. They also added a mechanism to prevent presidents from acting as kings known as impeachment. We used this power checking mechanism on President Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of congress. Shouldn’t we hold the current president to the same standard as Nixon?

The most important principle of democracy is that it is: