AliHajiSheik
DP Veteran
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I'm not even a little bit surprised to hear that Americans were more truly patriotic is bygone days and that the number is decreasing in today's "I, Me, Mine" society.
And understand that I'm not trying to fill a quota so even if it were shown that only 1% of some demographic were Veterans it wouldn't really sway me.
In most contexts it's harmless. In instances requiring greater precision or greater emphasis on citizenship, the practice can be unhelpful.
I'm a mutt, and the issue doesn't arise, with one exception. I recognize that despotic and criminal nature of the War of Northern Aggression, and I reject the detestable Lincoln Myth. So sometimes people who seem to think that I'm over 150 years old call me a Confederate.
I don't think you can draw that conclusion that somehow older folks are more patriotic. Could you presume that people who served in the military gained some health benefit and as a result live longer, perhaps.
I reject the idea that someone in the military is somehow more patriotic than someone else. Server in combat? Perhaps then you are, but most in the military don't serve in combat.
You know, calling it 'the War of Northern Aggression' makes you sound like a frenzied nut, whether or not your position is valid. You can hold the same position, that the Union essentially conquered and forced the Confederacy to remain a part of the USA, while still calling it the Civil War.
Many people refuse to look at the truth, because they want to believe their government is benign. The language manipulation is also a barrier to "going outside the Matrix." The United States never had a Civil War, for example. By definition, such a war means an insurgent power attempts to seize the controls and institutions of government. In Lincoln's War (a very bloody one, at that, and one that was patently illegal), the South seceded because the North acted in gross violation of the Constitution. The South had its own government at the time that Lincoln's forces invaded it. So, it wasn't a civil war. Fiction writers posing as historians call it that to serve an agenda.
Now, here's a kicker for you. Read the autobiography of General Ulysses S. Grant. Remember, he was the Union General who defeated the South and he was the US President who succeeded Lincoln's hapless VP. Not once did Grant use the phrase "civil war." He called it "the war between the states." This is an important distinction.
You don't really know what a civil war is, do you? That was a term misapplied to disguise our country's war of conquest against the Confederacy. A civil war would have been the case had both sides been trying to assume control of the entirety of the States. Calling the WoNa, or War Between the States, to use a more sanitized term, was no mare a civil war than the American Revolution was an English Civil War.
Here's a quick quote on the topic:
Book Review of Lies the Government Told You
Actually, believe it or not, I agree with you: That's a pretty good point.
Even so, the 'War of Northern Aggression' is just bound to cause problems, and not bring anyone over to your side. Maybe War Between the States would be better?
Tangentially -- speaking of misnamed wars, living in Britain, everyone calls the American Revolution the American War of Independence, which in my opinion makes more sense -- for largely the same reason you've stated: A revolution is a popular uprising against the government leading to regime change, not secession. The British colonists who fought against London wanted independence, and to become a people, not to change the regime in London.
It might be a better term if this weren't a point of contention for me. Lincoln to me is the despotic example remade in a saintly guise that makes all sorts of government tyranny justifiable in many minds.
Obviously Slavery was a great evil. Lincoln's war just had very little to do with abolishing it. That's why Slavery wasn't abolished in the Union until near the end of the war. Lincoln's generals certainly were often adamant in stating they weren't fighting to end Slavery. Many were patently, rabidly, racist. Lincoln gives us the principle that almost any government act, including massive warfare may be justified if attached public sentiment for procuring freedom for a selected group. ("Yes" to free the French for instance, but not to free the European Jews, or millions of burka clad women. "Yes" to free the Iraqis, but not to free the Nigerians.)
I'd go on, and I have elsewhere, but it's not really germane to the thread topic.
I use the term "War of Northern Aggression" as a personal protest against the fake history that victims of the public school system carry about in their heads. "War Between the States," might be correct, but it has less of an indictment about it. Besides, I don't expect to convince most people one way or another.
. . .Who would risk the lives of hundreds of thousands of their soldiers, ruin their economy, lose their standing on an international stage and risk invasion by foreign powers just for a social cause?
. . .
No it doesn't, someone can be culturally or ethnically Jewish and be an atheist at the same time. I'm sorry you don't comprehend the concepts involved.
Thats because I dont know you-but in itself that is an artifact of leftism-anyone who opposes tenets of the left (like identity politics) is considered a DEFAULT RACIST. Thats f'd up.
While, again, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that older people are/were more patriotic or to see some data that might suggest it in a circumstantial way, I agree that it isn't a clear cut conclusion.
There's a saying that a "Veteran is someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America for any amount of up to and including their life."
That's a pretty firm commitment, and it's one that every Veteran makes regardless of the period or nature of their service.
I don't fault any Veteran for not actually having been deployed to combat.
There are plenty of Veterans walking the street today, and probably more than a few who are currently planted in Arlington, for whom actually going to war at some point over the course of their enlistment was the last thing on their minds when they went to bed on the evening of September 10th 2001.
What's operative to me is the willingness to serve. The manner in which a Veteran is ultimately called to serve is completely out of their hands, to a greater or lesser degree.
I'd agree with you that there is something special about a young man or woman who willingly volunteers to serve during wartime, or, in times past, something special about those who answered the call when their government pulled their name from a hat, because many found any and every excuse to abdicate their responsibility to defend this nation.
But I think those Veterans are special among a group of people, the larger community of Veterans, who are already special in their own right.
You're welcome to disagree and to object vocally, just make sure you than a Veteran for defending, or for at the least standing ready to defend, your right to do so.
Their are people who practice Judaism but like with most other religions interpret it in different ways so the way some may interpret there religious heritage is and can be very different . Their is a difference in culture among those who practice Judaism for example orthodox compared to unorthodox practices . One cant be Jewish while being an atheist since it would be a contradiction for one to identify with a culture centered around a god for in which Atheist disclaim the existence of . Even though you did not bring up the origin section of my post which my original post was based off of but most do not post it to by accident or on purpose that being a Jewish American would not work since its a religious distinction it does not show where the person came from their heritage or country of origin . I know you did not say this but for those who have not bothered to read my first post I did not say it was not a ethnicity .
We are a melting pot society, so it is perfectly appropriate for people to refer to their heritage since we benefit from the admixture the way we do.
It only becomes divisive and unpatriotic when people adopt a multiculturalist attitude instead of melting pot where attitudes are in place that seek to preserve the distinct nature of the various sub cultures in such a way that each operates independently and different rules apply to different groups.
All dogs are dogs, but some are beagles and some irish setters. Doesn't keep em from playing together at the dog park.
I don't diminish what a veteran has contributed, I just don't elevate the status to some level of superiority above any other citizen. In our country, even the President is called Mister. I do acknowledge that there is some level of hiring preference given to veterans and that some non-citizens who serve may have some additional status in gaining citizenship. I have no issues with that. If someone is injured in service, then their treatment should be covered.
It might be a better term if this weren't a point of contention for me. Lincoln to me is the despotic example remade in a saintly guise that makes all sorts of government tyranny justifiable in many minds.
Obviously Slavery was a great evil. Lincoln's war just had very little to do with abolishing it. That's why Slavery wasn't abolished in the Union until near the end of the war. Lincoln's generals certainly were often adamant in stating they weren't fighting to end Slavery. Many were patently, rabidly, racist. Lincoln gives us the principle that almost any government act, including massive warfare may be justified if attached public sentiment for procuring freedom for a selected group. ("Yes" to free the French for instance, but not to free the European Jews, or millions of burka clad women. "Yes" to free the Iraqis, but not to free the Nigerians.)
I'd go on, and I have elsewhere, but it's not really germane to the thread topic.
I use the term "War of Northern Aggression" as a personal protest against the fake history that victims of the public school system carry about in their heads. "War Between the States," might be correct, but it has less of an indictment about it. Besides, I don't expect to convince most people one way or another.
I bet you love "Gone With the Wind" don't you?:lol:
I don't see the point its still not a indicator of origin . 1970 is when people would use the terms since it was politically correct at the time to refer to people as Blank Americans . I'm not one to speak about Germany since this is a thread about hyphenation in America ( This thread has been derailed enough already ).
In case you're not aware, Israel has a Law of Return which grants citizenship to people who are ETHNICALLY JEWISH! All you seem to be able to talk about is religion and you refuse to acknowledge that the word "Jewish" has other meanings that have nothing to do with religion.
I'm done trying to explain it to you.
The politically correct hyphen-American move did start in the 1970's, I believe in 1976. President Carter jumped on the band wagon and told immigrants to hold on to their language, customs, culture and even not Americanizing their names.
It became the agenda of the "New Left" who had just gained control of the Democrat Party that immigrants shouldn't assimilate into the American society. Diversity became the new rule. Divide America. The melting pot is racist, from now on it will become a boiling pot to further a political agenda.
I meant in the 1970 era ( sorry for the misunderstanding in my post)
And where the hell did I ever imply that, dude? :lol:
Persecution complex, have we?
Do you there anything unpatriotic, divisive or otherwise wrong for Americans to refer to themselves as any of the following with respect to ethic heritage?
- Italian
- Indian
- Chinese
- Irish
- Jewish
- German
- Arab
If you do consider it unpatriotic, divisive or otherwise wrong; have you ever in your life expressed disapproval of the specific references listed?
To clear up any confusion that ethnicity is being discussed and not nationality of which the person is a patriotic citizen of America; is it unpatriotic, divisive or otherwise wrong for Americans to add "-American" in that reference?
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