"So, when those British colonists
signed the Declaration of Independence, they were standing up against
their own government. Their government considered them to be traitors. I
consider them to be patriots for having the courage to oppose wrongdoing
by their own government, even to the point of risking their lives in the
process."
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Government Is Not the
Country
by Jacob G. Hornberger
One of the bromides we hear every Memorial Day is how countless American
soldiers have died for their country. That’s nothing but sheer nonsense.
Many of them died not for their country but rather for their government.
There’s a difference.
Unfortunately, many Americans conflate the government and the country. In
their minds, they are one and the same thing. Thus, for them when
soldiers die for their government, they also die for their country.
By the same token, such people often question the patriotism of citizens
who oppose a particular war in which their government is engaged. Since
such people consider government and the country to be one and the same
thing, they conclude that the protestors hate their country.
Actually, however, the government and the country are two separate and
distinct entities. This phenomenon is confirmed, by the way, in the Bill
of Rights, a document that expressly protects the country from the
government. In fact, the reason that the Constitution limited the powers
of the government was to ensure that it would not run roughshod over the
country.
During World War II, there was a group of antiwar protestors who called
themselves the White Rose. They not only opposed the war, they also
refused to support the troops. They drew a distinction between their
government and their country. They believed that their government was in
the wrong in waging the war and decided to take a stand against it. In
their minds, they were standing up for their country by opposing their
government.
Those within the government, however, disagreed. Not surprisingly, they
conflated government and country and considered the members of the White
Rose to be traitors who hated their country. After quick kangaroo trials
before tribunals known as the People’s Court, the members of the White
Rose were convicted and executed. While many of their fellow Germans
considered them unpatriotic, I believe that they were the true patriots
for having the courage to stand up against a wrongful war being waged by
their government.
A similar issue involving patriotism and treason arose in 1776. A common
mistake many Americans make is with respect to the men who signed the
Declaration of Independence. Oftentimes, people think that the signers
were Americans. They weren’t. They were as British as you and I are
Americans. They were British citizens living in British overseas
colonies.
So, when those British colonists signed the Declaration of Independence,
they were standing up against their own government. Their government
considered them to be traitors. I consider them to be patriots for having
the courage to oppose wrongdoing by their own government, even to the
point of risking their lives in the process.
When one reviews many of the various wars that the U.S. government has
waged, Americans should ask themselves an important question: Did
American soldiers die for their government or for their country in each
of those wars?
http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2010-06-01.asp
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