AND SO I GO YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

Southern Fried, Yes I guess there could be much to discuss here and I am willing to participate as long as I feel something beneficial is taking place and being said. That does not mean agreeing with me, but it does mean that I require thought given to responses and not just rhetoric. This has never been a problem with you since all of your responses are thoughtful.

1) SF: “There are many types of "patriotism," Brenda. There's blind following of national authority figures, there is xenophobia and jingoism. There is even -- believe it or not -- principled dedication to following the Constitution. Not all of these sorts of patriotism are concurrent in their outlook or outcomes.”

BB: Patriotism is none of the above SF. Patriotism is the deep seated love of country and countrymen and a desire for their freedom, liberties and peace for which you are willing to give all you have to give in order to preserve. Patriotism is being able to get beyond ones own determinations of what is right and find and agree on what is right for the brotherhood which makes up the nation.

The things you describe above are just manifestations of what some would claim is patriotism, but which are in reality the antithesis of patriotism. There is no love for countrymen in any of these, there is only love of self and ones own beliefs and goals regardless of what is best for the nation as a whole. These things are divisive and corrosive and are blatantly evident today. These things are also extremely dangerous to the people of the nation because if not put aside for true patriotism they will become the downfall of the nation. No outside enemy can ever defeat us, we can only defeat ourselves. And, I believe we are now in the process of this national destruction.

2)SF: “There are some good points to having a drafted armed forces, particularly in time of war. Unfortunately for the boosters of the draft, we haven't engaged in a real "war" in the classic sense since 1945. And don't forget, the last time we had a draft, it was far more of a burden on the poorer classes than on the wealthy. IMO, if we're going to have a draft, it should be 1) ONLY for a true defensive emergency, rather than to facilitate the building of an American Empire that we'll never be able to maintain, and 2) ONLY if the wealthy and powerful have no more means of avoiding it than the peons.”

Southern Fried we haven’t engaged in a so called “real war” since 1953 actually with the Korean War because that was the last war where the combatants were defined as such. War today is what we are in now. We are the only defined combatants fighting an enemy who hides among the population. This is the “war” of the present and the future.

If 9/11 was not a “true emergency” then I simply don’t know what a “true emergency” would be. We were attacked on our home ground after decades of being attacked on foreign soil and doing nothing about these attacks. If I am reading you correctly you do not consider 9/11 a “real emergency” and therefore we can not agree on what one would consist of. Perhaps the bombings taking place on your own street?

Besides, realistically, in an “emergency” is entirely too late to draft and train an army.

I have blogged on this before but will outline again what I would see as a draft into national service: All (males and females who are able bodied) to be drafted into national service for a given number of years, and having a choice of how to serve. Either in the Armed Services, Peace Corp, Volunteer teaching mentoring programs in the ghettos, volunteer medical services in our hospitals and clinics, whatever. For this they will be paid a salary adequate to keep them in what ever place they are assigned, and if they pursue advanced education during this time this too shall be a part of their pay. At the end of the service they will receive advanced education to equal the years served.

The important portion of the draft IMO will be three months of boot camp. No one will be thrown out of the service due to bad behavior, they will instead be punished. Discipline, responsibility and integrity will be learned and Lord only knows our youth today could use a dose of these. I have spend time on both college campuses and military bases with young people and believe me when I say there is no comparison with the two groups. The college campuses are populated with children who have the bodies of adults and perhaps significant intellect but who have the common sense of unruly children. I loved my years as an instructor with these students but I was not then, and am not now, blind to the fact that campus life is detrimental to both the mental and physical well being of those who attend college before they have matured. This is not to say they do not eventually mature but it is a long hard road in comparison to having some discipline instill early on.

The above is my idea of what our youth need and what our country needs to do with our youth in order to prepare them for the future they will be faced with; the future that I am afraid is swiftly coming at us and for which we are woefully unprepared at the moment.

This would also take care of your stipulation that both rich and peons serve.

3) I won’t get into a discussion of religion with you or anyone SF because it is hopeless. I will state a fact, the founders of our country then and the leaders all down thru the decades to the present have always begun any public meeting with a prayer to the one God of all men. This God has been removed from the public domain and the lack is evident in our schools and on our streets. You mentioned the 1950’s, then do some fact checking and compare the stats for crime, poverty, illegitimacy, drug use, whatever for then and now. I am not saying that removing God from our public life is the sole contributor of the rise in all our ills, but surely replacing God would do no harm and just might do some good if the Ten Commandments are taught. And this is as far as my discussion of religion will go. I will still pray for One nation under the care and blessing of our One God.