What is the best way to be a patriot?

In today's society of free thinkers there are many ideas on many different subjects. These ideas can be confusing and at times it may be hard for someone to form his or her oppinion. The following is a protion of an article on what a modern day patriot should represent. Hopefully it will bring insight and clarity to the subject of what a patriot really is.

Be Brave. It sound self-evident, but the aim of the terrorist is to terrorize, so if we want to defeat them, we can't be afraid. That means going about our normal routines, including air travel. Caution is always in order, but fear is an unpatriotic emotion. Be Bullish. You don't have to buy stocks now, but if you are below retirement age and employed, it's not helpful to cash in your investment portfolio. Fighting terrorism requires a strong economy, and the economy can't recover if everyone bails out. Just put those finacial statements in a drawer and don't look at them for a year. An to feel a little better, go to the mall. Pumping money into the economy may not be good for your soul, but it's good for the country. Patriotism requires optimism, at least in the long run.
Be patient. This is President Bush's request of the American people. The uncomfortable truth is that we are facing the prospect of endless, episodic war. Even when it seems to be over, when the terrorist networks have been crippled and we've experienced and interlude of peace, the struggle will not be won. The terrorist will play a long game, and so must we. In an "I Want My MTV" culture, this won't be easy.

Be vigilant. We are a famously open society and must stay one or risk losing what we're defending in the first place. Harassment of Arab-Americans is wrong and should be repeatedly condemned. But as Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson said, "The Constitution is not a suicide pact." Ethnic profiling, for instance, is making a comeback. And noncitizens don't enjoy all of the same rights as those who have become Americans. Citizens need to get back into the habit of reporting suspicious activities to the authorities. Security will be tightened at airports, on highways and in many other places. This can be annoying. Real patriots don't whine.

Be educated. The way to avoid unpatriotically targeting the wrong people is to learn something about the rest of the world. Just as the Soviet Union's 1957 launch of Sputnik, the first satellite, shocked the United States into funding math and science education, so this calamity should force a fundamental rethinking of what we teach. Right now, few states require any knowledge of international relationships. In a complex world, patriotism and jingoism--once nearly indistinguishbable--must be decoupled for good.

Be independent. But sometimes we might have to act on our own. The best way to achieve the latitude we need internationally is to establish energy independece. That means, as Michigan Gov. John Engler says, a 10-yeargoal of converting all cars from the internal-combustion engine to fuel cells, creating what he calls a "hydrogen economy." In the mean time buying a fuel-efficient car has become a patriotic act.

Be supportive. This is the classic definition of patriotism in war time--to support the government in war aims. Dissenters have the right to criticize the war on terrorism. They can examine the motivations of the terrorists, and the conditions that may have influenced their behavior. But it's a short step from there to rationalizing terrorism. Appeasing evil--by shifting the blame to the U.S. policies or Isreal or anything other than the evil itself--is dangerous.

Be critical. It's possible to be supportive and critical simultaneously. In fact, it's essential to the national interest. Harry Truman was just an obscure senator from Missouri until he held hearings during World War IIabout abuses in war-production effort. Government must be held accountable in order to do its best. If you believe that a particular strategy or tactic will hurt the war on terrorism in the long run, it is your patriotic obligation to point it out. "Vietnam was a watershed for this," says Sen. John McCain. "Its's legitimate to criticized the the conduct of the government. In fact, the argument has been made that without it, our losses would have been greater.

Be constructive. But as McCain points out, such criticism should be madein a generous and constructive spirit. Terrorist must be outwitted, whichmeans creative thinking, two or three moves ahead. Patriotism is inconsistent with cynicism and fatalism.

Be tolerant. In a misguided attempted to be patriotic, several sponsors and TV stations recently yanked support for ABC's "Politically Incorrect."Host Bill Maher and two of his guests agreed that the suicide boombers were a lot of things but they weren't cowards, as the president suggested. They argued that the American policy of lobbing cruise missles into the desert from 2,000 miles away and bombing Kosovo from high altitudes was more cowardly. This was an obnoxious thing to say, but it was not out of bounds. Letting terrorist prevent us from hearing politically incorrect ideas just gives them another victory in their war against democracy.

Be clear. Patriotism is sometimes accused of oversimplification, but at its best it has a moral clarity. Beware critics who use the formulation "...then we're just as bad as the terrorist." Not all military operations are equivalent. Intentionlity is critical. Terrorist kill innocent civilians intentionally. If the innocent-civilian body count of those killed by antiterrorist gets too high, that moral equation can change. But the presumption must always be against the terrorist.

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