Defining Love of Country - Patti Davis - NEWSWEEK

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> Defining Love of Country - Patti Davis -

NEWSWEEK

>

 

By Patti Davis

> Newsweek

 

> July 19 - September 11 either made me love this

> country or it made me realize how much I already

> did. I think it's the latter. Seeing " Fahrenheit

> 9/11 " made me think deeply about love of country-how

> it molds us, drives and emboldens us and how it can

> sometimes make us so angry we want to shout out to

> the world: " No, this is wrong. " Many things have

> been said about the movie, and of course about its

> director, Michael Moore. But I don't think I've

> heard anyone comment on Moore's love for America. It

> seemed evident to me that the film was born from

> that love.

>

> To anyone who would respond that, no, the film was

> motivated by rage at the Bush administration, might

> I point out that when you feel betrayed, when you

> believe that something or someone you love has been

> wounded and cheated and lied to, the fury that

> floods the heart is unstoppable.In the '60s, most of

> my generation (including me) was angry at America

> for the distant jungle war that had also become a

> war at home. Fury was a rite of passage. The country

> was divided between hawks and doves. And we were

> angry doves. The Vietnam War was taking our

> classmates, our peers, our friends; it was taking

> brothers and boyfriends and young husbands. It was a

> war we couldn't understand. Vietnam had done nothing

> to us. I remember having to find the country on a

> globe in the classroom just to figure out where it

> was. We spelled America with a k: Amerika. Remember?

> Anything to insult and denigrate our homeland, which

> in our eyes was responsible for a shameful invasion

> across the oceans. If anyone had suggested to me

> then that my rage was really born from love-that I

> felt betrayed by my government and therefore angry-I

> would have soundly rejected the notion.

>

> Perhaps Michael Moore traveled along the same

> emotional route that I did. Perhaps he too looks

> back at those years and thinks, " I wanted more from

> my country. I wanted us to behave honorably,

> truthfully. I was ashamed of the country I loved.

> And it made me furious. "

>

> A friend of mine said she didn't want to see

> " Fahrenheit 9/11 " because she doesn't like Michael

> Moore. " Because he's bombastic and strident? " I

> asked, already knowing the answer.

>

> " Exactly, " she replied.I conceded that point-he

> can be both those things. But I tried to point out

> that he's just the messenger in the film. And the

> message is an important one even if you don't like

> the guy who is bringing it to you. Besides, he

> probably learned stridency decades ago and never

> un-learned it. What's important is, when he stood in

> the kitchen with a mother from Flint, Mich., whose

> son had just been sent to Iraq and he agreed with

> her that America is a great country, I believed him.

> I think a lot of people did. I think my friend would

> too, if she ever sees the movie. That's what I mean

> about his love for America-it comes through even if

> you don't like his style.

>

> President Bush, on the other hand, says that he

> loves this country and, giving him the benefit of

> the doubt, I assume he does love his conceptualized

> idea of America. But I don't think he loves us-the

> people who make up this land. The huddled masses.

> The millions of citizens who just want a peaceful,

> safe life. Those who want to put their kids through

> school and see them grow up; who want to take

> vacations to other countries without fearing for

> their lives because so much of the world hates us.

>

> I don't think you lie to people you love. I don't

> think you send them off into dangerous situations on

> the basis of murky, cobbled-together information

> that isn't really information at all. I don't think

> you keep them scared all the time. I don't think you

> respond to horrors like public beheadings with

> cowboy slogans that sound like they came from old

> John Wayne movies. And I think if someone

> masterminds an attack on people you love and murders

> thousands of them, you go after that person until

> you find him. Osama bin Laden is six feet, eight

> inches tall, he wears white robes and he reportedly

> suffers from kidney failure, requiring him to be on

> dialysis. I haven't researched this, but I assume

> there aren't many dialysis machines in Afghanistan.

> So wouldn't it make sense to stake out the ones that

> are there? He could have a portable one, which would

> require a generator. That should make him easy to

> spot, too.

>

> But, alas, no one seems to be looking for Osama.

> According to Tim Russert, the Bush White House has

> done such a good job of diverting our attention to

> Iraq, there are actually people who now think Iraqis

> flew the planes into the World Trade Center towers.

> I believe Tim Russert. He has direct, honest eyes.

> He seems to love this country deeply. Perhaps he

> should run for office.

>

> It seems to me that the most important question we

> can ask when choosing a president is, Does he love

> us? I think Democratic presidential contender Sen.

> John Kerry should address this question-not in a

> sappy, touchy-feely way, but just matter-of-factly.

> We are going to be married to one of these men for

> the next four years, so it seems a crucial point.

> The sad fact is that someone who doesn't love us is

> not going to take very good care of us.

>

>

> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5462806/site/newsweek/

>

>

> Carl Whitmarsh

> Houston

>

> " Life isn't like a box of chocolates.....It's more

> like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might

> burn your ass tomorrow. "

>

>