What Makes You A Patriot? | Restoring Liberty

Photo Credit: The FederalistWhat makes you a patriot? There are so many things on the 4th of July that inspire us – today, we asked our contributors to share the odd little found elements of patriotic flavor which extend into our lives from surprising sources and inspire us on a day to day basis. Here are just a few, and we encourage you to share your own.

Neal Dewing

Most treacly paeans to America are odes to Sacred Freedom, our place in history, or (in a more immediate, personal way) our troops. All fine things to commemorate, very fine, and moving. But what impacts us day to day, after the bunting’s taken down and the haze from the fireworks wafts away? This question requires some thought.

I am tempted to cite my daily interactions with agents of the United States government as an inspiration to my patriotism. Lest that sound even remotely like a compliment, I assure you: few things stir revolutionary, patriotic fervor quite like attempting to wrestle money away from Leviathan. Give me Liberty or Give me Death – after going round and round with them, either is good by me.

Sorry – I have a real answer. As a matter of fact, I have caught myself feeling deeply grateful to have been born in this country. It happens most often when I’m out in my garden, digging in my dirt. I own the property. I can cultivate a plant, watch it grow, harvest and eat it – or I can do nothing. It’s all up to me. There are places where the government tells you what to grow, how much, and where. They labor not for their own benefit but for the State.

What I do as a hobby could just as easily be oppression. Sometimes I stand up, lean on my garden hoe, and marvel at that. I say a silent, brief prayer of thanks.