Beyond Flags: A Patriot’s Perspective on Constitutional Principles

Daily writing prompt

Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you?

View all responses

Being patriotic means to me that you have faith and believe in your country. That when it’s up against all odds, you’re still rooting for it to come out on top. Patriotism means to me that you are knowledgeable about the premise that your country is established on and you agree with it. That is to say, that I don’t believe patriotism is something built out of ignorance.

I think Merriam-Webster’s definition leaves out too much nuance. Or, perhaps I am adding too much nuance. I strongly believe that a patriot of the country must also have knowledge and understanding of the country. For example, too many people say they support the 2nd amendment but don’t understand why the founding fathers included it in the Constitution.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The US Constitution

This doesn’t give us the right to go hunting, that wasn’t the intention of the founding fathers. It states “being necessary to the security of a free State” meaning, in order to protect our freedoms, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” meaning to hold firearms, “shall not be infringed” meaning no laws shall prohibit it. Obviously, this is within reason. I see no justification for children to be wielding firearms. That is why it says “a well regulated Militia.”

I’m a firm believer that the founding fathers worded the Constitution deliberately. Sure, they couldn’t have foreseen machine guns becoming an issue in the US. However, you have to remember the inspiration behind the Constitution. It was drafted after the Revolutionary War. That is when our country fought against an oppressive government in order to secure its freedom. The only way that would have been possible is if the citizens had the right to bear arms. Without that right, we never would have been able to fight against the British monarchy.

I also believe that the order in which the amendments were made to the Constitution dictates the importance of the amendment. For example, the First Amendment is the right to free speech. This is protected by the Second Amendment. When they wrote the Declaration of Independence, it was against the permittance of the monarchy, meaning it’s the first and most important right, that one has the ability to speak up against injustice. Then, if their words are not heard, the people have a right to defend their rights using force that is necessary. This is primarily intended to be used against an oppressive government, or anyone else infringing on such rights.

I asked ChatGPT, based on this blog post, what I am considered in terms of the interpretation of the Constitution and this is what it had to say:

Based on the beliefs expressed in the blog post, you could be described as a constitutionalist or a believer in originalism.

A constitutionalist typically holds a strong belief in the original intent of the Constitution and the importance of understanding the context in which it was written. They advocate for interpreting the Constitution based on its original meaning and the intentions of the framers.

Your emphasis on understanding the underlying principles of the Constitution, such as the purpose behind the Second Amendment, aligns with the principles of constitutionalism. You also emphasize the importance of historical context and the deliberate wording of the Constitution by the founding fathers, which further reflects a constitutionalist perspective.

Additionally, your belief in the hierarchy of importance among the amendments, with the First Amendment being protected by the Second Amendment, is consistent with an originalist interpretation of the Constitution. Originalists believe that the Constitution should be interpreted based on the original understanding of its provisions at the time they were ratified.

Overall, your beliefs about the Constitution demonstrate a commitment to understanding its original meaning and context, which aligns with both constitutionalist and originalist perspectives.

There may be other ways of interpreting the Constitution, but knowing what way one interprets the Constitution would be considered Patriotic in my opinion. That is a perfect example of knowledge and understanding of one’s own country and its founding principles. I don’t think patriotism means waving your country’s flag. I feel like that idea of patriotism is shallow and not well defined.

Another example is when I was in high school, it was during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. I refused to stand for the pledge of allegiance in protest of what our country was doing. I felt that we had no reason to bomb a country based upon one radical group (The Taliban), especially without definitive proof of wrongdoing. I felt our actions were unjustified and irresponsible. I followed my intuition and came to find out many years later, that I was correct in doing so. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq or Afghanistan. To this day, I believe the whole conflict was fueled and orchestrated in order to maintain control over the lucrative oil fields. How many thousands of soldiers were killed or injured, and how many civilians were killed or injured for unjustified reasons? That’s why I protested. In that protest, I felt I was being patriotic because I was exercising my First Amendment right.

So, do I consider myself a patriot? Yes. I very much consider myself a patriot. Do I have unpopular views? Sure. But that’s what makes our country beautiful. We can all cohabitate and disagree and do so civilly. Now, I understand many people may disagree with my interpretation of the Second Amendment. I understand there’s an issue in our country with mass shootings. I don’t believe it’s a gun issue, it never was. Other countries have just as lax laws regarding gun ownership, and they do not have nearly as many mass shootings per capita. I believe the real issue with mass shootings is a healthcare issue. There aren’t enough psychiatrists and doctors available to treat the mental illness that leads to mass shootings. As with any issue, you must address the root cause. Addressing only the symptoms will mask the issue and not cure it. Yes, I want the mass shootings to stop, everybody does. However, I want them to be stopped once and for all. I want the underlying issue addressed because then we will be a stronger country because of it. I feel that that makes me a patriot as well.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.