A Razor-Thin Line Between Patriotism and Propaganda

[Author's note: I have made use of some symbols and images in this article - some are concrete, others inflammatory, others purely anecdotal. I have included these for a reason, and the clever reader will find this reason with ease. For the rest - pay attention to symbols. They have great power.]


Last night, Americans across this nation celebrated our Independence Day - on this day nearly two and a half centuries ago, a room full of brilliant, brave men made the concrete resolution to create a new nation, born from oppression, and destined to lead the world into a new era. This was to be an era where governance was done by reason, by virtue, by a government responsible to its people and freely election by its people - it was to be an age of freedom. And so, every fourth of July, we Americans gather to celebrate this New Age of Reason, to come together as one nation to give thanks to those great men who founded our great nation and forged its borders with sweat and blood.

And yet, here we are, celebrating our independence ... but from what? America was supposed to be a shining beacon of decency and liberty, a nation free from the trappings of Empire, free from the tyranny of ambition and the slavery of taxation. She was designed to give every person an equal chance at finding peace, happiness, and freedom within her borders. Now, a little more than two-hundred years later, America, it seems has little to celebrate on this day.

Still, the songs are sang and the slogans chanted, the banners raised and the flags waved. We shout "God Bless America, home of the Brave, land of the free!" and we seem to have forgotten what these words mean. Indeed, there has been a great effort to make us forget what they mean. The first step in controlling ideas is to control language, and the best way to control language it to control its meaning.

Within the past fifty years, we have seen the meaning of freedom change so many times - when our nation was founded, it meant freedom from tyrannical governments, from burdensome taxation, from religious oppression and the shackles of the British Empire. Then, during the sixties, freedom meant equality - that every man or woman, regardless of their race, gender, or ethnicity, is free to participate in the American Dream. Now, what does freedom mean to us today? If you believe popular conception, and I contend that you must, freedom to America today means the right of a nation to govern the world; Of a culture to invade other cultures and infect it like a virus; Of a renegade presidency to declare itself above the law; It means the right to shout down opposition by calling them "unpatriotic"; It means the right to abandon our rights in a state of fear.

In America today, we have shamed our forefathers by exchanging our right to free speech, the right to fair and free commerce, the right to bear arms, the right to pursue happiness in whatever way we choose - all because we are told there are people everywhere who want nothing more than to kill us, to undermine our religion, or to lead lives different from ours. And, in our panic, we have handed over that God-given power of the People back to the Empire, and have led ourselves back into slavery.

It's an unfortunate truth that King Henry is back in power, except now, he wears fine suits, lives in Texas, and controls an even more oppressive, deadly army.

But still, every fourth of July, we sing the same songs, we raise the same flags, and shout the same jingoistic, ultra-nationalist slogans. I cannot help but wonder if, by participating in these mind-numbing activities, if we aren't participating in the selling-out of America. If, every times we are engrossed by the flashing of lights and blasts of sound when the fireworks launch, if we aren't engaging in a battle of ideas - on the wrong side. Everywhere, there are distractions: Cable news programs, fear-mongering newspaper, liars behind podiums, smug radio talk-show hosts condemning anyone who disagrees, international organizations who seek world domination .... the list goes on and on. And yet, to claim victory, all we need do is stop being distracted - look beyond the propaganda, beyond the lies, and try to see what is really happening to America. We are living in the Age of the Death of Reason, and we must save this country.

Stop saying freedom unless you are sure of its meaning. Stop singing the songs unless you really understand what went into composing them. And, for God's sake, stop saying God Bless America.

In fact, isn't God Bless America beginning to sound less of a statement and more of a plea these days?

Perhaps its time for America to start blessing God ... as she did those hundreds of years ago.

We should never forget the words of Sinclare Lewis when he prophesied, "When fascism arrives in America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying the bible." Pay attention to what happens in your country.