I’ll venture a guess and say that growing up you probably looked forward to attending 4th of July festivities in your hometown. It gave you a feeling of belonging and pride. You probably waved a flag, held a sparkler, and maybe even wore a red, white, and blue shirt.
Maybe you’ve served or are currently serving in the military.
I’m going to make another assumption and say that this is probably what patriotism means to you. But is that what it is? Is that ALL it is?
What are the characteristics of TRUE PATRIOT? Here are my thoughts…
A true patriot:
- Is proud to be a Citizen of this country.
- Is not afraid to show his love for his country by proudly displaying the flag, wearing the shirts and driving around with patriotic stickers;
- Attends events that support the spirit of patriotism.
- Honors servicemen and women and veterans.
- Participates in elections. A true patriot does rigorous research, selects the candidates that best support our democracy and uphold our foundational values, talks to others about the best candidates and about voting in general.
- Stays abreast of local, national and global news and issues. A true patriot wants to know what is going on around the country and in the world and how it may affect our country, its citizens and its future.
- Wants to be involved in the government for the people and by the people by making his voice heard, signing petitions, advancing issues and being a citizen for the full extent possible. Aside from that, as someone who deeply loves his country and wants to make it a better place, a true patriot urges others to be involved, too.
- Upholds the truths in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence and stands up for those principles by calling out those who attempt to violate them and by protecting their place and role in our democracy.
- Respects his fellow countrymen and does not discriminate against people in any matters simply because they are different.
- Keeps an eye out for those who attempt to take away the rights that we as Americans have as they were designed by our Founding Fathers.
Why am I telling you this?
Because now is the time to remember our roots. Now is the time to show our true patriotism and hold nothing back. Things are happening right now that put our great country at risk, and the democracy as it was designed by those who founded it is crumbling.
If we love this country, we have to be the people that not only keep our eyes open for threats to our liberty, but also help open the eyes of others, to direct our elected officials to do what they were elected to do, to retain our democracy and our “Government by The People, For The People” as it was intended.
The United Survivalists Association was founded specifically for this reason. To help my fellow Americans stay sharp, prepared, and well-informed so that we can steer the ship in the right direction and save this country from disaster.
If we want to keep our country, we have to do no less than that.
To your survival,
Joseph Wilkinson
