Patriotic Allegiance to a Nebulous Nation:
On the one hand, we have national patriotism. Patriotism is here defined in terms of one's country: love of, identification with, concern for, and willingness to sacrifice/die for. Patriotic individuals display their patriotism by pledging allegiance and by using symbols of one's country: flags, flag lapel pins, bumper stickers, and wearing military garb. The problem here is that 'patriotism' is based on a nebulous, individually-defined entity: a country with a selectable history. One's willingness to die for a variable entity should cause concern when patriotism results in violence by a few. As we know, this willingness to die for one's nation can lead to victory (WWII) or an insurrection to overturn our Presidential election.
- "A fuller account of patriotism is beyond the scope of this article. Such an account would say something about the patriot's beliefs about the merits of his country, his need to belong to a group and be a part of a more encompassing narrative, to be related to a past and a future that transcend the narrow confines of an individual's life and its mundane concerns, as well as social and political conditions that affect the ebb and flow of patriotism, its political and cultural influence, and more."
Citizens Serving A More Perfect Union:
On the other hand we have citizenship. Democratic Citizenship is about individuals of a nation who participate in a society's political system such that they advance societal integration and cohesion. As members of a society, they have a moral responsibility to promote unity by equally protecting and empowering all citizens in that society. These citizens are committed to supporting, defending and fairly applying the laws established by their society. They promote a strong civic responsibility and the importance of political participation.
- "Active participation in processes of deliberation and decision-making ensures that individuals are citizens, not subjects."
- Citizenship "denotes membership in a community of shared or common law "."
Required Oaths of Office:
In our democratic community/society, we have many citizens participating by serving our society in our political process. A process that, among other things, establishes the common laws of our society. There are citizens we elect to office. Some citizens join the military, commanded by those elected officials. Other citizens administer or facilitate the election process and many vote. What is interesting about these citizens in our political society is that all, except for the voters, take an oath of office to... support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States...
Most of these oaths, with this language, are required by common laws of our society, including our U.S. Constitution.
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