GrassTopsUSA Exclusive Commentary<\/p>\n
By Don Feder07-13-09 <\/p>\n
Patriotism isn\u2019t a seasonal occupation \u2013 something to be packed away with the flags and bunting until next year \u2013 not if you care about your country. Defending America is a year-round, 24\/7 cause that requires knowledge, stamina and commitment. Especially in our hour of peril, with a doctrinaire leftist in the White House, who is, at the very least, indifferent to his country\u2019s fate (that\u2019s America\u2019s, not Kenya\u2019s) \u2013 think Michael Moore on Slim Fast, think George Soros without the creepy, Transylvanian accent \u2013 now more than ever before, we need to raise up a new generation of patriots. If you\u2019re wondering where to begin, you can start here: <\/p>\n
1. Know your country\u2019s history \u2013 You can\u2019t defend America if you don\u2019t understand America. American history is barely taught in high school and rarely taught in college. A 2000 poll by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni gave seniors at elite colleges and universities a D or F grade on a high-school level history test. (Only 22% knew that \u201cOf the people, by the people and for the people\u201d came from the Gettysburg Address.) Read history by authors who believe in America \u2013 \u201cA History of the American People\u201d by Paul Johnson; \u201cAmerica: The Last Best Hope\u201d (2 volumes) by William Bennett, and \u201cA Patriot\u2019s History of the United States\u201d by Schweikart and Allen. The more you read, the more you\u2019ll believe, and the more you\u2019ll want to fight. <\/p>\n
2. Tell America\u2019s story \u2013 Especially to the young. And a glorious saga it is, from the Mayflower Compact to the Continental Congress, from Bull Run to the Bulge and Baghdad, from Washington\u2019s Farewell Address to Ronald Reagan\u2019s \u201cA Time for Choosing\u201d speech and beyond. Remind Americans that our national holidays mean something. Washington\u2019s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving aren\u2019t there just to give them a three-day weekend, but to strike what Lincoln called the \u201cmystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone.\u201d <\/p>\n