I want you to consider three questions:
- Are you a patriot?
- Is your government a government of patriots?
- Do you recognize terrorist?
So how did you answer? Did you smile and say, “Of course, I am a patriot. What a silly question!” Webster’s dictionary defines a patriot as “one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests.” Now after reading the definition did your answer change? Probably not.
Now let’s look at question number 2. Are your country’s leaders and government officials patriots? Does your country’s leaders and government officials support the country’s authority and interests? I would have to answer that with a strong maybe. Perhaps they do but maybe they don’t. It’s a question of perspective and interests.
Now let’s look at question number 3. We all know what a terrorist is or we think we do. Terrorist are those people who put bombs on planes, right? I would assume we can all agree that those people are terrorist. But what about another type of terrorist. One I would say is even more dangerous. One who wears a cloak of deception. Webster’s Dictionary defines a terrorist as one who use the systematic use of terror or fear especially as a means of coercion.
How many times over the past few years have you watched the news to be told by some pretty newscaster that the sky is falling? I know that I have listened to reports that Wall Street is failing, the housing industry has failed, that the banking industry is failing, and that the health care has failed the people. I would ask you this question, “Is our own government ruling by fear? Is the government using fear to coerce the American people? If you answer yes, then tell me this…is our own government a terrorist to the American people? Or is it the media who has betrayed the American people?