WELCOME TO NEW PATRIOT

I started thinking about a "new patriotism" not long after September 11, 2001. Patriotism, it seemed, was hijacked by rabid nationalistic flag-wavers who railed against any criticism of our government. This rigid, frightening and angry patriotism rears its ugly head still today, as seen at the 2004 Republican National Convention.

It's time for a New Patriotism.

It's our job as American citizens to draw attention to the wrongs of America, and want to fix it. Because we want America to be good, and we CAN imagine better ways. More than that, we want humanity and our planet and our souls to be good. In my mind, this is New Patriotism - we need to redefine patriotism to be a good thing, to see all sides and simply want to make this a better place.

This new patriotism is not so new. In fact, it reflects the principles this country was founded on. We strive for individual liberty while nourishing the common good. We believe people should have a voice in their government and media. We believe in a diversity of views. We believe liberty is worth fighting for.

Paul Wellstone, in his book Conscience of a Liberal, wrote:

Sometimes, only realists are the dreamers. Robert Kennedy once said, 'The future will not belong to those who are content with the present.' I think the future also will not belong to those who are cynical or those who stand on the sidelines. The future will belong to those who have passion and are willing to work to make our country better.

New Patriot is a group of proudly leftist Minnesota bloggers not content to sit on the sidelines. We may have different interests and points of view, but we all have strong ideas about the current political climate and what needs to change. One thing we can surely agree on: We need to defeat George W. Bush and elect John Kerry for President in 2004.

Thanks for stopping by, and let us know how we're doing!

PS - Respectful debate is welcome here. Trolls are not.