Picture of returned POWs during the Korean War holding the American flag.

I hope everyone enjoys the long Independence Day holiday this weekend. While enjoying the weekend it is well worth the time to read about the meaning of “patriotism” from our two US Presidential candidates.

First of all here is an excerpt from Barack Obama:

As with most Americans, patriotism starts for me as a gut instinct, a loyalty and love for my country that’s rooted in my earliest memories. It’s not just the recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance, the Thanksgiving pageants at school, or the fireworks on the Fourth of July, but how the American ideal wove its way throughout the lessons my family taught me. [Parade Magazine]

And here is an excerpt from John McCain:

Patriotism is deeper than its symbolic expressions, than sentiments about place and kinship that move us to hold our hands over our hearts during the national anthem. It is putting the country first, before party or personal ambition, before anything. It is the willing acceptance of Americans, both those whose roots here extend back over generations and those who arrived only yesterday, to try to make a nation in which all people share in the promise and responsibilities of freedom. [Parade Magazine]

Feel free to draw your own conclusions on the differences between these two in the comments section. Once again have a great weekend.

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