At first, I was angry at Jack Hertz’s assertion that Obama is less patriotic because he was born in Hawaii. I was born in Hawaii when it was still a territory. (Yet, I am eligible to become president.) But then, I stopped saying the pledge of allegiance in the second grade, about the same time I stopped going to church, and for much the same reason.
Although there are decent and thinking people who are patriotic, religious, or both, the ones who judge other people are much too loud. mjh
ABQJournal Online » Talk of the Town
Obama’s a Different Kind of Upbringing
AMERICAN CULTURE inculcates among its children feelings of patriotism and pride in country. This is done to such a high degree that young men and women are willing to sacrifice their lives for country. Children are exposed to patriotic songs from birth. They learn to recite the Pledge of Allegiance from a very young age. Because this has occurred for so many generations, such feelings have become ingrained. It’s not unusual for many Americans to feel a lump in their throats when they hear the National Anthem.
President Obama was born in Hawaii a few short years after Hawaii was admitted to statehood. Generations of American patriots did not exist there at that time. A short time later, he moved and spent several years in Indonesia. It’s certainly not likely that he was exposed to American patriotism there. Then, back to Hawaii. Here he was, ready for college having not been ingrained with the same feelings most Americans have. Perhaps this is the reason there are so many photos of him listening to the National Anthem without placing his hand over his heart. For those who have lived their entire lives here, the gesture is automatic. This might also explain why he does not accept the notion of American exceptionalism.
JACK HERTZ
Albuquerque
ABQJournal Online » Talk of the Town
This response was good. mjh
ABQJournal Online » Question Patriotism If You Must, But the Prez Knows His Protocol
Question Patriotism If You Must, But the Prez Knows His Protocol
RE: “OBAMA’S a Different Kind of Upbringing”:
I noted Jack Hertz’s comments in a letter published Tuesday, in which he asserts some facts not in evidence, or which are just plain inaccurate.
Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961. Hawaii became a state in August 1959. Between 1946 and statehood Hawaii was a non-governing territory (like Puerto Rico), subject to all United States protocols including the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance.
During Obama’s childhood in Indonesia, Hertz appears to have special knowledge on how his mother— herself reared in middle America — reared her child.
On the issue of the National Anthem: Federal guidelines state that people in military attire should stand at salute during the playing of the National Anthem. Men wearing hats should remove their head wear and place it over their hearts. Men without head wear should stand at attention during the playing.
In grammar school and also as a Boy Scout First Class, although I am in my 60s, this still remains the appropriate protocol. Perhaps Hertz should exhibit proper protocol himself. The president apparently knows it.
THOMAS P. ZANOTTI
Belen
ABQJournal Online » Question Patriotism If You Must, But the Prez Knows His Protocol