I saw in the local Glen Rose Reporter newspaper that Bush signed a law in 2001 that declares every September 11th Patriot Day. Actually the day awas called the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on Stepember 11, 2001 but then Bush changed it in 2002 to be Patriot Day. The day also includes a moment of silence aka prayer at a certain time.
I see, via dictionary.com that the word patriot has two possible definitions.
| 1. | a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. |
| 2. | a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, esp. of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government. |
I beileve that second part applies to me. I love America, I don't always like what some in government do, but I always think that wanting to uphold the rights under the constitution is patriotic.
I don't actually like tying the word Patriot to a day that was pretty horrific. I don't want to remember it forever. I don't think about other horrific events that have happened in my lifetime on a regular basis and 9/11 is no exception. I am over it and I don't want to commemorate it on a yearly basis, any more than I want to commemorate the OKC bombings or the first Twin Terror attacks or any of the airplane hijackings that occurred when I was younger, or the killing of innocents at the Atlanta Olympics, or the terrorist killings of people at abortion clinics by nuts. I actually don't understand why people don't just get over it instead of wanting to dwell, on a yearly basis, on such a tragedy and I certainly don't think that makes people patriots because they do. Or not because they don't.
