Tag: Constitution

What is a patriot?

Posted on by kathiemm
Pikes Peak from the Garden of the Gods. Photo by Mark Gallagher, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

(Pikes Peak in Colorado was the inspiration for the song America the Beautiful.)

According to the Miriam Webster online dictionary, a patriot is a person who loves and strongly supports or fights for his or her country. That means I’m a patriot.

I love my country, particularly its courageous survivors:

*the rolling hills and mountains not yet sheared off by mining companies, still there to be climbed with joy,

*the gracious ancient forests not yet cut down for logging or building, still there yielding shade and replenishing our air,

*the enticing hills and valleys, not yet torn apart through fracking, still home to countless flora and fauna to elate our eyes and ears,

*the lakes and rivers not yet polluted by ruthless despoilers, still gifting us with the foundation of life.

I strongly support my country, particularly

*our basic Constitutional structure, with its balance of powers, and basic rights and assurances–which include freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion but not a right to carry automatic weapons and multiple rounds of ammunition into schools and other public places,

*today’s Constitution, which, unlike its earliest version, recognizes that people of color and women are people too, but says nothing, I would argue, about corporations being people with human rights,

*the millions of my compatriots who speak out against the destruction of our environment and the corruption of our Constitution by a tiny power elite that can elect and buy many (but not all) politicians.

I fight for my country. I do that by

*speaking out against the warmongers, war profiteers, and destroyers of social justice

*contributing to many of the groups that fight to rescue what is left of our natural environment

*writing this blog.

Please join me in this form of patriotism.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Gratitude on Thanksgiving

Posted on by patdaniel

Today, Thanksgiving Day, 2011, we are thankful that we did not grow up in a country that deals daily with armed conflict on its own territory. We are glad that we have been sheltered from bombs, terror, and torture.

First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie A. Brownscombe
First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie A. Brownscombe. Image in public domain

We also are thankful to be activists during an era when activism is growing around the world–activism aimed at ending economic inequality, social injustice, and costly and wasteful wars. We are grateful for the U.S. Bill of Rights and Constitution that protect our rights to activism and free speech.

We are thankful to be part of the 99% who are recognizing that we can have a voice, that we need to speak out against those members of the 1% who have gained so much control over the lives of ordinary peace-loving, justice-seeking people around the world.

We feel a rush of happiness seeing a police captain join the Occupy Wall Street movement and speak out against ruthless militarism in fellow wearers of the badge. (See story and video about retired Philadelphia Police Captain Ray Lewis  arrested at OWS).

We feel pride and intensified optimism when we hear a veteran speak out against the tragic wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. For example, see the great new essay by Ross Caputi, a frequent contributor to this blog.

Please join us in being grateful for all people of conscience who resist war and other forms of inhumanity. Enjoy the celebration on this video or this one.

And check out the New York Times article about the benefits of gratitude, including mention of a research study showing “…that feeling grateful makes people less likely to turn aggressive when provoked…”  Perhaps gratitude provides a path to world peace.

Finally, we are grateful for you, dear readers of Engaging Peace, for your comments, your stories, your commitment to peace in your own lives and work.

Please submit your own comments about what you are grateful for this Thanksgiving Day.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology, and Pat Daniel, Managing Editor of Engaging Peace

Time to protest?

Posted on by kathiemm


In 1965, the Vietnam Day Committee, an anti-war group in Berkeley, California, called for an International Day of Protest from October 15-16 to express revulsion against the Vietnam War.

Protest demonstrations around the country gradually evolved into a powerful anti-war movement that included servicemen rebelling against involvement in a war that they increasingly saw as immoral and unjust.

In 2011, we see an expanding series of protests against the powerful international banking and financial interests that are increasingly recognized as being at the roots of war, injustice, inequality, and the destruction of the planet. For a dramatic overview of the protests ignited by the economic crisis that has resulted in the largest profits ever accruing to the biggest financial institutions in one year, watch the video above.

In the US, there have been growing protests against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (see, for example), growing protests against Wall Street, and a coming together of the anti-war, anti-Wall Street/pro-peace, pro-democracy groups (see, for example).

These protests are not being conducted by violent fringe groups; they are students, teachers, social workers, nurses, doctors, artists, musicians, community organizers, environmental groups, lay people, professionals—providing a broad representation of the 99% who are not benefiting from the wars and from the control of the government by banking and business institutions.

Their agenda is non-violent. Violence has come from the police and others in authority who are ready to quell protest, however legitimate the concerns of the protestors.  The way to keep violence out of protests is not to prevent protests but to bar the police from using violence.

The First Amendment to our Constitution prohibits, among other things,  interfering with the right of citizens to assemble peacefully and to petition the government for redress of grievances.  If Americans value their democracy, and respect their Constitution, it is important for them to support those rights, and to insure that members of the police/military establishment do not infringe on those rights.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology