The Patriot Pledge

    We think the best way to start putting your beliefs into practice is by pledging that you will. In fact, we believe all American parents would benefit from signing what we call “The Patriot Pledge.”

       First print it out.  Then  read it aloud with your children. Let them know of your resolution and commitment and why you think adding some family time to read, think and talk about America is important. Ask them how they feel about this and discuss with them ways you all would want this Pledge to impact your time together.

            Then, sign the Pledge in front of your children--- and sign with a big flourish! 

The Patriot Pledge

            I recognize that parents are the most important role model for their children; and I will, through my actions, demonstrate the importance of patriotism.

            I believe by encouraging a love of country in my children, I will help them become the kind of informed and loyal citizens that America  needs for our country’s future.     

           I will teach them about America's unique history and the deeply held beliefs on which this nation was founded

            I will encourage their interest in the heroes of our past.

            I will strive to develop in them American characteristics such as idealism, tolerance, individualism and courage.

            I will ask them to respect the symbols of our Republic such as the flag, the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance and the holidays that honor our past.

            And I will make patriotism an enriching, inspiring part of their lives.

            This is my pledge.

                             

                                                   -----------------------------------------------------------

Comments

[CGR]

I love my country and my fellow Americans, but blind allegiance to the State is not patriotic and is unAmerican. All true lovers of this country will profit by visiting www.campaignforliberty.com and reading Ron Paul's book, The Revolution - A Manifesto. Ron Paul is the standard and ideal to emulate. He has been called our modern day Thomas Jefferson. Military foreign interventionism is UN-American. Our troops need to be home, with their families, ready to defend our land, sea and air and not stationed in over 600 military bases around the world. God Bless our Troops! WAKE up America! Stop being brainwashed by the false flattery of how we are the only ones in the world that stand up to evil and thus justify our military adventurism. How would you like it if a foreign power occupied the U.S.? Do unto others... BRAVO to the Iraqi who threw the shoe! It was in the same tradition of our early patriots who were seen as rabble rousers, who were at the Boston Tea Party and that tarred and feathered the oppressors. WAKE UP AMERICA! Torture is unAmerican, spying on fellow citizens is unAmerican, the Patriot Act is unAmerican and unPatriotic, the Federal Reserve (a private banking cartel) is unAmerican, bailouts are unAmerican. Stand Up America for what is right - Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All! Wake Up America! The problems aren't the "libs", it's with the christian conservatives that dishonor Christ by supporting wars that have maimed and killed our own and millions of innocents abroad. WAKE UP America we are being duped into fighting muslims and russians and seeing them as "enemies". Look up the U.S.S. Liberty and the Lavon Affair. These are just two of several events that every American should know about. Russia was a great Christian nation and is becoming one again. It was Russia that gave help to our country when forces (again financial in origin) manipulated the country into a civil war. WAKE UP AMERICA! WAKE UP AMERICA! WAKE UP AMERICA!

[Christine]

The problem with a free country, where people are free to pursue their own success and happiness, is that there will always be people who just can't do it. People are not created equal and there will be those who don't have the ambition, and/or intelligence. Many of them have contempt for successful people and want to blame someone for their shortcomings-they blame their country.....and they are wrong. I find that these are the people who hate America and would rather live in a socialist country where they are given what they cannot get for themselves-at the expense of those who can.

[Angela]

As a U.S. History teacher and parent, I will be interested in reading this book. I do think it is imporntant to teach our youth the truth about the country, even the shameful aspects. And yes, there are many. From before we were a country and developing a slave economy--to Jackson's Trail of Tears--to present-time debate about Iraq. I understand that our country is not perfect. Please tell me: What country IS perfect? What other country is a better place in which to live? Why are thousands of immigrants trying to get to the U.S.? Why is that?

[Trev]

Remember smallpox? The biological weapon used against the Cherokee and other tribes as a way to eliminate them? This is a great site, the Hitler Youth would have loved it.

[Anne]

The scourge of smallpox that decimated whole villages, kings and commoners, for centuries, all over the entire earth, was conquered and no longer exists...how? Because this great country organized the medical professionals to go to every single inhabited locale and eradicate this disease!Is this a great country or what!

[larry]

Interesting book.
To bad the United States is now the United Corporate Owned States of America.

[John]

This site is a good start. We have a long way to go to restore honesty and balance to the story of America as it too often is told now. I thank God we have a country that allows Frank to have the freedom to spill his hatred. Many patriots have served and died and continue to serve and die to give Frank his opportunity and freedom to speak. I am immensely proud of America, but Americans need to also understand the principles of Marxism because we have people moving us far down that path. Wake up people the Franks of this country are leading us astray. Be strong and be courageous. Our way of life is under attack. Freedom is earned.

[gina]

I totally think we need to teach kids how to be patriotic. They should learn that dissent and FREEDOM OF SPEECH are our wonderful rights as Americans. Helping others, having compassion, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, not attacking others with violence and bombs because they don't subscribe to your way of life, being charitable to those in need, keeping the government out of private lives by NOT allowing them to eves-drop or read our private correspondence, not allowing Big Government tell us who we can marry or if we have to have a baby, not allowing elections to be stolen EVER AGAIN. All of these are our wonderful rights and responisibilities as true blue Americans and we have a parental duty, a civic duty to teach others these very things that make America who she is.

[Rob]

After hearing Mrs. Winston on Thom Hartmann, I am more likely to think her pledge and efforts will result in nationalists, not patriots. I heard her explicitly deny the opportunity to see from a compassionate perspective on Thom's show, and that runs completely against the grain of what it means to BE American.

Also, I looked at the pledge, which was vague at best. What Pledge of Allegiance do you think Americans should ascribe to? The original, or the 1950's modified version? There is a huge difference between them.

Better writings to raise Americans would include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, writings of Thomas Jefferson, The Federalists, The Debates on the Constitution, writings of Tom Paine, George Washington, and even a recent book entitled America's Constitution: a Biography; by Akhil Reed Amar.

[Matthew]

I think that Frank Zappa do not realise what he is saying. If you can not even show any respect for others opinion or belief it's mean that you do not understand what US is made of or you are not american citizen, and in that case you can not understand what you don't know. American is the best nation you can ever leave on the earth, i leaved in mamy other coutries and USA is (again) the best country to live in.
I wish that our kids will still patriot and stand behing our flag which mean so much for those who understand the real meaning. God bless AMERICA !!!!

[Myrna Blyth]

We know some people will love the book, some people will take a pass but disagreeing,hey, it's the American way.
Some good ideas that have been suggested--visit the Constitution Center, a great museum. Start a Founding Fathers scrapbook. Nice idea!

[John]

This is a great start - but love of country is only half of the equation of patriotism. Where is the guide to teach my children the responsibility part? This includes recognizing that as great as we are, we are still capable of making mistakes. Our country is great when what we DO is great - Whatever we do is not automatically great just because we are the ones doing it. That's blind clan fealty, not patiotism. Part of our duty as citizens is knowing our history - including our mistakes - and recognizing that as a powerful nation our mistakes have a powerful effect on the world. I want to raise true patriots - not superficial patriots who get glassy-eyed at the flag but are incapable of doing their part as citizens to assure that the collective decisions we make as a nation are worthy of greatness.

[SayingNoToTheKoolAid]

Would prefer to raise my kids with a educational foundation of real (unspun) history, science, logic, and ethics -- and let that lead them to the ideology that they deem appropriate for themselves.

The last couple decades of people blindly embracing conservatism (many with deliberate and intentional ignorance and arrogance) got us what we have now in the country: a mess of corruption and incompetence of global proportion.

Stubbornly believing in things that defy logic, history, and good sense result in actions and decisions that don't work when they meet the real "reality." Time to learn from those mistakes, not to keep repeating them.

Sorry, will pass on buying this book.

[Jason]

Great site. I will certainly buy this book for myself and my children. Our country is the most free in the world, but in order to stay that way, it depends on future generations knowing why and how it started. That is the double edged sword of freedom. We are lucky to be American.

[Duncan Frissell]

Myrna,

I like the Pledge. I just discovered your book and will order it today. I bought your last one as well.

Just abusing the comments to convey two bits of info because you lack a public e-mail address:

1) The link to National Review on the bottom of your page on this site is misspelled and, hence, broken.

2) The cover photo of your current book. A not insignificant portion of your target demographic hates, loathes, and despises contemporary bicycle helmets (even if red, white, and blue). The photo will significantly interfere with our enjoyment of what it, no doubt, one of the finest prose works of the 21st Century.

[Myrna]

I guess you must have been listening to me on "right wing corporate media" Frank. Why do you do it if it makes you froth at the mouth? I only hope you are not raising American kids if you can see nothing at all positive about our country.

[Frank Zappa]

This site is total bullshit. This country is total bullshit. Only a historically ignorant person could support this out of control war machine. The usa is the worst country on earth.
Wake up!!!!
Stop watching thAT right-wing corporate media for god's sake.