As you know, I have blogged about some of the embarrassing interviews Sarah Palin has had and the incoherent answers she gave to Katie Couric. While Palin redeemed herself somewhat in the debate with Joe Biden, she and Biden both got some of their "facts" wrong. Clearly, while Palin is far from the brightest star on the horizon, she deserves better than the constant battering she's been getting from the press.
A case in point is an op-ed piece authored by New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner. There is no subject matter about which he does not pretend to be an expert. Global warming, the war in Iraq, the economy, energy dependence, education, China, India, Russia, the European Union, the Middle East, Africa, etc. - Friedman would have us believe he's an expert on each and everyone of them.
Friedman's column took direct aim at a statement Palin made during her debate with Joe Biden. Palin turned to Biden and said, "You recently said paying taxes is patriotic. In middle-class America, where I have been all my life, that is not considered patriotic." Friedman went apoplectic - "That really sticks in my craw." He followed up that outburst with: ".......... she declared that Americans who pay their fair share of taxes to support all those government-led endeavors (the Wall Street bailout, the surge in Iraq, sending more troops to Afghanistan) should not be considered patriotic." That is not at all what Palin said and Friedman damn well knows it.
Everyone recognizes that the law requires Americans to pay taxes. There's nothing patriotic about obeying the law. It is every citizen's duty to abide by our laws, and in this instance, to pay taxes. Being patriotic requires a citizen to go beyond the mere call of duty.
Here are examples of being truly patriotic: Defending our country and constitution; demonstrating pride in our country; serving in the military; openly expressing support for our troops in a time of war, and more so when that war is unpopular; not condemning our country and its leaders while overseas (a la the Dixie Chicks); denouncing the burning of our flag; and yes, proudly displaying the American flag. Sorry, but paying taxes just doesn't make the grade.
Friedman repeatedly excoriated Palin for calling taxpayers unpatriotc. He knows very well that her statement was a reflection of her belief, and the belief of most Americans, that patriotism goes far beyond the act of paying the taxes that are needed to run our government. Friedman's column attacking Palin's statement was disingenuous. He deliberately twisted her words and their meaning around in an obvious attempt to damage the McCain-Palin ticket. So much for journalistic integrity.
The all-knowing Friedman concluded his column with this definition: "Patriotic is offering a plan to build our economy - not by tax cuts or punching more holes in the ground (drilling for oil), but by empowering more Americans to work in innovative jobs." That definition cannot be found in any dictionnary because it is an absurd perversion of the term's true meaning. Friedman must think that Americans are too dumb to see through his charade. His three Pulitzer Prizes notwithstanding, Thomas L. Friedman is a real jerk!
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