Happy Fourth of July!

This week’s issue of Time magazine contains an essay titled “Patriot Games” by Peter Beinart, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, which articulates a view of patriotism that is worth our consideration:

Patriotism should be proud but not blind, critical yet loving.  And liberals and conservatives should agree that if patriotism entails no sacrifice, if it is all faith and no works, then something has gone wrong.  The American who volunteers to fight in Iraq and the American who protests the war both express a truer patriotism than the American who treats it as a distant spectacle with no claim on his talents or conscience.

Why not give some consideration this Independence Day to doing a bit more to live your patriotism?  Think about getting involved in our local government, where you don’t need to drop a hundred thousand dollar contribution to get somebody’s ear. 

Start by simply paying attention.  Read what our local governmental bodies – the City Council, the District 64 and District 207 school boards, and the Park District board – are doing, and start thinking critically about it.  Does it make sense?  Does it sound like the best practice or procedure?  Does it sound like a wise use of our tax dollars?  Is it good for our community?

Then get to know at least one or two of your elected representatives, starting with your alderman.  Call them up, send them an e-mail, let them know what you think about the issues confronting them. Give up the occasional Cubs or Sox game on TV and go to a meeting to see exactly how the process really works…or doesn’t.

Because if enough of us start doing this and doing it often enough, maybe…just maybe…we’ll start getting the government we want and deserve.