The initial principles that this nation was founded upon - the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, Freedom of expression, Democracy, etc., are worthy of respect and patriotism. Unfortunately, these principles have been exploited by literal criminals, who have dragged America away from those basic principles.

There is nothing wrong with being patriotic to those founding principles, and wanting to return America to a path that honors those principles.

I will never be patriotic to the criminal MAGA abomination, but I can still be patriotic to the principles that I want America to stand by.

[–] Collatz_problem@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

James Madison explicitly outlined American institution as built to protect the power of wealthy landowners against the majority. And this is not even talking about slavery or Native American genocide. America was always like this and Trump is the most American president.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 1 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I fully understand that.

We are at a crossroads in America, the likes of which we have rarely encountered before, and we have a chance to take America in an entirely new direction. The MAGAs recognize this, and are trying to install a brutal dictatorship.

We have to counter that, and deliver a new future for America, and there is no reason we can't re-install those original concepts, and reconfigure America to honor the original promises of this nation, and not the atrocities that we have had to deal with throughout our history.

It won't do anything to erase the indelible stains in our history, but we can rededicate ourselves to the original American principles, and in the future be the nation that we, and the World, wants.

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I think an argument can be made that this is actually the 2nd Republic; there was a civil war, after all. The 1st Republic from 1776 collapsed under its own contradictions and was an absolute failure based on those original principles. Reconstruction didn't go far enough. There should have been a new Constitution, rather than trying to amend the shambling corpse from the 1st Republic. There should have been mass executions for all former slave owners, but instead we let them live and they reestablished themselves in the sharecropping system with the Klan.

Let's not make the same mistakes in the 3rd Republic.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Valid.

I don't believe in Political retribution no matter which inside it comes from, and which side it victimizes, but I am very supportive of prosecuting politicians for their CRIMES alone. I may not agree with your politics, but thats the game. Those who gain power, and then exploit the system for their own personal agendas, deserve the harshest punishment possible, as a warning to future dipshits who might get ideas.

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

To be clear, this has nothing to do with retribution or acting as some kind of warning. Rather, there's the simple fact that leaving them alive left them the opportunity to retake power and control. Every moment of massive political upheaval needs to address the problem of what to do with the losers, because if we don't, they recuperate and strike back at the political project.

If you overthrow the King and let the King's family live, monarchy can come back.

If you overthrow slaveocracy and let the slave owners live, slavery can come back - and it did.

[–] Le_Wokisme@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago

there is no reason we can't re-install those original concepts, and reconfigure America to honor the original promises of this nation

promises to who? the american revolution was bourgeois not proletarian. not even all free white men could vote. the atrocities were inherent to the founding and they are load-bearing structures to this day.

[–] casskaydee@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago

PIGPOOPBALLS