In their never-ending search for ways to attack the president, the fake news media have zeroed in on a new version of an old word: nationalism. In its latest incarnation, nationalism is a pejorative term that implies contempt for the rest of the world. Under the aegis of the UN and the EU, western leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron have declared themselves to be supporters of globalism as the antithesis of nationalism. It was only a matter of time before the media blasted Trump as a nationalist who shows contempt for our European allies.
The extreme definition fails to make the distinction between nationalism and patriotism. “The difference between patriotism and nationalism,” said essayist Sydney J. Harris, “is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does.” By that definition, Trump is a patriot. Americans have always liked patriots.
The unique circumstances that gave birth to the Declaration of Independence—in particular, respect for the rights of the individual—fostered a spirit of patriotism that is one of the hallmarks of the American experience. For most of its history, the United States has been the home of citizens who are willing to sacrifice their lives in service of their patriotism. As a former marine, I celebrate the service of many of my comrades who did exactly that.
Today we have a new challenge from the Left. Liberals are attempting to paint any and all manifestations of patriotism as expressions of hatred and bigotry. Here is an example: Defending the globalist aspirations of the UN, actress Angelina Jolie warned that a “rising tide of nationalism” is “masquerading as patriotism.” She hinted that Trump’s refugee ban falls under this umbrella. Like many of her Hollywood buddies, Jolie thinks that Trump is a fascist for wanting to secure the borders.
This leftist argument was used by the Obama administration to justify its passivity in the face of real threats such as Islamic terrorism and illegal immigration. Any attempt by the government to fulfill its primary duty to protect us from external dangers is compared by the Left to fascism. Obama was a disciple of this train of thought. Trump, thankfully, is not.
“The left decided to rewrite history,” says Ben Shapiro in Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences Americans. “American patriotism had to be debunked. And so revisionist historians began portraying America as a nasty place, a colonialist land dedicated to the wiping out of brown and yellow peoples.” America is portrayed by the Left as racist, militaristic, and misogynistic. This is the doctrine being taught at our colleges and universities.
What is not being taught is that globalism is diametrically opposed to U.S. interests. The progressive liberal, or what author Mark Levin calls the Statist, does not see himself as an American. He is a citizen of the world, a globalist. Every positive accomplishment of the U.S. is spun to appear self-serving and narrow-minded. The weakness of this position, says Mark Levin, is that our enemies do not see themselves as world citizens. “They are not motivated by world opinion,” says Levin, “but by their own desires. They seek strategic—economic and military—advantage.” The progressive approach is a turn-the-other-cheek response. By turning the other cheek, as Obama did, we render the homeland unprotected as we become vulnerable to the political and military adventures of our enemies.
One of the key globalist arguments in favor of redistributing America’s resources is the notion that we are only 5% of the world’s population but we consume 25% of the world’s energy. To leftists like Obama and Bernie Sanders, this is unfair and immoral. They want the U.S. to become poorer so the other 95% of the world can get richer—the same argument they use to advocate redistribution of wealth at home. Take money away from the rich so the poor will become less poor. The conservative, says Levin, believes that (a) the U.S. should not be penalized simply because we are more successful and productive than everybody else, and (b) one of the reasons we are more successful is that many countries are incapable of utilizing the resources they possess.
Self-serving UN bureaucrats are committed to a totalitarian globalist agenda that includes open borders, crippling penalties to stop alleged global warming, and the destruction of capitalism. The hysteria about global warming, says Senator James Inhofe, has been fueled by the UN’s desire for global control. Global climate change policies, says Inhofe, would give the UN its own funding source and make it unaccountable to member nations. And it would take resources away from successful countries like the U.S. and give them to countries that wouldn’t know what to do with them.
“The climate scare is not driven by climate scientists,” agrees British political commentator Christopher Monckton. “It’s not driven by any adverse circumstances in the world’s weather. It is driven by a totalitarian political ideology.” This ideology, says Monckton, is fostered by the unelected bureaucrats at the UN and EU.
Ottmat Edenhofer, German economist and UN official, admitted that global warming is a fiction created to camouflage the real intent of the UN—to redistribute the world’s resources under the control of a totalitarian world government. “One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy,” argues Edenhofer. “Climate policy has almost nothing to do anymore with environmental protection. The next world climate summit is actually an economy summit during which the distribution of the world’s resources will be negotiated.”
The would-be dictators at the UN are only interested in power for themselves. We are fortunate to have a president—a patriot—who understands this dynamic and who is defending American interests from hostile global forces.
Ed Brodow is a political commentator, negotiation expert, and author of seven books including his latest, Tyranny of the Minority: How the Left is Destroying America.
