After September 11th, 2001 America was temporarily united in a “neighbor reaching out to neighbor” reaction that President Bush so appropriately utilized to his advantage.

Since Bush called “mission accomplished” in Iraq in May, 2003, 866 American soldiers have lost their lives to disproving forces in Iraq - this number increases daily. These lives are justified as the sacrifice Americans must make, in the name of “patriotism.”

Although the war in Iraq did not officially begin until March, 2003, President Bush made use of these patriotic emotions leftover from September 11th to gain the support of the nation.

It is partly because of this false patriotic sentiment that has placed our American soldiers in Iraq and certainly has not accomplished what it sought to do – liberate Iraq. Patriotism in the past was the driving force behind military recruitment, now it is a force that gains presidential popularity and wins votes.

Just days ago, the amount of American soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq totaled 1,000. What is there to show for these lost lives? How many more are expected in the name of patriotism?

In a country where the “Patriot Act” enables the government to gain access to one’s past, present and future – patriotism, after which the act is named, has lost its value. In a way, we have sacrificed part of our own freedom.

For a president whose own patriotism was questioned in reference to the Vietnam War, President Bush is expecting an awful lot from our soldiers in Iraq.

President Bush incorporates patriotic undertones into his speeches and policy because he knows that the American public seeks a feeling of social unity, and patriotism provides this façade.

The American public seeks a ghost, a shadow of former times. Unlike the novel patriots of the past, such as Patrick Henry, American “patriots” today do not focus their goals upon the doctrine “give me liberty or give me death.”

In today’s America, hanging an American flag and being able to recite the pledge of allegiance automatically label a person a “patriot.”

This devolution of patriotism throughout the years is why “patriotism” is not a meaningful cause to lose ones life for.