XPost: or.politics, or.general   
   From: LiveFromTheClocktower@gfy.com   
      
   "David Loftus"  wrote in message   
   news:1151706498.299770.222240@y41g2000cwy.googlegroups.com...   
   >   
   \> Obviously not, since everything I post is pretty much critical of those   
   > "fire eaters." As I understand it, Paine is saying people who object to   
   > the fighting, who don't want to fight, are by definition not patriots.   
   > Which is what puzzles me about your posting of this quotation.   
      
   "The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink   
   from the service of their country;"   
      
   I take "summer soldier and sunshine patriot" to mean, for this purpose,   
   somebody who beats their chest and waves their flag as long as it's not too   
   much of an personal inconvenience.  Similar to "fair-weather friends."   
      
   I don't see where he's saying people who don't want to fight are not   
   patriots, or he wouldn't have used the words "soldiers" and "patriots."   
      
   "In this crisis", since it's no longer Paine's, reflects our present   
   situation.  ie, The War.   
      
   "But he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks"...  To me, that   
   means, he who serves when it's -not- convenient, when victory and safety   
   are -not- certain, and when the threat of personal sacrifice is real.  The   
   doctrinal caveat is that the soldier's cause in "the crisis" is right and   
   worthy.   
      
   What do you think?   
   -c   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)