July 4, 2006

The Real Story of "My Country, Right or Wrong"

By J.R. Dunn
Quotations, particularly quotations with political content, often seem to end upmisrepresented and mangled, their meaning twisted if not completely reversed. Consider only 'The business of America is business', 'War is politics carried on by other means', or 'Truth is the first casualty of war.'   Usually such misquotes are the product of long years and short memories. But cases do exist where phrases have been deliberately altered to fit one or another political—ideological cause. (When was the last time you heard the second part of the Establishment Clause?) One example in particular has always stuck with me: 'My country, right or wrong.'   I grew up with that line. It was a product of the 60s, the age of anti—patriotism. That phrase came to represent everything the Left hated about the patriotic impulse. Whenever anyone revealed a shred of respect for the country, belief in its ideals, or faith in its future, that line was sure to follow. Always spoken with a...(Read Full Article)