--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But one way or another, it is insulting…" description: "\"“But one way or another, it is insulting to the Founders’ memory to associate any patriotic feelings you have for the memory of the nation they created..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/maggie-mcneill-62473_patriotic_but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-t_3202201.jpg" --- # But one way or another, it is insulting to the Founders’… ![“But one way or another, it is insulting to the Founders’ memory to associate any patriotic feelings you have for the memory of the nation they created with the repressive fascist police state that now occupies its territory; the 4th of July is now a memorial rather than a celebration, and the…” quote by Maggie McNeill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/maggie-mcneill-62473_patriotic_but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-t_3202201.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/maggie-mcneill-62473_patriotic_but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-t_3202201.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/maggie-mcneill-62473_patriotic_but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-t_3202201.jpg) > ““But one way or another, it is insulting to the Founders’ memory to associate any patriotic feelings you have for the memory of the nation they created with the repressive fascist police state that now occupies its territory; the 4th of July is now a memorial rather than a celebration, and the Spirit of ‘76 is nothing but a ghost.”” [Maggie McNeill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-mcneill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that modern patriotism is misaligned with historical ideals, seeing current national symbols as hollow. **In simple terms:** Patriotism feels disconnected from founding values. Key Takeaway Reevaluate symbols and their meanings. Themes patriotism history critique Mood critical reflective Type political philosophical When to use this quote - public holidays - civic education - political discourse Key Concepts national identity political theory Questions to Reflect On - What does patriotism mean today? - How can history inform current national identity? A Different Perspective Some view the critique as overly harsh. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Patriotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotic/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Police state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-state/) ## Related quotes > [Patriotic feelings will surely swell, prompting proud proclamations of the wisdom, foresight, and sense of justice shared by the Framers and reflected in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/patriotic-feelings-will-surely-swell-prompting-proud-proclamations-of/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [“To begin with, we have to be more clear about what we mean by patriotic feelings. For a time when I was in high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/to-begin-with-we-have-to-be-more-clear-about-what-we-mean-by/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [History is the memory of a nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/history-is-the-memory-of-a-nation/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Even if published in written form, history, it is argued, is not embedded as a memory at an individual level: it has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-keene/even-if-published-in-written-form-history-it-is-argued-is-not/) [Suzanne Keene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-keene/) > [Literature becomes the living memory of a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/literature-becomes-the-living-memory-of-a-nation/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [What must be addressed in the most immediate sense is the threat that the emerging police state in the United States poses not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/what-must-be-addressed-in-the-most-immediate-sense-is-the-threat-that/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [“This was laughable, of course, but that’s always the way with totalitarian regimes. Language gets turned on its head. Serfdom is freedom. Repression is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/this-was-laughable-of-course-but-that-s-always-the-way-with/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [I mean a real police state just to get a token recognition of a law. It take, it took, I think, 15,000 troops and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-mean-a-real-police-state-just-to-get-a-token-recognition-of-a-law/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [California always struck me as a police state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/california-always-struck-me-as-a-police-state/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [“Should we wrap it all up and simply say that they arrested the innocent? But we omitted saying that the very concept of guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/should-we-wrap-it-all-up-and-simply-say-that-they-arrested-the/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [There's one overriding issue, namely, that we live in a police state so long as the police get to police themselves. And that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/there-s-one-overriding-issue-namely-that-we-live-in-a-police-state-so/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [“The regime's policies, whether intentionally or unintentionally, had engendered a sharp divide between Muslims and Christians, in spite of the fact that generations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wael-ghonim/the-regime-s-policies-whether-intentionally-or-unintentionally-had/) [Wael Ghonim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wael-ghonim/) > [“Always Remember... Once You Give Up Your Rights, You Can Never Get Them Back. Once You Turn On That Police State, You Can Never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/always-remember-once-you-give-up-your-rights-you-can-never-get-them/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“Police not enforcing laws results in a high crime rate that is formally reported as a low crime rate in police statistics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/police-not-enforcing-laws-results-in-a-high-crime-rate-that-is/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Life in a police state is pretty good—if you are the state police.” Though”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-cameron/life-in-a-police-state-is-pretty-good-if-you-are-the-state-police/) [Marc Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-cameron/) ## More by Maggie McNeill > [“My cousin Jeff used to say that the tragedy of relationships is that women want men to change, and they don’t, while men don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-mcneill/my-cousin-jeff-used-to-say-that-the-tragedy-of-relationships-is-that/) [Maggie McNeill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-mcneill/) > [“I do agree with Ms. Post about one thing, though; the legal status of prostitution is indeed a measure of a society, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-mcneill/i-do-agree-with-ms-post-about-one-thing-though-the-legal-status-of/) [Maggie McNeill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-mcneill/) > [“Western people have been sold a lie. Marriage was designed in ancient times not for companionship, but for social, economic and political expediency; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-mcneill/western-people-have-been-sold-a-lie-marriage-was-designed-in-ancient/) [Maggie McNeill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-mcneill/) > [“Those who wish to control others’ lives often insist that the private, consensual behavior of individuals has some mystical negative effect on people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-mcneill/those-who-wish-to-control-others-lives-often-insist-that-the-private/) [Maggie McNeill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-mcneill/) [Explore all 5 Maggie McNeill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-mcneill/) ## More Patriotic quotes > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [There is no patriotic art and no patriotic science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/there-is-no-patriotic-art-and-no-patriotic-science/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/everything-that-is-really-great-and-inspiring-is-created-by-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-mazzini/love-your-country-your-country-is-the-land-where-your-parents-sleep/) [Giuseppe Mazzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-mazzini/) > [I am not one who - who flamboyantly believes in throwing a lot of words around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/i-am-not-one-who-who-flamboyantly-believes-in-throwing-a-lot-of-words/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [What we need in South Africa is for egos to be suppressed in favour of peace. We need to create a new breed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hani/what-we-need-in-south-africa-is-for-egos-to-be-suppressed-in-favour/) [Chris Hani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hani/) > [Sometimes I wonder if I'm patriotic enough. Yes, I want to kill people, but on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-i-wonder-if-i-m-patriotic-enough-yes-i-want-to-kill-people/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [In my grandfather's day, there was a different perspective on war and men that went into war; it was such a patriotic act to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-holmes/in-my-grandfather-s-day-there-was-a-different-perspective-on-war-and/) Ashton Holmes > [Since it is impossible for the people spontaneously and universally, to move in concert towards their object; and it is therefore essential, that such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/since-it-is-impossible-for-the-people-spontaneously-and-universally/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Oh Beautiful For A Land That's Free Where All Can Congregate Together Live With No Degree Of Bigotry And Hate”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bee/oh-beautiful-for-a-land-that-s-free-where-all-can-congregate-together/) Kathy Bee > [Yet some can be patriotic who have no self-respect, and sacrifice the greater to the less. They love the soil which makes their graves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/yet-some-can-be-patriotic-who-have-no-self-respect-and-sacrifice-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The average American is nothing if not patriotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-croly/the-average-american-is-nothing-if-not-patriotic/) [Herbert Croly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-croly/) > [Freedom of press and freedom of speech: What a blessing for a country while in the hands of honest, patriotic men; what a curse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-h-boetcker/freedom-of-press-and-freedom-of-speech-what-a-blessing-for-a-country/) [William J. H. Boetcker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-h-boetcker/) [Browse all 739 Patriotic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But one way or another, it is insulting to the Founders’ memory to associate any patriotic feelings you have for the memory of the nation they created with the repressive fascist police state that now occupies its territory; the 4th of July is now a memorial rather than a celebration, and the Spirit of ‘76 is nothing but a ghost.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maggie McNeill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-mcneill/but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-to-the-founders-memory-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Patriotic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-mcneill/but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-to-the-founders-memory-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/maggie-mcneill-62473_patriotic_but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-t_3202201.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/maggie-mcneill-62473_patriotic_but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-t_3202201.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/maggie-mcneill-62473_patriotic_but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-t_3202201.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But one way or another, it is insulting to the Founders’ memory to associate any patriotic feelings you have…” — Maggie McNeill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Maggie McNeill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-mcneill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But one way or another, it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-mcneill/but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-to-the-founders-memory-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-mcneill/but-one-way-or-another-it-is-insulting-to-the-founders-memory-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```