Instead of Patriot Day, how about real patriotism?
Tom Henderson January 21, 2006 Lewiston Morning Tribune Soon Idaho will have Patriot Day. Thanks to a Legislature fearless in the face of empty symbolism, every April 19 will be set aside to remind people to reflect on the rights and liberties they too often take for granted. Liberty, however, requires more than reflection. It requires action. Slapping a title on April 19 won’t change that. Still, you have to admire Terry Shepard — the Benjamin Franklin impersonator who proposed Patriot Day to the Legislature. Shepard is rightly concerned about the direction of a government that values secrecy and security over civil liberties. He wants Idaho — like Massachusetts — to set aside a day to remember the founding principles of a free society. Unlike in Massachusetts, Patriot Day in Idaho would not be a legal holiday. Shepard found a midwife for his proposal in Rep. Lenore Barrett, R-Challis. The Legislature will probably sign off on the idea. It sounds good. Plus, it’s vague enough to en
