DEAR ABBY: During the recent surge of patriotism, I have seen many T-shirts proclaiming support for U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf, American dominance and victory.
Advertisement
I think there are many better ways to support our country and our troops than simply by putting a message on a T-shirt to tell every�body you love your country.
For starters, don't litter on the land you are proud of; keep it beautiful by picking up trash.
If you are a student, study hard so you will be able to help your country compete in the world market.
If you are employed, do a good job, and don't cheat your employer. Don't shoplift; it puts retailers out of business and hurts the economy.
If you are a defense contractor, don't cheat the government -- �regardless of how easy they make it.
Write letters to your legislators telling them your views. How can they represent you if they don't know what you want? You can bet that foreign interests and special interests are telling Congress what THEY want.
Everyone who has the right to vote should vote. It's a privilege.
Read the newspapers and watch the news to keep up on current events so you'll know what's going on.
Unless we want our servicepeople returning to the Middle East, we must learn to conserve energy and reduce our oil dependence. Some ways to do this are to "Drive 55," carpool, select fuel-efficient cars and do not waste electricity.
Or is all of the above too much trouble? (It's a lot easier to wear a T-shirt.)
I realize this letter may be too long to print, but I hope you will print at least part of it if you agree with me. -- NORTH CAROLINA PATRIOT
DEAR PATRIOT: I'm printing all of it. It takes more than hoisting a flag or donning a T-shirt to show patriotism for one's country. Thanks for a dandy letter.