Rev. Rob Keithan: Our Country, Right and Wrong
The phrase “My country, right or wrong” is attributed to war hero Stephan Decatur in 1816 as an expression of patriotism. In a well-received 1871 speech, US Senator Carl Schurz modified the phrase to add an important condition: “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.” Here in 2020, on the eve of one of the most important elections of our lifetime, how do we feel about this country of ours? And who’s included in “ours” anyway?