Thanks to people like Colin Kaepernick, the decline of patriotism is painfully evident. The country faced fierce division when Kaepernick opted to “take a knee.” Leftists called him a hero, while the rest of us boycotted the NFL. Meanwhile, people find themselves trying to make sense of the nonsense.

As David Brooks writes:

Abraham Lincoln wrote, “If ever I feel the soul within me elevate and expand to those dimensions not entirely unworthy of its almighty Architect, it is when I contemplate the cause of my country.”

Martin Luther King Jr. sang the national anthem before his “I Have a Dream” speech and then quoted the Declaration of Independence within it.

This American creed gave people a sense of purpose and a high ideal to live up to. It bonded them together. Whatever their other identities — Irish-American, Jewish American, African-American — they were still part of the same story.

Over the years, America’s civic religion was nurtured the way all religions are nurtured: by sharing moments of reverence. Americans performed the same rituals on Thanksgiving and July 4; they sang the national anthem and said the Pledge in unison; they listened to the same speeches on national occasions and argued out the great controversies of our history.

Obviously, sharing such history bonded Americans together. In 2003, the University of Chicago published research found Americans to be the most patriotic people on the planet.

So what happened? Obama happened.

Obama’s Attack on America

Unfortunately for 8 years, America allowed the enemy to hold the highest seat. Obama played into the anti-America narrative, and he gleefully apologized for America’s greatness.

In fact, as we previously wrote:

The Left may claim that Obama calmed the nation with his sermon-like eloquence, however his actions as president paint a different picture.

Obama traveled the world presenting an America who, according to him, owed the world an apology. He divided the country along ideological boundaries, like black vs white, rich vs poor, Christian vs Muslim, gay vs straight, and so on.

Then he institutionalized his hate. Academia taught hate and despair, thus school system carried the burdens of Obama-era policies.

As the New York Post points out:

Since President Barack Obama pressured educators to adopt a new code of conduct making it harder to suspend or expel students of color, even kids who punch out their teacher aren’t automatically kicked out of school anymore.

Previously, “If you hit a teacher, you’re gone,” said Peter Kirsanow, a black conservative on the US Commission on Civil Rights. But that’s no longer the case, he says, thanks to race-based discipline quotas sweeping the nation’s schools.

Let’s put this in perspective. A student can physically assault a teacher, and that’s OK. However, if a teacher tries to enforce a little respect, arrest her immediately.

When I was a child, every day school started with a prayer and a pledge. Leftists kicked the prayers out long ago, but who ever believed we’d see the day when the Pledge of Allegiance was no longer important?