Black Belt Patriotism - How to Reawaken America by Chuck Norris

By Alain Burrese
I have been a fan of Chuck Norris for years. His early movies helped motivate me to study martial arts, and now as an instructor myself, I respect and admire the accomplishments he has achieved, and especially like how he has helped so many kids through his youth programs. It was an honor to meet Chuck Norris, his wife, and the late Howard Jackson a few years ago when he was signing copies of "Against All Odds: My Story."

I also like that Chuck Norris has firm convictions and beliefs and is not afraid to stand by them. His entry into political commentary and endorsing causes and candidates illustrates that he is not content with sitting on the sidelines, but is more than willing to stand up and be counted and voice an opinion. Some people criticize celebrities for endorsing causes or candidates, but I don't. I respect people who stand up for what they believe in and take ACTION. Regardless if you agree or disagree with Norris, you have to respect the fact that he is taking action regarding problems he sees in America.

I've been looking forward to "Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America" ever since I learned it was coming out. Being a black belt and a patriot, I love the title. But more importantly, I respect Chuck Norris and his views, not just because he is a fellow martial artist, but because he is sincere, honest, and makes a lot of sense. I've been looking forward to his insights and suggestions on how to rebuild our country and ensure the pursuit of the American Dream is available for everyone. The book was released yesterday and I left work and immediately stopped at the bookstore to pick up a copy.

I was not disappointed!

I spent the night reading "Black Belt Patriotism" and was quite impressed. It was not what I thought it was going to be. It had much more research than I expected. In fact, there are over thirty pages of notes, containing more than three hundred references from the text. Norris did his homework!

Before I go any further, I'll address the elephant in the room. (pun intended) It is no secret that Norris is a conservative. On the cover of the book, he is described as a martial arts master, actor, and political activist. This book falls in the political activist realm and the solutions that Norris provides are rooted in his Christian faith and belief in the Constitution and those Constitution Framers and founders of our great nation. If you share his conservative views, you are going to love this book. You might even stand up and yell, "You tell 'em Chuck!" If you are liberal, you are going to disagree with many of the solutions Norris provides, and you might even be insulted because he pulls no punches with his beliefs. If you are an independent, or fall somewhere in the middle, you will probably learn a few things and ponder on others. Regardless of which camp you fall into, I believe the book has value in pointing out the problems that Norris does. If you don't agree with his conservative solutions, so be it. Figure out solutions that you back. But think about the problems and work toward solutions!

The first line of this book is, "I love America: always have, always will." It is clear from reading this text that Norris really does love America and the principles it was founded upon. He has researched the history of our country and government much more than the average person, and goes so far as to include in the Appendices; The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, and The Ten Commandments. If you study the more than three hundred references I mentioned earlier, without a doubt you will have a better understanding of our country and government, and a better understanding of where Norris is coming from. I applaud his inclusion of such material, rather than him just saying, "this is what I believe, so there." He gives us the why behind what he wrote. That still does not mean you have to agree with him, but it will most certainly education you and open your eyes to the conservative perspective in a different light.

The first chapter then goes on to lay out eight problems with America that Norris believes something must be done about. Then, it the next eight chapters he goes into solutions to these problems. These problems he addresses are: 1. Norris believes we have forgotten our roots and have drifted from the principles and beliefs that our country was founded upon. 2. America's debt. The dept by Both by the government and individuals is a major problem and as Norris points out, we must not spend what we don't have. 3. America has failed to enforce our nation's borders. Norris shares some of the Founder's recommendations regarding immigration as well as some of his own recommendations for the illegal immigration problem. 4. Norris believes the fourth major problem is that America has lost its moral compass. This is probably one of the most "religious" chapters because Chuck's moral compass is guided by his Faith. 5. The next problem is that we have devalued human life. Again, this chapter is influenced by his faith, but we must also remember that in his early movies, life was not valued that much with the high body counts of the 80s action genre. But then Norris has changed since then and is the first to admit it. What I like is that he does not try to change or hide his past, and he openly discusses that he made mistakes in his past and is ashamed of some of what he has done. 6. The sixth problem Norris takes on is what he claims is the failing of our children. Children bear the brunt of cultural decay and Norris sets out to help protect our children from predators as well as provide for them and teach them values. 7. The next problem he sees is the dissolution of the family. This chapter again focuses on a Christian model for family, and Norris also makes a case for homeschooling. 8. The eighth problem of America's is apathy: physical, mental, and spiritual. In this chapter Norris takes on the declining health and obesity of Americans and calls for healthy living including nutritious eating and exercise. He also very briefly adds that he believes people need to feed themselves spiritually as well.

As I stated, if you share conservative beliefs with Norris, you will love his solutions, if you don't, you won't find this book nearly as enjoyable. However, regardless of your beliefs, you should find this book educational.

The book is more than educational, it is also motivational. The love for our country that Norris holds is clear, and he is optimistic that Americans can solve the problems the country is facing. This is not a doom and gloom look at troubles. This is a call for action to make our country better, to make our country stronger. Norris wants all Americans to get involved. He closes the book by saying, "I've committed the rest of my life to assure that the America of yesteryear becomes the America of tomorrow. My wish is that you will now join me, and encourage others to do the same."

I highly recommend this book to all Americans. You don't have to be a Chuck Norris fan like I am to gain some valuable insights from Chuck's research into our country's history and government. You don't have to share conservative values and ideals to still learn and be motivated by his optimistic view that we can continue to make America great despite the problems we are facing as a country. You don't even have to agree that these eight problems are the primary problems of the country, even though we must admit they are issues that need to be addressed.

Chuck Norris did an impressive job with this book. It was much more researched than I thought it would be, and it has encouraged me to do even more regarding getting involved. Read this book and become a Black Belt Patriot!