Broadsheets are 18th century precursors to our modern day printed newspapers. Issues of the Patriotic Press will continue in this tradition – a large one page publication. We’ll investigate the past as well as current day news, and make some observations.
Russian Drone Attack on Poland Evokes a Multinational Response
19 Russian drones flew over Poland on September 10. This suspected drone incursion was shot down by NATO forces. Gerbera drones are cheaply made Skywalker kits from China. Made of plywood and foam, they are typically used as decoys for larger incursions. These drones contain electrical components from the US and Europe, although there are restrictions on exports of dual use technologies to Russia.
This drone incursion is seen by the West as an expansion of Russia’s war with Ukraine. Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said “The assessment of Polish and NATO Air Forces is, they did not veer off course, but were deliberately targeted.” Russia’s defense ministry says that it did not plan to attack any targets in Poland.
US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!”
An Extremely Brief History of Warsaw, Virginia and One of Its Citizens
In 1692, the town of Richmond Court House was founded as the county seat of newly formed Richmond County. Originally located along the Rappahannock River, the town moved to its present location in 1730. Citizens of the town changed the name to Warsaw in January, 1832, in support of the 1830-31 November Uprising in Poland. This rebellion against the Russian empire was initially led by young Polish officers that quickly spread throughout Poland. “For our freedom and yours” was the motto displayed on the uprising’s flag. The Imperial Russian Army eventually crushed the uprising and Poland was absorbed into the Russian empire. During this time, several towns in the United States were renamed in support of the Polish people, including our own, Warsaw, Virginia.
Robert Wormley Carter was born in 1734 at Sabine Hall in Warsaw, Virginia. He was part of Richard Henry Lee’s Westmoreland Association against the Stamp tax in 1765. In 1769, he became a ten year member of the House of Burgesses. Richmond County voters elected him to all five Virginia Revolutionary Conventions during the American Revolutionary War. He was a leading advocate for independence. Carter managed several plantations inherited from his father, primarily in Richmond County. According to the 1787 tax census, he paid taxes on 80 enslaved laborers, and 86 enslaved children. Robert Wormley Carter died in 1797 and was buried at Sabine Hall.
How do You Measure Freedom?
Freedom is a hefty, complicated subject that will be major thread of the Patriotic Press. There are probably as many definitions of freedom as there are people on this Earth. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, freedom is a noun meaning ‘A state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude or confinement. Freedom is personal, civil, political, and religious.’
The World Press Freedom Index tabulates the conditions for journalism across the globe. Compiled by Reporters Without Borders, the United States moved from Satisfactory in 2023 to Problematic in 2025. https://rsf.org/en/rsf-world-press-freedom-index-2025-economic-fragility-leading-threat-press-freedom
The Index for Economic Freedom is compiled annually by The Heritage Foundation. Economic freedom is defined as ‘the fundamental right of every human being to control his or her labor and property.’ Countries are graded on twelve components on a scale of 0 (having none) to 100. The United States’ highest overall score of 81.2 was achieved in 2006 and 2007; lowest scores of 70.1 and 70.2 are from 2024 and 2025, respectively. Tremendous drops in Labor, Trade and Investment Freedom have brought down the gains in Property Rights.
https://www.heritage.org/index/pages/about#indexMethodology
Conclusions
In this inaugural edition of Patriotism Press, we have taken a look at the meaning of freedom. We are grateful to the founders of our country who removed us from tyranny. The United States is known for advocating for freedom for people throughout the world. In our earliest days, when we did not have the capacity to provide economic or military support, we named our towns in honor of freedom fighters in other counties.
Freedom in its purest sense is not possible. The balance of personal needs and wants versus that of the community and nation are required. Simply put, none of us gets our way all of the time. The complete sacrifice of many to satisfy the needs of one or a few is not a sustainable society. Slavery comes to mind.
Psychology Abraham Maslow is known for his Hierarchy of Needs, where the highest level of personal fulfillment is called self-actualization. Here is a quote from Maslow: “The good or healthy society would then be defined as one that permitted people’s highest purposes to emerge by satisfying all their basic needs.”
The left leaning Reporters Without Borders, and right leaning Heritage Foundation have both found losses to freedom in the United States in 2025. While President Trump has said, “The American Dream is freedom, prosperity, peace-and liberty and justice for all,” statistics show concerning downward trends that point to a disconnect between words and action.
“Actions speak louder than words,” and from James I:22: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
