Vernon Said:

What does this quote from Thomas Paine mean?

We Answered:

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot are metaphors for people who take the rights and freedoms gained simply by being born in this country for granted. Payne states that the true patriot is he who does what is necessary to maintain the freedoms he has. He earns the respect of other citizens by continually putting his life, his wealth, and his freedom on the line to keep all of us free. The greater the risk taken to maintain those freedoms, the greater the reward. The lesser the risk, the more we take what we have for granted. We will always be at risk due to those who envy our way of life. The way we respond to those people will define us.
While not necessarily contemporary, all of those who marched, gave speeches, or performed peaceful acts of civil disobedience during the 1960's struggles for civil rights are examples of the kind of patriots Payne would have been referring to. I am not citing Martin Luther King here, but those who went nameless and unsung but were still responsible for the success.
Perhaps the most contemporary example is Pat Tilman. He had a successful NFL career with a huge contract and was well on the way to entrance in the NFL Hall of Fame. Instead, he quit football after the 911 attacks and joined the U S Army Rangers. He was later killed while on duty in Iraq. The U S Army does not pay anywhere close to what Tilman was making in the NFL. They also do not have the Pro Bowl, the Super Bowl, or the Hall of Fame, and yet, Tilman will be forever known as having the courage to give up everything that was going well in his life to serve and die for his country in order to preserve our freedom and way of life.

Marshall Said:

Can you help analyze president theodore roosevelt speech for me?

We Answered:

Teddy Roosevelt is calling for politicians to come from the people that they represent.

For example, a rich conservative man who gets elected out of a poor, liberal area because he is the only one with funding to run a successful campaign is not a good example of representation because of the value differences.