Patriotic Restaurant Owner Has a Message for Leftists Who Don't Like Her National Anthem Tradition
Editor’s Note: The following is one of the Western Journal’s most popular patriotic-themed stories, re-posted in honor of Independence Day.
A restaurant owner in California is firing back at leftists who criticized her for her display of patriotism after anti-American progressives went on the attack over a viral TikTok video recorded in her establishment.
The video showing customers expressing their patriotism by standing with their hands over their hearts and singing the national anthem was labeled “dangerous” by one disgusted leftist.
Others called it a “nightmare” and were disturbed by the display of patriotism, reposting the video with hateful hashtags such as “#whitepeoplethings.”
But the owner of Rainbow Oaks Country Market in the Southern California town of Fallbrook is flat-out unapologetic about the tradition and slammed the complainers as just people looking for attention.
In an interview on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends First,” restaurant owner Jeanene Paulino said she feels it is her duty to respect the country that our troops have served to protect.
“I feel like, if we take a few minutes out of our day to be grateful for the men and women who have made the sacrifices so that we can stand up and say how we feel, and she said how she felt,” Paulino said.
“And I wish she realized that it’s because of those men and women that made those sacrifices that she’s able to do that without any kind of fear at all.”
She said it seems some Americans have no clue that their freedom of speech is only protected by those who choose to fight for our country.
“I think that maybe they — they aren’t focusing on gratitude,” she said. “You know, they just want attention.”
“This particular TikToker had seen a local news post, and so she probably did it for attention. She came out expressly to raise a ruckus about something,” Paulino said.
The restaurant is just northeast of Camp Pendleton and likely serves many Marines, sailors, National Guard members, veterans and their families.
Paulino said she and her customers have been observing the national anthem for the entire time she has owned the place after the tradition was started by the previous owners many years ago.
“I come from a long line of patriots, so I was thrilled to keep the tradition going. No, we won’t be stopping,” she said.
Paulino also had a particularly trenchant point about patriotism when she said that if something as benign as people singing the national anthem made someone feel threatened, that person has very few real worries in life.
The story began when a shrill TikTok user with the user name paulinappa_0 posted video of the anthem tradition at the restaurant. The post has since been made private.
She described it this way: “By far the most dangerous situation I’ve ever been in.”
Granted, many on the left despise the United States — but how this could be seen as “dangerous” by anyone is hard to fathom.
Sadly, the TikToker got the attention she wanted: The post was viewed more than 3.6 million times and received more than 23,000 replies, with most of them supporting the outlandish proclamation of hate for the national anthem.
“This feels like a horror movie,” one commenter said. “Everyone stands up soon as the music plays as you find yourself being the only person not standing roll for initiative.”
Others called the video “insane,” “cultish,” “troubling” and “dystopian.”
While it seems likely that few of these anti-American progressives would ever visit the restaurant in the first place, it seems just as likely that patriotic Californians will now seek the place out.
If these haters thought their mockery and scorn would bully the restaurant owner into ending the anthem tradition, Paulino made it abundantly clear they should think again.
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