You Are NOT A "Patriot" If...

As I did my annual "walking tour" of Philadelphia this past Memorial Day, observing all of the ceremonies acknowledging the sacrifices of the men and women who have actually fought and died for our freedom, it occurs to me that there is a stark difference between REAL patriots, and those who just use the title to justify their Obama Derangement Syndrome. (Yes. I'm talking to you, Operation American Spring.) With that in mind, I figure I might provide the following as a kind of primer. Think of this as "Patriotism for Dummies".

God Bless America. No, Really. I Mean It.

I originally posted this in my other blog, "The World According To Me" back in June of 2010.  Given the events of the past week, and the climate that still exists today, I figure it'd be a good repost for the upcoming holiday.

Understandably around this time of year I’m always overcome by this amazing feeling of pride for my country. I’m not talking Right-Wing Nutjob, teabagger, FOX News kind of patriotism, but the kind of patriotism that transcends party, ideology, religion, race, and all of the other things that would otherwise divide us. So every year I try to think of all of the reasons that I love this country, despite its flaws. While paring them down to a list that won’t take until next year to read was rather difficult, I think what I came up with is pretty comprehensive. Of course this is my list. You can agree, or disagree, or find reasons of your own. Here goes.