Good question...Patriotism does not mean standing around and waving flags and lockstepping behind an idealogy because we are too scared to do anything else.It certainly does not mean to accuse somebody else of being unpatriotic because they can see the danger in doing so. To me it means to have enough faith in your country to see the potential for the good it can do for all of it's people.Taking an active roll in the process of strengthening democracy and insuring that those who would weaken it from the inside never get a chance to do so."The price of freedom is eternal vigilance"means to do just that.A quote from Franklin D Roosevelt states:"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger then their democratic state itself.That in it's essence is fascism.Ownership of the government by a private power." Does this sound familiar? To me patriotism means most of all,that it is up to We The People to insure that not only freedom but justice prevail in this land. This country was founded on secular,not religious principles and has been multicultural from the beginning.It takes all of us to keep these principles alive.I believe myself to be patriotic to the ideals of democracy,but I believe these ideals should be spread world wide,but nt through illegal wars and occupation.We are hardly setting the right example these days.If you think back to our revolution,it was the people who rose up and faught for independence that were considerded patriotic,those who felt that we should remain a British colony were the loyalists. Ever notice that the word "riot" can be found in the word patriot?

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Sex is one of nine reasons for reincarnation.The other eight are unimportant...Henry Miller