On Patriotism this Fourth of July

Well, it's Independence Day, 4th of July 2008. This has always been one of my favorite holidays, not just because of its national significance, but because it's in the middle of summer when the weather is warm. I love warm weather. I see myself as just as patriotic as most Americans, but I've never been much of a flag waver. To me, that's insincere. I think that one should show patriotism through charity, donating one's time to public service and conserving our country's natural resources. Waving the flag costs you nothing and requires no effort or sacrifice on your part. So who's more patriotic, the person who does nothing but stick a flag on the bumper of his gas guzzling and environmentally destructive SUV or the person who donates his or her time and money to causes which better the lives of fellow citizens?

Sadly, conservative demagogues in my country, the USA, have cynically usurped the flag and patriotic words like "freedom" to justify jingoism, excessive militarism, a hegemonic foreign policy, and the suppression of basic rights at home. Defending the writ of habeas corpus and our constitutional prohibition against "unreasonable search and seizure" (electronic and otherwise) from a government that is attempting to disregard them is patriotic! Attacking other countries who did not attack us is not!

And when Americans stand up and demand that our government respect the principles of human rights and the rule of law that used to define what America stood for, conservatives accuse them of being "unpatriotic!" What hypocritical nonsense!