Patriotism could be better defined

Submitted by George Lee (United States), Oct 29, 2002 at 12:10

"Patriotism" can mean many things. One can be patriotic while still opposing policies of one's country. And in what way is patriotism "self centered"? I would argue that for most Americans, patriotism is seeing oneself as an American -- as part of a larger community of certain traditions and ideals, quite the opposite of self-centeredness.

I am not certain about the concept of being a "neutral citizen", however, especially if one is not an American citizen by birth. Taking American citizenship requires an oath of allegiance. And being "neutral" is not enough when one's country is fighting against enemies sworn to its destruction.

As for tyranny, the sins of the world are great, but the Muslim world has no business pointing its fingers at Israel in this regard. It is a good thing indeed there is someone working to "educate the misinformed American public about the truth of this conflict" -- his name is Daniel Pipes.

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