Being a liberal and a patriot

It seems these days that being a critical of the government means being un-American. It reminds me a lot of the 1960s during the Vietnam War, when opposing the war implied hating the United States.

Why is disliking a war unpatriotic? Since when is the president infallible? Or the Congress? Are we really so weak that our government will collapse under the critical scrutiny of the people?

I consider myself a progressive and a liberal. Although liberal-progressive has taken on the meaning of very left, that's not necessarily the case. Theodore Roosevelt was a progressive and a conservative. Although I suppose nowadays he would be considered a moderate and disliked in his own party for being a progressive. But I have opinions that range on the political spectrum, although they all fall left of the current president's.

But first and foremost, I am a patriot. I cry when I sing or hear patriotic songs, and can proudly sing more than one verse of both "America The Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner." I enthusiastically cheer when the United States wins medals in the Olympics. I put my hand over my heart for the national anthem, and can recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the Gettysburg Address, and the Preamble to the Constitution. I vote in every election. I cry when I hear "I Am An American" recited at Purdue University football games. I even know most of the U.S. Flag Code. I have seen violations of the code by people who would call me anti-American.

To be a patriot means to love and be loyal to one's country. I burn when I am, directly or indirectly, accused of being disloyal. Yes, I am a liberal. And I am a liberal because I love America. I believe that we should take care of our own. We should preserve our land, glorious and beautiful. We should keep the air clear, the water pure, the wildlife safe.

We have a moral and ethical duty to our country and our world to lead the way in preservation of our wonderful freedom and land. And we have the moral and ethical duty to keep a discerning eye focused on the government of the people. Because it is by and for us.

I believe that the original Patriots, who had the courage to found a new nation, had this in mind. God bless the United States, the Glorious Experiment, on its 230th birthday.