I'm still in the process of composing a page; in the meantime, feel free to browse the assortment of links below defining the ambiguity of American patriotism.
Patriotism and the American Psyche
I served a four-year hitch in the military during peace time. While I must take into consideration the fact that my views may have changed had I served during a campaign; reality predicates that all opinions are just that, opinions.
With that disclaimer in place, my own personal experience with regard to patriotism stems from a strong family upbringing; reminded regularly that our bloodline traces back to the early forefathers of the eastern seaboard, where there exists an almost innate sense of duty to family, God, and country. In addition to my upbringing, as a young man I took an oath to defend my country from both foreign and domestic enemies, and although I am not particularly thought of as a religious man of practice, I do find significance in sagacious theological views from gentlemen like Joseph Campbell, all of which continue to shape my own convictions. Devoid of moral debate, my individual belief is that there exists a form of good and evil in mankind, and one should be held accountable for wrongdoings deemed iniquitous by a lawful society.
Patriotism vs. Nationalism
(Webster's Dictionary)
Patriotism: love for or
devotion to one's country
Nationalism: loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of
national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary
emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other
nations or supranational groups
As you can imagine, while
alarms are sounding, the first country that comes to mind is Germany during the
Second World War. As defined in the definitions above, German citizens could
easily be considered patriotic, and unquestionably nationalists. So how can we
ensure alarmists that America is some how different? I would agree there is a
fine line between the two definitions, but would argue that our Constitution, Bill of Rights, Freedom of Press, and Freedom of Speech allow us to differ with
the totalitarian-type government of former Germany.
Understanding the history
and culture of America is key to understanding how the psyche of an American is
shaped. Without spelling out a broad overall answer to every question ever
posed, I would encourage those who have an interest or question in such
subjects to read through the Library of Congress
and Government Archives were you will find a vast assortment of historical documents to assist you in your quest.
I do believe the U.S. has
deviated from the Founding Father's
view of the Republic; as a
citizen it is our responsibility to inquire, investigate, and frequently contest each other in order to foster debate, which is needed to sustain healthy and
continued growth. All are equally important when conducted in a civil manner.
"Government big enough
to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have... The
course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."
-Thomas Jefferson
Understanding The Basics is a good place to begin. The University Chicago Press also has a fair assessment of patriotism, which they state has as many faces in American as there are citizens. Sustain Our Future has quite an in-depth look at difficulties facing the world. I found some interesting reading on Reusable Energy and the world’s dependency on Middle East oil. Not exactly related to the subject of 'Patriotism', but worth reading while you continue your search for a deeper understanding of the world around you and I finish my meager page.
According to the latest
population census:
China 1,298,847,624 (July 2004 est.)
India 1,065,070,607 (July 2004 est.)
United States 293,027,571 (July 2004 est.)
Russia 143,782,338 (July 2004 est.)
Japan 127,333,002 (July 2004 est.)
United Kingdom 60,270,708 (July 2004 est.)
Canada 32,507,874 (July 2004 est.)
Australia 19,913,144 (July 2004 est.)