Thanks to the Founding Mothers or My Bleeding Heart Runs Red White and Blue: A Patriotic Liberal Speaks

I was at a Sufjan Stevens concert in Washington a few weeks ago, where he played a version of the Star-Spangled Banner. The words were the same but tune was his own. So what does an employee of the Flag House do? - he hesitates and takes off his hat, feeling every hipster in the room's eyes on me, whether they were or not. Was this just 3 years of indoctrination as the curator of the Flag House? A full run of Boy Scouting? The more I think about it, the more I realize I really do love my country. So I'm not going to hesitate to tell my liberal friends where I work. I'm coming out of the closet. From now on I'm a proud patriot. In the meantime, I spent some time thinking about how I'd define my patriotism. I'd love to hear what other people think.

1. I believe patriotism is most meaningful when it is expressed collectively, so that people reflect on the fact that we're better together and that we appreciate each other's sacrifices. The national anthem, the pledge allegiance - they cost nothing for us to recite or sing, but personally I'm amazed how my heart still beats a little faster when people get quiet just before a sports game starts. I'm getting sick of the empty, show-off, one upmanship that's been on the rise the last four years. Flag and ribbon magnets and all the other red-white and blue stuff are just another reflection of the fact that most Americans express themselves too often with what the buy, and there are some very rich people with factories in China that are extremely aware of that.

2. On that note, I believe that I express my patriotism in the work, the volunteering, the educating and even saying thank you that I do every day. I'm not trying to toot my horn - I really don't do enough to help - but personally these things are the best expression of how I feel about my country.

3. With that in mind, why is it that patrioitism is always associated first with the military and its heroes? I am so proud and humbled by the people who protect us. But I also learn and take example from the people who are building and healing this country from the inside. Can we do more to recognize those people as patriots too? I really like the fact we all celebrate Matin Luther King's birthday. I think it's a patriotic holiday. Can we have some more like it?

4. Who likes to spend time with a cocky, self-righteous, show-off? Doesn't everybody want to spend time with the person who holds the door, helps out, doesn't always demand recognition, LISTENS? Anybody noticing that nobody wants to hang with the U.S. too much anymore? Wasn't something we all learned from our moms? Isn't time somebody's mother was President?

5. I hope our country never passes a flag burning amendment to the Constition. One of the best things about the Federal Flag Code that guides how the flag is treated is that it's not a law. People do all kinds of things that aren't up to code out of patriotism. Should they be prosecuted? Judges work hard to serve our country. We should not waste their time. The ultimate unpatriotic act in my book is actually hurting someone else. Flag burning doesn't hurt anyone, unless the burner is a klutz. Let's let our judiciary do the patriotic thing and focus on the real bad guys.

6. More than one person has snickered a little when I mentioned I'd just written a letter to my senator/representative. I've been trying to be less whiney in my life, but I won't back down on telling my government how I feel. When I hear about what it's like to live in other countries where people are persecuted for criticizing the government, that is when I feel the luckiest to be in America. I hope I can save up my energy by not complaining about the small stuff to focus on pushing the government to change the big things that make it harder for people to live a better life. I think that's the most patriotic thing I can do.