What is a Patriot?

I was thinking about what my country stood for and what it meant to be an American.

But a Patriot interrupted me.

He reminded me of Freedom and Solidarity. He told me what The Flag stood for. He talked of Unity, Pride, Sacrifice and Evil.

Everything was black and white, with us or against us.

There was no room for question. No room for disagreement. There were not two sides to the story. Not in a time of war. Dissent only aids the enemy and those who hate America. He shouted about Freedom but was the first to try to take it away. I could have free thought, expression and speech, as long as it agreed with his views.

Support Our Troops. Pray for our President. United We Stand. God Bless America. Land of the Free. Love It Or Leave It.

America can be a nation where our only political discourse is simple enough for a bumper sticker. It can be a nation under God, where we are to give unconditional support for Our Leader, a place of one accepted ideology. It can be a country where questioning the government is un-American, where free, critical thought produces sighs and intimidation.

Sounds like a great place to live, like the greatest country on earth.