[Exsubmariner]

I would sum it up in one word. That word is loyalty.

Put whatever words you want after loyalty. To the constitution, to the ideals of the founders, whatever, but loyalty to those things that make your country what it is, and that is your home, for me is what patriotism means. I've thought long and hard about that.

There are a lot of people in this country who feel disaffected. But, what they don't realize is that there is nowhere else they can go in the world that will be like the US. This is it. It's all there is. If they want to make it better, than they have to participate in a positive way to do that. I'm not talking about participating politically, either. It can be in some other way. The more people participate, they more they will learn about why things are the way they are and if they are not right, than participation will empower people to contribute to changes that make it right.

I see lots of people who don't want to do what they need to do. They want to complain and criticize and that doesn't contribute anything positive, it only makes enemies.

There is supposed to be something magical about this country. There is supposed to be some mystical process by which everything turns out in the end. Between the market and the good will of the people, things are always supposed to get better. I don't see that working very much lately. I see it is strained, and hope it isn't broken. If it is, we really are screwed and it is pretty stupid to be patriotic, because what used to be isn't anymore.