LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Patriotism: Country
built 213 days ago
Patriotism cannot be a love of government. Patriotism rises above the government as a mountain towers above a blade of grass. When we think of our country and a feeling of love and devotion wells up within us, it should spring from the reality of what our country is and means, and not from the government, which is the least of all our blessings.
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Patriotism represents the qualities and conduct of a patriot. The idea of patriotism originally was an attachment to the surrounding land—merely a love for the climate, scenery, agriculture and native people. With the establishment of national boundaries, governments and ideologies, patriotism came to mean loyalty and support of one's own country.
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Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiently or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.
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Patriotism has always been defined as love of one's country or zeal in the defence of the interests of one's country. Patriotism as such does not necessitate a programme of action; it stimulates and informs nationalism, but is not always nationalistic. In the eighteenth century reference to it was often ironic, as when Dr Johnson defined a patriot as ‘a factious disturber of the government’. He ... said that ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel’, referring particularly to the demagogue John Wilkes. Such ironic reservations about the virtue of patriotism are a frequent theme of much modern commentary, often prompting the bitter reflection by self-ascribed patriots that, ‘Patriotism has become a dirty word’.
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Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it ... acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country's virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, "the greatest," but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is.
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Patriotism in its true form is merely a pride for being a citizen of one's country. A patriot DOES NOT live by the idea that his country's people are superior than others. True patriots, depsite popular belief, do not believe the government is always right, either. Such people are known as meatheads.
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