American patriotism

There is a big difference between American patriotism and the patriotism of other nations. When other nations sing their anthems and hoist their flags, they are not only thinking about the geographical area in which they live but also of their kings and governments. Foremost they are thinking about their nationality, their race. That's why "patriotism" is a dirty word in Europe. European "patriotism" has led to centuries of warfare brought about by quarrelling kings and genocide caused by racism.

When Americans sing the anthem and honor the flag, we aren't thinking about kings or governments or about what race we are; we are thinking about our Revolution and our Constitution which created the first nation in the world to be ruled by all of its inhabitants through laws which applied to all. We're thinking about our families and friends and neighbors and about the beautiful land in which we live. Our flag is the symbol of our freedom and the Constitution which protects our individual sovereignty.

Our flag stands for the greatest experiment in the history of civilization and the rule of law guaranteed by the Constitution. It's the symbol of our individual dreams and hopes not our race. As I wrote below, "America is first and foremost simply a geographical area settled by like-minded people who believe that private property and individual sovereignty are the basis of civilization."

That's why Americans are not ashamed to be patritoic.

We hoist our flag with simple gratitude more than national pride.