When patriotism became politically incorrect: Only in America

I wonder how charitable and altruistic the editors at the Portland Press Herald would be if a bunch of squatters came onto their personal property and began trashing the place.

Would they run out and see what they needed, then proceed to give them money for food, clothing, shelter, yeah, and maybe a college education, plus a nice pension? Maybe bring them into their home? Or better yet, just give the squatters their home and leave as their magnanimous conceits dictate.

In reality, it's easy for them to pontificate to the public from the lawn chairs of their bucolic estates in tony neighborhoods in the suburbs like Falmouth Foreside.

For them to say we should shun pride in our country is no less than a blasphemy. Btw, is the song still called, "This is my country" or is it now "our" country or "whomever's, doesn't matter" country.

The headline of today's editorial? "Celebrate the Fourth and reject nationalism."

They hardly seem inseparable to me.

At the start of their editorial they quote Founding Father John Adams who urged the 4^th to include "pomp and parade."

But they now want one other item added to the celebration list, the aforementioned rejection of nationalism.

Pomp, itself, infers ostentatiousness, boastfulness and vanity, and while I detest such qualities in people, I think Adams, himself, would have said, "Yeah, when it comes to country, go ahead and be proud, even boastful."

The Portland Press Herald also defines nationalism as tribal loyalty. I, for one, rejected that, too. To me, nationalism can involve a multitude of races, cultures, ethnicities and religions that are banded together in the belief they are of one country and our willing to defend it against any aggressor.

And despite their weak and pathetic history and vocab tutorial, I will be waving Old Glory and being - dare I say - proud today on this 4th of July for the best darn country in the world.

Gold bless America.