The worst thing is none of any of this is actually all that new or different. There's a term I use, I'm not sure anyone else does: corporate neofeudalism. In the same way the 'civilized peoples' of the past divided up political areas among land owning aristocratic families, corporations now divide the global landscape by imaginary borders called things like 'market share' and 'target demographic' which provides the ruling class extra layers of obfuscation in the wake of people demanding respect from their government, and allows them to transcend physical political borders without fear of military reprisal; in fact, communities will sometimes actively welcome symbiotic relationships with these corporate 'Houses,' most of which operate on the time-tested model of exploiting the resource-gathering-and-production end of the supply chain (serfs) to the benefit of only those at the top of the chain. For all the social and technological advancements of the last ten thousand years of human civilization, our methods of determining the social hierarchy and the models for division of resources haven't really changed all that much, the ruling class just adapted to less overt forms of intentional scarcity and control enforcement and using their resources to influence the political landscape.

I too am a Vet (Vietnam). I regret not having the courage or foresight to either go to Canada or jail in order to avoid being part of one of America's greatest mistakes. Don't get me wrong I'm a realist and believe in a strong defense but most GI's were killed after LBJ realized the war could not be won militarily. Both he and Nixon continued on because of ego and their reelection plans. The Ken Burns documentary "Vietnam" is excellent. BTW Vietnam lost 3 million. Question authority and use critical thinking.

I think it's good to be proud of where you're from... Remember your roots and all that. However, patriotism can easily turn toxic... It's a fine line. I think a person should respect and celebrate where they came from, but don't allow it to cloud your views and opinions to the point of hatred/bigotry towards others.

This doesn't address the government... which is a different issue entirely... most of those people can't be trusted.

Instead of washing our hands of it, we need to vote of kick the corrupt bastards out and fight to replace them with people who give a damn about us and our democracy. Giving up is giving in to the corruption.

I have never had even a twinge of a feeling of patriotism. I guess it's not in my DNA.

Maybe the bigger issue is nationalism, not patriotism. National pride, national boundaries; these are things that divide people. Even the Olympics, a friendly competition between nations, is still divisive and encourages nationalism.

The answer is not a "one world order" in the sense that we need a global government that operates in the manner any current one does. The US gov't COULD be the model for a global government if the constitution was followed more strictly as it encourages personal freedom and individual rights - the only ones that matter.

By the way, I would NEVER compare a government to a corporation. A corporation/company creates value in a number of ways which are all driven by a desire to provide a needed product or service to people through voluntary exchange/commerce. Governments steal the value of citizens through taxation and other force-backed mechanisms.

I stand (or take a knee) for the pledge of allegiance not out of respect for what this country is, but for what it could be. There is much potential for good.

PS: I always skip the "under God" part. ?

Patriotism..government...both another form of religion if ya ask me.

They fight for the capitalistic system and all the riches and power it brings. They fight for U.S. (and other countries) elites dominance around the world. I respect the soldiers that believe they are fighting for good reasons, but I think some of them are misguided in their thinking in thinking they are protecting freedom. U.S. or other elites don't care about their citizenry, and would harm them if necessary. It's happened before. I have always said there are different types of thinking with different soldiers.

You have the type that believes they are fighting to protect America and their family and friends and their way of life including "freedom" from despots. There are the types that joined the military to see the world and didn't completely take into account that they could actually get killed. There is the type that joined to get their schooling paid for and benefits and retirement pay after they leave the military, or to get a job in law enforcement or personal security. There are the types that join to fulfill their psychotic character and kill and blow shit up. There might be some others. I have taken shit for this in the past, but I stick to it.

I'm not insulting the troops so much as I am insulting the cowards that order the troops around. How can I insult the troops when they have the best interests of others at heart or are doing it to further their own well being in our capitalist society that doesn't give a shit about them? I guess I could in the way that they do kill innocent people at times. Does ignorance excuse them? I'm not sure. They are certainly not as bad as those that know what they are doing in terms of knowingly harming others. Every war we've ever had, save a few, was probably because of the "elites" and their grip on the economy. We shouldn't evade truth and decency and what's "right" for "patriotism". What the hell are we being loyal to after all when we pump our fists in the air?

This has been going on forever. The founding fathers set the country up for the elites to profit too. They just disguised it to seem like it was a country "for the people".

Patriotism in Trumperica is frightening! Suddenly all sorts of folks believe it is their duty to keep anyone they deem unpatriotic in their place. Often they are disrespecting the flag themselves, by wearing it. I no longer stand for the anthem or the pledge of allegiance. I'm just waiting for the poor Patriot who attempts to put me in my place.

It's ingrained from birth. From solutes to the Pledge of Allegiance. It's not necessary and it damn well should stop. I'm all for our troops defending us would not going to countries for oil lithium and Poppy. Or just some political beef. I feel the government as a whole should be torn down States should have their own government and that's about it. Large governments cannot govern properly they're not in touch.

Welcome to enlightenment. Most Amerikans never get there.

It depends on what one defines as "patriotism". For me it is exercising the Constitutional rights bestowed upon us by this document. It does not mean waving a flag, or pledging allegiance or standing for an anthem. It means one can if they want....or not. It means we can change the document with difficulty if we can, or change it back as with the 18th Amendment which is still a disaster for the nation a century later.

I agree!!!

Our allegiance is to the planet. It's the only one we have.

The image: a bunch of ants on a log floating down a river arguing about who is steering.

You can love your country, and it's people, without supporting the current political situation. Maybe that's being truly patriotic.

I feel like a lot of people anymore confuse trusting the government with patriotism. And I don't think pride for our country helps at all during this time in our history.

I’d never thank you for that. I’d be more likely to ask you why and are you proud of serving masters. No offense, that’s just what I’d do.

I pledge allegiance to Google and Northrop Grumman doesn't exactly roll off the tongue but is it so far fetched?