So much I could say here, and most of it I want to chew over before I risk posting it. But one thing I would like to throw in if I may.

Anything I had to say about patriotism in the United States would have little value, as I have never lived there, so I can only think of it in terms of my own country, the United Kingdom (and even to call it that is controversial of course!) I am fairly left-of-centre when it comes to politics, although my faith means that I often find that I am not looking at political issues through the usual left-right perspective. However, I do find that as I grow older (not THAT old as yet, thank you very much) I get more and more attached to the UK. I do not believe that it is the best place on earth by any means, but it is certainly my favourite, because it is mine.

This means that I care about my country and the way it behaves. In turn, this means that I treasure the right to contest what our flag is made to stand for, because it represents me. I want the right to disagree with the things that are done in the name of the UK, and I can well imagine a situation in which the only way I was able graphically to disassociate myself from actions taken by my goverment would be to destroy the emblem of that government. To me it is a legitimate act of protest, and need not be a betrayal of one's own country. Those of us who love the places we live want to make them the best we can, and want them to act in the way that we consider to be the most responsible.

There is a continual battle for the meaning of our national symbols. In the UK, this often manifests itself in attempts by the far Right to take possesion of the Union Flag and in effect to associate it with racism, thus making it hard for us to use our national flag(s) without those overtones. Acts such as flag burning highlight the contest for what our respective countries stand for, and what they aim to achieve. That debate has to happen, and if the flags serve a useful symbolic (unifying) purpose in the first place, then burning them can be an equally valid and useful way of saying that the uniformity they appear to represent is illusory.

OK, anyone want to explain to me what the heck I just said?

CC