Real Patriotism: Flag magnets or Community Service?

Image by freefotouk via FlickrIn the last campaign, patriotism was the word of the day.  Debates sprung up everywhere with the battle lines drawn over what "real patriotism" is.  Liberals claimed conservatives saw it as flag waving and how many magnets and stickers you could put on your car.

Conservatives tried to get it through the heads of liberals that "real patriotism" was pride in our country, which meant:

1)  Being proud of who we are as a nation, and apologizing to no one for who we are and what we've ever done.

2)  Proudly displaying the flag regardless of who cries that they find it offensive.

3)  Having a strong military defense, and refusing to allow illegal aliens across the border.

Since liberals didn't quite agree, the conservatives saw liberals as only wanting community service, and to let in anyone, legal or otherwise, into the country, regardless of potential security threats.  Liberals turned a blind eye to the facts that most of the crime along the US/Mexican border, etc., is committed by illegal aliens. 

In the end, the two sides never agreed with one another and won't in the upcoming 2012 elections either. 

The truth is - both are right, but the left greatly misses a very important reality - without a strong national defense - there IS no country to do community service in. 

To play the politically correct game of not displaying the flag because Mexicans or anyone else finds it offensive shows they have no pride in who they are.  When you're proud of yourself, and you believe in yourself, and what you stand for, you don't care if it offends anyone - regardless of who they are.

An area the liberal left needs to come to terms with, is that conservatives DO community service.  After all, it wasn't a liberal who began the Boy Scouts.  It's not only the liberals in synagogues, churches and other groups that volunteer time in their communities. 

Real patriotism is all of the above: flags, being un-apologetically proud of who we are, 4th of July celebrations, joining the military to ensure we are strong and safe from threats both within and without, and community action.  That is the true meaning of patriotism.