>
> On Aug 13, 2008, at 12:49 PM, piclist@ian.org wrote:
>
> On Tue, 12 Aug 2008, Rich wrote:
>> Pointing out an evil is not patriotic at all.  Pointing out an
>> evil against which you put yourself in harms way to expose the evil
>> is patriotic.  Talk is cheap.  Action speaks louder than words.
>
> This hits the nail on the head, and is a great point.
>
> So in order of least useful...
>
> 1. Ignoring your countrys faults because you think you are a patriot.
> 2. Complaining about faults because you think you are a patriot. (Me)
> 3. Doing something about your countries faults because you are a  
> patriot.

What qualifies as doing something ?
a) I ( moi )point out flaws about the USA and suggest ways to correct  
them.
This results in:
1) verbal abuse directed at me personally
2) my car being trashed by someone who ripped all my political posters  
off my car, stole the contents of the car and smashed various things  
in the car.
b)  I take actions that reflect my belief system.
This results in:
1) see 1 and 2 above
3) being threatened with fines and jail time.   One of my associates  
was given six years in prison for asserting his rights non-violently.   
He did not damage anyone's property, did not assault anyone, did not  
touch anyone and he was convicted at a trial where the judge did not  
allow his attorney to bring up historical facts about the U.S.  
Constitution.

The amount of bloodletting, and theft and other abuse the U.S.  
Government dishes out to people in and outside America has made me  
insane ( or maybe just added to it ).  I keep promising myself that I  
will have nothing more to say about the world condition..... but then  
some fresh round of atrocities committed by the U.S. or exacerbated by  
the U.S. tempts me to complain one more time.   Yes, the rest of the  
world sucks too.  Who should serve as a shining example of wisdom if  
not the U.S. ?  So I keep complaining.

cc

So talk is not cheap.  It can be very dangerous in America, the  
supposed land of the free.  ( and protector of free speech )
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