How to Really Love Your Country: Five Objectives for True Patriots

By Paul Buchheit, AlterNet
Posted on December 4, 2007, Printed on December 4, 2007
http://www.alternet.org/story/69577/

Throughout history, some of the most respected defenders of liberty felt that patriotism implies thoughtfulness over blind acceptance of the norm. Socrates, Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. all encouraged active efforts to improve one's country by adhering to the highest standards of behavior, by government and by the citizens themselves.

There is certainly room for improvement in America. Here is a Top 5 list of candidates for thoughtfulness over blind acceptance.