Real patriotism in America isn’t just dying. It’s being actively euthanized, often by the same elite class that benefits most from its existence. In living memory, patriotism, the love and devotion for one’s country, appeared alive and well, as people waved flags, stood for the national anthem, and recited the Pledge of Allegiance in school classrooms. Of course, these are all good and important parts of a truly patriotic society, but make no mistake: They’re a baseline. For some, it was a genuine expression of patriotism, and for others, it was more superficial. Regardless, it was a broad acknowledgement that the United States of America was worth loving.

Today, however, the pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction that loving your country is seen as a moral failure. In certain homes, certain classrooms, and certain college campuses across America, the next generation is being taught to be ashamed of our country. Not to be aware of its current or historical flaws — let us not forget that every country and civilization is flawed by the nature of the flawed human soul — but to be actively ashamed.

The entire history of the U.S. is presented not as a story of struggle against and vanquishing of tyranny along a path of moral improvement that expanded freedom over time, but as a permanent crime scene. The sins of the past are weaponized, with politically advantageous Americans of today found guilty for these sins, and the victories ignored. The unique virtues of the American experiment, such as freedom, opportunity, and individual rights, are held up as evidence of imperialism, oppression, or outdated thinking. Meanwhile, the flags of other countries are waved as part of a subversive attempt to erode America........

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