An interesting question these days.  It does not mean what it did when your daddy was spouting the term.  Now it means people that concur with whatever warped thinking the writer has on his/her mind.  All others are enemies of the state, although few word it that way but that is the implication.

Damn I love Teddy!

We no longer have patriots….we have a bunch of nationalistic bullshit hiding under the flag.

When an American does not agree with some prevailing thought then they are labeled and insulted…..I know I am guilty of this also….but at least I try to be fair and honest and do and say what I think is best for this country.  I refuse to put my faith in a person, especially a politician….because I do not see any of them working for the betterment of the country….just making sure profit is not infringed upon……and their own personal legacy.

If 25 years ago you told me that some, many, Americans would be defending actions by Russia I would have called you a liar.  There is no way that they would put these actions above the dignity and security of this country….no way….NO how.  And then if you would have said that the American people would put their confidence in a Russian action over their own country’s institutions….I would once again used the term….LIAR!  And once again I would have been wrong.

I have been mistaken many time but this would be the first time I would have been dead wrong.

If or when this accusation against Russia is proven then those that piled on can NO longer say they champion democracy for this would have been an act to undermine our democracy and they defended the action….

If this were 30 years ago there would be a name for these people…..

With everything written about patriotism the National Review has given its thoughts as well……

John O’Sullivan had a piece on the NRO homepage Thursday commenting on the debate about patriotism and nationalism, and I can’t improve upon what he wrote. But I wanted to add a few points about Jonah’s G-File last weekend. First, I should say, it was rollicking good fun, and Jonah never fails to astonish and impress with how he can combine wildly entertaining writing with deeply serious arguments. But some pushback:

Source: Nationalism & Patriotism Distinction Hard to Explain, Defend | National Review

Personally, I owe my allegiance to the country and its people…..not to a person or a party…this has been my creed for 50 years and I am NOT about to change it because some loud mouths run for president.

I am an American…there is NO hyphen in my title….

Patriotism?  Now there is a subject that we all cannot agree on……. at any time….some will write or talk about what it means to be patriotic….and at NO point will any two people agree with the assertion….

So the study that I refer to is a simplified study on only one aspect of what it means to be patriotic……

Americans are a proud people but they’re no longer bursting with patriotism the way they were earlier this century, according to the latest Gallup poll. Some 52% of respondents said they were “extremely proud” to be an American, which is the lowest rate recorded this century. The rate was 54% months before the 9/11 attacks, after which patriotism surged, with 70% saying they were “extremely proud” by 2003. In the latest poll, another 29% said they were “very proud” to be American and 13% “moderately proud.” Some 5% told pollsters they were “only a little proud” of their country, and 1% weren’t proud at all.

Patriotism dipped in 2006 then held steady until 2013, when it tumbled a few more points, the Washington Times notes. According to Gallup, “Americans’ continued frustration with national conditions—likely tied to their concern about the economy and lack of faith in public institutions—is probably one reason patriotism is at a recent low point.” As in 2001, liberals, Democrats, nonwhites, college grads, and people 18 to 29 years old are less likely than average to say they are extremely proud to be American. But in a shift from 2001, people 50 to 64 are now, on average, more proud of their county than the over-65s.

Then of course there are those toads that try to capitalize on the term “patriotic”….Bud comes to mind in this case……

In an election year filled with the phrase “Make America Great Again,” it’s perhaps appropriate that Anheuser-Busch InBev is introducing packaging for Budweiser that, as USA Today puts it, is going to “throw some America on it.” Per Advertising Age, the company confirmed Tuesday it will be swapping out the labels on its 12-ounce Bud bottles and cans, replacing “Budweiser: King of Beers” with limited-edition labels that say “America,” accompanied by “E Pluribus Unum,” “Indivisible Since 1776,” and, courtesy of Woody Guthrie, “From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters, this land was made for you and me.” The new labels will start to roll out May 23 and will continue through November, with a goal of “[inspiring] drinkers to celebrate America and Budweiser’s shared values of freedom and authenticity,” per a press release.

The short-lived packaging for the brand—the third most-popular beer in the US, per the Atlantic—is part of its “America Is in Your Hands” campaign. “We are embarking on what should be the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen,” the VP of Budweiser says, pointing out Team USA’s competition in the Summer Olympics, as well as July Fourth celebrations, the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and June’s Copa America Centenario soccer tournament, being held in the US for the first time. “I feel like I’m drinking an artifact bound for a Michael Moore documentary—something that’s enjoyable when consumed in an ironic way, with a sort of Stephen Colbert, Team America, Mission Accomplished bravado,” writes Mark Wilson for Co.Design.

My guess is the the Pentagon is writing a check for this change…..I mean if they will pay NFL teams to have “soldier appreciation day” then this is a cake walk.

Patriotism is a subjective term and means nothing to anyone….these days it is spread around like peanut butter along with the term “hero”…..