Well, on your side I will say that it's doubtful that the framers of the Constitution envisioned some of the things that have transpired in the course of two hundred years or so in the name of adherence to the Constitution, whether it be affirmative action, Miranda rights, or the idea that people have a Constitutional right to own guns. We can only speculate on what their opinions would have been.
On the other hand, there are also evils that come from excessive, blind nationalism, whether here or elsewhere. Exactly one hundred years ago, it was used to whip up fervor for a totally ridiculous and unwarranted war (the Spanish American War, and our subsequent ghastly slaughter of nationalist partisans in the Philippines, an ugly chapter in our history that is largely ignored in most history books here, but well covered in Filipino classes). Europe is now finding itself plagued as they have not been for 60 years by ultra-nationalists who use nationalism as a convenient veneer for racism and neo-fascism.
There's nothing wrong with loving your country and what it stands for. But it's paramount that that not blind one to abuses that the government may engage in under the rubric of "national interest." Periods of excessive nationalism are especially characterized by a tendency towards demagoguery and abridgement of personal freedoms (such as the McCarthy era), through public condemnation and blacklisting of those who may not subscribe to our views, as well as the loosening of controls upon clandestine security forces (the FBI and the CIA) with much opportunity for abuse of power in the name of "protecting America."
Our country is only as "good" as its adherence to the principles upon which our government was founded. Where its actions depart from those principles, it's dangerous to ignore them. It does from time to time depart from them, and there's nothing wrong with healthy criticism of our actions when that happens. |
