alanabit, I don't consider the movie scene as you described it funny. I believe that the American flag and The Star Spangled Banner are symbols of concepts that are very important, concepts taht are very worthy of our respect, love, work, and sacrifice.

In my opinion, patriotism absolutely does not mean blind loyalty.

To convey what I think is most important about patriotism, I prefer to post an excerpt from Barack Obama's recent speech on that subject, and an excerpt from a recent blog article written by activist/journalist Al Giordano that I believe supplements those words:

"...it's worth considering the meaning of patriotism, because the question of who is or is not a patriot all too often poisons our political debates in ways that divide us rather than bring us together...

...some of those in the so-called counter-culture of the '60s reacted not merely by criticizing particular government policies, but by attacking the symbols, and in extreme cases the very idea of America itself, by burning flags; by blaming America for all that was wrong with the world; and, perhaps most tragically, by failing to honor those veterans coming home from Vietnam, something that remains a national shame to this day.

Now, most Americans never bought into these simplistic worldviews, these caricatures of left and of right. Most Americans understood that dissent does not make one unpatriotic...

...what makes America great has never been its perfection, but the belief that it can be made better… And that's why, for me, patriotism is always more than just loyalty to a place on a map or a certain kind of people. Instead, it's also loyalty to America's ideals, ideals for which anyone can sacrifice, or defend, or give their last full measure of devotion. ..

I believe those who attack America's flaws without acknowledging the singular greatness of our ideals, and their proven capacity to inspire a better world, do not truly understand America.

Of course, precisely because America isn't perfect, precisely because our ideals constantly demand more from us, patriotism can never be defined as loyalty to any particular leader, or government, or policy.

As Mark Twain, that greatest of American satirists and proud son of Missouri, once wrote, "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."

That's what patriotism is"…

Recognizing a wrong being committed in this country's name, insisting that we deliver on the promise of our Constitution, these are the acts of patriots, men and women who are defending what is best in America. And we should never forget that, especially when we disagree with them, especially when they make us uncomfortable with their words.

That's part of the American tradition. That's part of why we are proud to be American.
-Senator Barack Obama, "The America We Love"; 6/30/2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/us/politics/30text-obama.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=politics&pagewanted=4&adxnnlx=1215255845-6nqio

-snip-

"Yesterday, in Independence, Missouri, Senator Obama delivered this speech on patriotism, titled "The America We Love":

.."When was the last time that the United States had a president that understood, on such a clear and elaborated level, that dissent is the essence of patriotism?...

My duty to the causes I care about is not to cry that we've been victimized, or that "the sky is falling," or to play armchair quarterback shouting from the bleachers at the captain on the field that he must make his next play a run or a pass. Nor is it to yell, "I'm taking my money and support and game board and going home." It is, rather, to inform and organize greater public opinion to grow to see the issue as I see it, so that whenever he [Obama] may take office, he will have to deal with the reality that we have created with or without him…

Actually, I have to correct myself already: the highest calling of patriotism is not dissent. It is smart dissent, that based not on self-indulgence or the blurting of one's frustration's out in ways that seek to share the panic or the misery, but based on - even sometimes against great odds - building the objective conditions by which we will win the important battles worth fighting. We don't need any candidate's permission or endorsement of our issue or position to do that, and we sure don't have to wait for any politician to begin organizing the people to set him straight once in power. Ironically, we, the people have more leverage - if we organize - after a candidate becomes an official, than we do during the heat of an electoral campaign when he or she is so singularly focused on the goal of getting elected. And if we can use his own campaign as the basis through which to become organized, that much stronger will be our ability to move mountains when and if that campaign is victorious".
-"Smart Dissent"; Al Giordano; July 1, 2008
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/smart-dissent#comments