If people of the liberal or progressive persuasion find things about this country to criticize, it does not prove, or even support, the contention that "liberals hate America" or that liberals believe that "America is inherently evil."

Liberals tend to be highly critical because there is much about this country to criticize. There is also much to criticize about every other country on earth. But I live here. I'm an American citizen and a registered voter, and I'm active politically. There is hardly any point in my being critical of something done by French or Greek or Chinese politicians (even though I often am) because, other than voicing an opinion, I can't really do anything about it. And the response I would undoubtedly get from a Frenchman or a Greek or a Chinese would probably be something like "Clean up you own house before you criticize mine." And rightly so. Therefore, I focus my efforts on something I can actually be active in, and perhaps even help to affect a change.

I find it interesting that conservatives can and do criticize Bill and Hillary Clinton or Jimmy Carter or John F. Kennedy or Lyndon Johnson or Harry S. Truman—or, God knows, FDR (maintaining that he was the "Devil Incarnate")—without being accused of hating America or claiming that America is inherently evil. Yet if a liberal criticizes a Republican elected official, or the actions of such an official, suddenly he or she is "unpatriotic" or "not a good American" or "hates America." Can somebody tell me why that is?

If I hated America, I would move somewhere else. But because I am a patriotic American, I chose to stay here and attempt to correct what I believe is wrong with this country. I firmly believe that if we wish to influence the behavior of other countries, if we don't exhibit the desired behavior ourselves, then we are justifiably open to an accusation of hypocrisy. Example: for decades, the United States has interfered in the internal affairs of several Central American countries. We are hardly in a position to criticize Syria or Iran for interfering in the internal affairs of other Middle Eastern countries.

Usually you hear only the first part of the statement, "My country, right or wrong." But the full statement is "My country, right or wrong. When it is right, to keep it right; when it is wrong, to set it right."

Those are words for a truly patriotic American to live by.

Don Firth

P. S. And by the way, John, I take exception to your, once again, putting words in my mouth (or my keyboard). ". . . the implication in Don's condescending notion that a conservative is incapable of coming to a conclusion -- make an observation -- without the prompting of the likes of a Coulter."

You say that I "imply" that I have the "notion." WOW! That really nails me to the wall!

Let me put it this way:   Ann Coulter calls liberals "traitors." Bill O'Reilly calls liberals "traitors." Rush Limbaugh calls liberals "traitors." Other Right-wing commentators and politicians call liberals "traitors." Many conservatives believe that liberals are "traitors" largely because they probably got the idea from the likes of Coulter, O'Reilly, and Limbaugh. But nowhere did I say that "a conservative is incapable [emphasis mine] of coming to a conclusion" or making an observation without the prompting of such demagogues. I don't think real conservatives like the late Barry Goldwater or the highly intelligent William F. Buckley put much store by the opinions of the likes of Coulter and O'Reilly. But SOME—not ALL—people do accept their ravings without question.

And how is this a "condescending" notion?