I hope everyone had a nice and safe Independence Day this past July 4th. On the occasion of our nation's 232nd birthday, I watched fireworks, ate barbecue, and was thankful for the opportunity afforded by my country to pursue such happiness. I'm sure many others did the same in their own patriotic way.

That's right, I said "patriotic," as in "patriotism." Why the big deal in pointing that out? It seems that patriotism has become somewhat of a hot-button issue these days, mostly in regards to the upcoming presidential election, but also because of the differences in the "support Bush/hate Bush" factions of our society.

Take the ubiquitous flag lapel pin, for example. One side wears the pin with pride, the other says that merely wearing a flag pin is not patriotism, it is more akin to jingoism; if you don't wear a flag pin, they say, it does not mean you are not patriotic. Fair enough. I don't think whether you wear a flag pin determines whether you are a patriotic American, but I don't think someone should be criticized for wearing one. And I do think advertising your support for your country and publicly honoring the flag of your country by wearing a flag pin is decidedly patriotic.

But now, a new wrinkle is being folded into the discussion. The issue of the use of the word patriotism is now being called into question, taking this argument of being patriotic one step further. As reported by see-dubya on Michelle Malkin's website, NPR journalist Daniel Schorr has now stated that patriotism has been "corrupted by misuse." He states that he has "come to suspect most assertions of patriotism, and most accusations of unpatriotism." He further states that "patriotism is not a matter of lapel pins, or flags in your front yard. And you get to define patriotism for yourself." He has asked that politicians "declare a moratorium on references to patriotism."

Of course that's just plain silly, but it does suggest that one's patriotism is a gray area that is not so easily defined. In some cases, that may be true, but in other cases, I think it's quite clear cut whether an action is patriotic or unpatriotic. Here are a few examples.

Patriotic - Joh McCain being captured by enemy forces, being held for many years as a captive, and refusing an offer to be released because he knew it would be a proganda victory for the enemy.

Unpatriotic - H. sitting in the pews of a divisive America bashing church for twenty years, and nodding his head in agreement when the pastor calls his country "the United States of White America."

Patriotic - Col. George Everett "Bud" Day offering maximum resistance when he was captured by the Viet Cong, escaping and being recaptured and giving the enemy false information while being subjected to "maximum punishment and torture" by Vietnamese guards.

Unpatriotic - Michael Moore making movies that slander his country with lies and innuendo, sending these films to other countries for personal profit, and going himself to speak and berate his homeland on foreign soil.

Patriotic - Football star Pat Tillman giving up a lucrative football career to go to Iraq and fight for his country.

Unpatriotic - Cindy Sheehan meeting with enemy dictators like Hugo Chavez and praising them while calling our president a terrorist.

These are just a few of many possible examples, but as we can see, sometimes it is pretty clear what is patriotic and what is unpatriotic. It seems that those who want to "declare a moratorium" on the word patriotism are the ones who are being called unpatriotic. So let's keep the word patriotism alive. And let's have it be something to aspire to, not something to hide from.