Happy birthday, America! 🇺🇸 When I see someone waving a flag today, I regret that my first wary instinct is to suspec...

Happy birthday, America! 🇺🇸 When I see someone waving a flag today, I regret that my first wary instinct is to suspect they may actually hate our country. They might claim to appreciate specific parts, so long as those parts precisely match their own corner of it, but otherwise not so much. I love my country. That means I love the people in it, even if they don’t look like me, sound like me, think like me, worship like me, love like me, or simply exist like me. If your family was around before Europe found it, I’m glad you’re still here. Part of later waves of immigration? Hi, neighbor! Just got here last week, whether through official channels or not? Welcome aboard, friend! To me, that’s patriotism: honoring the actual ideals this wonderful country was founded on, not the twisted little corrupt version politicians push at us.