Patriotism is not a competition: Celebrate independent thought this Independence Day

Like any other holiday, the Fourth of July has morphed into something different than what it started out as.
We think of fireworks, barbecues and getting together with friends and families.
It’s sometimes hard to remember that we are celebrating the birth of our great nation.
And even with all our problems, as I purvey the world scene, I’m still damn proud to be an American.
The most patriotic person I know is my grandma. In her 80s, she watches the news more than anyone I know. She holds deeply felt political beliefs. She will be the first to tell you that she loves America.
That same grandma also didn’t speak English until she was five years old.
That same grandma’s parents were born in Greece and came to this country in the 1910s for a better life.
They found it.
This is the type of patriotism I’m glad to be a part of.
Patriotism is a strange thing these days, though.
There is a certain element in our political culture that would have you believe they are more patriotic than you because they espouse certain “family values.”
There are some folks who seem to believe that to be an American you have to be white, Christian and heterosexual. These same kinds of people make up the ranks of “birthers,” the folks who can’t possibly believe our African-American president with a weird-sounding name could actually come from “their” country.
The patriotism that makes me grimace has most recently come from our friends in the Tea Party who will have you believe no one is more patriotic than they are. They dress up in silly, historical costumes and pull out the fife and drums at events.
Pack up the pageantry. Patriotism is not a contest. Bowing down before the flag and the Constitution with jingoistic fervor without questioning anything isn’t the way the Founding Fathers would want it to be.
What we fail to forget sometimes is that the dudes who started the Revolutionary War were, well, revolutionaries. They went counter to the status quo of a monarchy.
So, whose side do you think the patriots would be on?
The folks parading around in their costumes, or those trying to actually solve realistic problems instead of worshiping the past without any doubts whatsoever.
It would be refreshing if we had a little independent thinking this Independence Day.
And this goes both ways, both extreme sides of the political spectrum. Blowhards on the left are just as dogmatic about their beliefs (if they have any.)
They’re fixed on the evils of laissez faire capitalism and think every Republican sits up in a castle thinking about how to rid the land of minorities and homosexuals.
So, this Independence Day, think about everything that makes our country great, namely our freedom to have any such ideas and be able to freely express themselves.
Once you’ve become a U.S. citizen -- like my great-grandparents did so many years ago -- you are an American.
There is no way to be more American than anyone else.