I've written recently to make the distinction between benign patriotism that seeks the well-being of one's people and malignant patriotism that seeks destruction of someone else. One question that can be asked is, And what if the other person seeks one's destruction?
When faced with malignant patriotism directed against oneself, it is completely justifiable to defend oneself and one's people. That however does not include people who aren't actually seeking one's destruction. The Taliban seeks destruction of the United States, and it is right that it be met forcefully. The same is not the case for some other groups that conservatives accuse of being enemies of America, such as the liberals and the French.
The French do not seek to destroy America, and neither do the liberals. There are things that the French dislike about America, but they do not seek America's destruction. Liberals don't seek to destroy America either; they seek to improve America. Particularly, they seek to improve the way in which America treats the environment, and they seek to improve the way in which America treats women. They do not oppose business either. They oppose brainless practices such as burning the rainforest and flooding the atmosphere with CO2 and seek to replace them with wiser practices, such as solar and hydrogen energy, in which people will get everything they have now and much more with vastly fewer destructive effects.
Now I do not see for the life of me how anyone in his right mind would oppose such a thing. Among the people who do, what we typically see is them shouting a pack of lies. There is no such thing as a Satanic New World Order conspiracy. Obama is neither a Communist nor a totalitarian. The Tea Party is not America; most Americans disagree with the Tea Party. And global warming has been known to both American and Soviet scientists as early as 1950s; who, being enemies, had no chance to conspire with one another or to push upon people any kind of a hoax.
Surrounded by con men, it is the liberals that carry the torch of truth in the United States. What stands to be threatened by them is not America, but the rule of con men. These con men then claim their interests to be the interests of the people and those working in opposition to their interests to be the enemy of the people. The behavior of these people - Alex Jones, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and any number of others - is similar to that of Joseph Stalin.
There are miles to go between the people who want to wipe you off the face of the earth and the people who want to implement positive changes. The liberals in America are practicioners of benign patriotism and seek their nation's well-being. Whereas among the conservatives we see extreme malignant patriotism, directed not only against the legitimate enemies of America but also against a whole lot of people who wish America no ill and who are, in many cases, significant contributors to the country.
Benign patriotism and malignant patriotism must be distinguished from one another. One creates peaceful, prosperous, livable countries; the other creates mass murder and rape. America benefits from benign patriotism, but not from malignant patriotism. And while the right-wingers continue to lie and to shout, it is the honorable people on the American Left and middle that are continuing to do the hard work to benefit and advance America. That makes these people the true soul of America and the reason for the accomplishments that this great nation has had.