And just in case the Associated Foreign Press is watching, they can kiss my American butt.

Seriously, if that article were written by Americans about how 'silly' those Frenchies got during Bastille Day... there would be an international uproar about American insensitivities. What right do they have to call my love of my flag an 'epidemic'?

Seriously, what's their problem? I've been in France on Bastille day and watched the parades - I even cheered with genuine enthusiasm for the French. Likewise, I was present for the 700th anniversary of Switzerland, and didn't begrudge their fireworks and celebrations one bit, in fact I marveled that a nation with so much ethnic diversity could remain so strong for so many years. Heck, just yesterday I was listening to Mongolian music celebrating the Altai mountains, and had to wipe away a tear because of how powerfully the voices I was listening to portrayed such a love for their own homeland.

So why is it so bad for me and my family and neighbors to love our homeland and our flag? I won't claim that America is perfect, or that it doesn't have its problems - it does. But anyone with a pulse also knows that one of its biggest problems right now is that people can't get here fast enough. People the world over still flock here for a chance at making their dreams come true. So how can it be that bad?

Stated differently: I don't begrudge anyone else the right to feel good about their heritage, their country, and their people's contributions to the world, so I sure as hell wish people would afford me the same right.