"It’s easy to hang a flag outside your house, stand for the national anthem, don the red, white and blue and tell everyone who will listen how much you love your country.
Actual patriotism, active patriotism, is much harder. It requires acknowledging this country’s flaws and holding it accountable until they’re addressed. It means working to achieve that more perfect union our country’s founders envisioned rather than simply paying lip service to the ideals we supposedly cherish."