Nationalism Is NOT Patriotism

"What is the 'idea' of America? The core of the American identity? Trump, Vance, and the GOP say they’re all about patriotism; in fact, they’re promoting a white Christian identity form of nationalism, which is an entirely different thing. A dark, dangerous, and deadly thing. Incompatible with our Founders’ idea of America. The work of our day is to restore the idea of America — an egalitarian democratic republic — and then help it realize its full potential after all these many long years…"

Click on this link for a video exposing the danger of white, Christian nationalism.

9/3/2025: There are no nations.

Israel: There Is No Excuse For USA Support Of Apartheid

"Israel's politics have been upended by the return of Netanyahu as Prime Minister, put in office with the help of extremely far-right factions who have now pushed through reforms to the Israeli Supreme Court that fundamentally undermine their democracy. All this while they were already a farce of a democracy due to the maintenance of an apartheid-like system of differing rules applying to different residents based on ethnicity."

Click on the link below for a podcast exposing a country that should not be allowed to hoodwink the USA with its religious bigotry (heads up, Evangelical ideologues). 

Israel's Political Upheavals (and more)

A Look At The Status Of Education In The USA

One has to be willfully ignorant not to see that education in the USA is at a crisis point. There are too many factors involved with the issue for me to address in one post. The following is my STRONG opinion regarding the curriculum within public high schools. I am assuming that the elementary and middle schools are doing their job in preparing the students for high school.

This post is prompted by three deficiencies presently:

• Vocational/Trade Education is minimized.
• Many do not need a 4-year college education. It is overly expensive, with many majors not leading to liveable-wage employment.
• Civics needs to be more adequately presented.
• It should not be just one class in high school, it should begin in elementary school.
• Critical Thinking is essentially absent.

HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM

• Basic math (geometry, statistics, and algebra)
• Civics
• Critical thinking
• Reading (fiction; non-fiction)
• Writing
• Basic science (general physics, general biology, general chemistry)
• Basic US/world history
• Electives in prep for future: college; vocational/trade school

American History is more Catechism than History

A Sober Look At The USA On The Celebration Of Its Birth

"While Americans grill burgers and hot dogs, enjoy a dip in the pool, and await the annual July Fourth fireworks display, I remain happily surprised that this day of communal patriotism is still widely accepted and generally celebrated," Lewis argues. "To be blunt, it feels like the country is coming apart at the seams and lacking some shared purpose. And I'm not alone in feeling this way." Click on the link > (America is 'coming apart at the seams' as the 'nationalist' far right goes full 'authoritarian': conservative)

Two Types Of Nationallsm

The terms "patriotism" and "nationalism" have gone through some interpretive changes in recent years, thanks to the Republican Party's adoption of an "America First" mantra. Beau of the Fifth Column YouTube channel clarifies the good, bad, and ugly of the terms. Click on the link below for details:

Let's talk about two types of nationalism....

The Elements Behind Theocratic Dictatorships

"Today, we compare the far-right religious extremists who are fighting to gain power in the US with the protests against the theocratic regime in Iran supporting women's rights in the country."

Click on the link below for a podcast presenting the dangers and realities of theocratic government using the USA and Iran as examples:

How Theocracies Begin And End

Nationalism Is A Bastardization Of Patriotism

"Nationalism is dangerous. There is nothing wrong with being patriotic, but Americans often forget, or may not even be aware of, how quickly enthusiastic patriotism can devolve into nationalism. Patriotism and nationalism are often used interchangeably, but they are very different. Patriotism is love and pride for one’s nation, while nationalism is the idea of the superiority of one’s culture, government, people, and nation over others."

Click on the link below for a brief, succinct, and thorough article describing this disease that is ravaging the US:

Nationalism is Dangerous

For a scholarly article looking at the history of society's evolution and coherence, click here.

Is THIS At The Root Of The Evil?

It is no secret that the Republican party has gone full bore into nationalism, unsupported Christian dogma, attacking non-binary sexuality, misogyny, racism, libertarianism, autocracy, anti-education, anti-US Constitution, and general magical thinking over science-based thinking. Is there one ideology at the base of it all? Click on the link below for a short podcast presenting a provocative point of view on the matter:

It's Always the Season For Male Supremacy

"Patriotism" Or "Nationalism"

"What sticks out to me is how patriotism, by definition, isn’t inherently good or bad. It all depends on what exactly is being vigorously supported.

"If you support a country that believes it’s OK to imprison or kill those who disagree with you, or stone and murder women who dare leave their home without their heads covered, then your patriotism pretty much stinks.

"But if you live in a country that supports the rights of all individuals equally to say what they want, write what they want, read what they want, love who they want, worship however they want, and protest peacefully against anything they want — in other words, a place that encourages and honors freedom — then patriotism can be a positive thing." (The Dark Side of Patriotism)

History has shown that the line where pride in your country (patriotism) slips into the belief that your nation is superior (nationalism) is very blurry. The links below further clarify these terms.

The Dangers of Patriotism: Remembering Robert Prager

Nationalism is Dangerous