It depends a great deal, don’t you think, on how you define patriotism? So many of the flashing-eyed ones are not so much peddling patriotism as they are tribalism. There’s a great difference.

Someone back there in time once said, &uot;My country, may she always be right. But right or wrong my country.&uot; I can accept that. Enthusiastically.

I can also remember that era in childhood when kids stood around shouting at each other &uot;My mother’s prettier than your mother. My father can lick your father. My church (school/house/dog) is a better church (school/house/dog) than your church (school/house/dog).

Every time I hear some politician or other exclaiming in strident tones, &uot;This country (USA) is the greatest country in the world,&uot; I’m carried back to those sandbox contests. Our country, like our families, should certainly come first in our preference. But along with our preference should come an adult recognition that it’s not only possible but probable that those of other countries feel that their countries are the greatest. A preference for which we should hold the highest respect.

There should be the same respect for political differences. Twice in the past week or so I have heard that &uot;the liberals hate this country.&uot;

What I hate is that the history of this country is apparently no longer being taught in the schools. If it were it would be apparent that a majority of things that make this country great &045; public schools, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble &045; were fought for and established by liberals.

Before the Revolutionary War there were public schools in New England, but not in the South. There it was feared that education might cause the &uot;lower classes to get above themselves.&uot;

There was a time, too, when it was believed that the right to vote or to participate in government should be reserved for the wealthy, the talented and property holders.

For more than 100 years African-Americans were not allowed to vote, and for 300 years women were not allowed to vote.

Changes in suffrage were not attained by conservative thinking. What is preserved by the conservatives among us is an appreciation of the values of the past.

While schools are deserving of more financial aid and the like, what has been lost is the keen unwavering support parents formerly offered to teachers.

Too often now when a pupil is justly disciplined for a misdeed &045; a misdeed beyond imagination for school kids of my generation &045; the parents go to court to sue the school.

Teachers were expected to teach their pupils, but parents took responsibility for their children learning what was taught.

Kindness and humanity were set forth as a goal by both teachers and parents.

A week or so ago a woman appeared on a TV program seeking to raise funds for children maimed and crippled by our troops in Afghanistan.

It was a documentary and pictures were shown of small children without legs or arms, blinded children, children turned into vegetables by head injuries, children, bereft of parents, starving in the streets.

Families were too poor to afford the required aid for the children, the speaker said, and the government of their country did nothing.

The commentators response? &uot;It’s sad, but wars are sad, and we are in a great war against terrorism. And why should we give comfort to the enemy?&uot;

Yes, I think our country is a great country. I measure its greatness not by its wealth, nor its power, nor by those freedoms imperfectly exercised. To me the greatness of my country lies in the hope and effort not of its politicians, and the pseudo-religious but of the ordinary people of the country.

Perhaps &uot;ordinary&uot; is the wrong word. I hope that there will always be those extraordinary ones, who have a feeling for justice, the courage to criticize, where criticism is due, and the passionate conviction that true religion is not reserved for only times of peace.

Love Cruikshank is an Albert Lea resident. Her column appears Thursdays.