Rabid Flag Burning?

It isn't surprising that the much-maligned (e.g. "sickle-swinging") Left* is raising eyebrows for brazenly wielding the concept of Patriotism. It is not a re-claiming, nor do we hold a registered trademark on a single, significant word. It is simply a statement of intent: we will not be bashed for our criticisms. We will not be silenced, nor will we allow a certain point of view to dominate the discourse while simultaneously creating an illusion of persecution. Dissent is what our nation was built on, in part, and it is unfortunate that we live in a time when a small group has appropriated the government to dismantle the very structure of our nation and wage global warfare. Frankly, I'm baffled by people who claim to love this country, and the symbol of our national flag, but who despise half of their neighbors and hate the government. What is it, exactly, that you're loving when you say you love America? Freedom is not without its costs, and that includes living with people you don't agree with. Perhaps this is a definition we can all accept:

"The modern patriotism, the true patriotism, the only rational patriotism is loyalty to the nation all the time, loyalty to the government only when it deserves it."

--Mark Twain ("The Czar's Soliloquy," North American Review, March 1905)

Our interpretations of this sentence will vary greatly, to be sure, but it is a solid launching point for reasoned discussion, something that's greatly lacking in an era of "go fuck yourself" and internet trolls. Let's see what we can accomplish now, shall we?

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*Of course, it is a gargantuan mistake to assume, like Ann Coulter or Bill O' might, that there is a monolithic Left, so I offer a gentle reminder to my progressive friends not to squish all fiscally conservative, warmongering, anti-tax, gay-bashing, seal-shooting etceteras into one monolithic (e.g. feminist-hating) Right.