Back in 1984 when I was a college student, I had a seasonal job as a field biologist assistant, which required camping all summer deep in the High Sierra wilderness. It was a wonderful summer living in tents and cooking over a campfire with six other students. In the evenings, we sat around the fire and cooked food, swapped stories, sang songs, read books and otherwise entertained ourselves.

Once in a while we had visitors join us. One such visitor was a student from Germany named Hanna. Her stay happened to coincide with America's Independence Day, and that evening in honor of the occasion we sat around the campfire and sang every patriotic song we knew.

Hanna was baffled by our impromptu concert because she had never witnessed overt patriotism before. In 1984, it was still near enough to Germany's appalling activities during World War II that love for her country was strongly tempered with shame.

Being young and enthusiastic students, we had no such reservations about America; and we belted out "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" with gusto, our voices rolling through the dark forests around us.

Nowadays I wonder how many college students even know the words to traditional patriotic songs, much less feel the impulse to sing them on July 4. Thanks to the influence of public education, patriotism and pride in one's country are now seen as shameful, disgraceful and supremacist. The term "nationalism" has become horrifically offensive to liberals.

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This was underscored on July 1 by former President Barack Obama, who made some scathing comments in a speech given in Indonesia in which he pinpointed "aggressive nationalism" as a factor in increasing inequality and terrorism. Obama called on the world to stand up for tolerance, moderation and respect for others, warning that sectarian politics could lead to chaos and violence. The former president – who never met an open border he didn't like – conveniently omitted mentioning the single most intolerant group on the planet; nor did he touch on why "aggressive nationalism" happens when borders are too open.

As for showing "tolerance, moderation, and respect for others" – is this a one-way street, or can Americans expect the same? For those who choose to immigrate to our nation – and I come from a long line of past and present immigrants, both by blood and marriage –can we expect new citizens to be tolerant, moderate and respectful of our culture and traditions as well?

And what about the nations of Europe? Are they supposed to lay down any love of country and uncomplainingly bow to immigrant demands in the cultural takeover they are currently suffering? If that's the case, I guarantee one of two possible outcomes: either vicious war, or utter cultural annihilation.

Cultural annihilation is what many progressive Europeans and Americans are rooting for. The problem, you see, is the left hates Western values. This was abundantly illustrated by liberals' hysterical reaction to Trump's stirring and nationalistic speech in Poland July 6.

The overall theme of this speech was patriotism and love of country, whether Polish or American. "Our citizens did not win freedom together, did not survive horrors together, did not face down evil together, only to lose our freedom to a lack of pride and confidence in our values," stated Trump. "We did not and we will not. We will never back down."

Progressives were horrifically offended by these words. Patriotism is now considered anathema to people who firmly support a "diversity" that includes enslaving women and shredding girls' private parts. This is why they despise those of us in America's heartland who actually feel loyalty and gratitude to the flawed but brilliant men who established our nation, and the foundation they laid of faith, limited government, and personal freedom and responsibility.

For some reason liberal SJWs feel the need to disparage anything Western civilization has built. They focus with minute obsession over the bad while ignoring the good. They feel America is inherently evil and needs to be subdued and changed, even while they live here and take advantage of its manifold freedoms. They think every other culture should overcome and supersede our own. They want to replace Western traditions, values and civilization with anything BUT Western traditions, values and civilization, solely to prove how diverse we are – ignoring the fact that we are one of the most multicultural nations on the planet and in history.

But patriotism and nationalism are essential for a nation to continue existing. This isn't just a nice touch-feely sentiment; it is a critical aspect of a country's survival. No one will (willingly) fight for a homeland they despise. By disparaging the very qualities that keep America afloat, liberals as much as admit they long for America's downfall.

In Europe, we are learning, this downfall has been the plan for several decades. Far from being a "refugee crisis," it appears Europe's massive immigration is an orchestrated takeover by the United Nations "with the support of open-borders non-governmental organizations and 'progressive' politicians."

Arguably, the lack of patriotism and nationalism among America's young people is just as planned and orchestrated as what's taking place in Europe. Public education, up to and including colleges and universities, now teach almost exclusively anti-American propaganda. Progressives seem to thrive on bringing down Western culture and civilization wherever they go, replacing it with something so weak and watery that savage, barbaric cultures have no problem overcoming it.

But in Europe, at least, some countries are pushing back. Watching the chaos unfolding in the rest of the continent, these select nations are putting themselves first and are refusing to accept the EU-imposed "quota" of immigrants. They know the importance of guarding their borders and culture. European governments that continue accepting migrants in the face of citizen opposition may find themselves out on their keisters: "[W]ith elections next year, populist and right-wing parties could gain if the current government continues to disappoint citizens." This is the "aggressive nationalism" Obama so despises, but in fact it's driven by the open borders he espouses and dilution of each country's culture by immigrants who refuse to assimilate.

In my humble opinion, those who want to banish patriotism and abolish love of country can stuff it. We need patriots. We need loyalty. We need those who love this country – native-born and legal immigrants alike.

To those who hate and loathe American freedoms and opportunities, I invite you to take a one-way trip to another nation of your choice that has none of the Western values you despise. And please, stay there. Forever.

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