I suppose it's not the safest thing to say in America right now, but I've never been what most people think of when they hear the word "patriot." It's a term I've never liked very much. In fact, hearing it often makes me nervous.

I guess that's because I've just had too many run-ins with "patriots" in my life. And by that, I mean those who have the "America: Love it or Leave it" attitude. I call them "super-patriots," because they're certainly not patriotic by the definition I think of. I remember the very first one I encountered, during my first year of college. Surprisingly, it was a female student. Upon hearing me make some sort of remark about America, regarding how we needed to improve something or other, her response was along the lines of, "If you don't like it here, why don't you move to Russia?"

I was utterly shocked. I couldn't believe that in this country, which allegedly has freedom of speech, I would be met with such hostility simply for voicing an opinion.

After this, I started to look a bit more closely at those who seemed overly patriotic. And what I began to see actually worried me. I found that the vast majority of these "super-patriots" are ignorant, bigoted clods. And I soon discovered a particularly dangerous combination - the mixing of this hyper-patriotism with religious indignation (which is bad enough in its own right).

So when, in the days that followed the recent terrorist attacks on America, I saw a proliferation of stars and stripes, as well as constant references to God, I got a sick feeling in my stomach.

One news clip showed some redneck waving a large American flag on a pole, underneath which was attached a Confederate flag. I knew then that violence was on the horizon. And it has occurred. At least one innocent victim (a gentleman from India, not even an Arab) has been killed, and many more attacked. And all of them, I can guarantee you, were attacked by these "super-patriots."

It's natural, even admirable, to be proud of your country. We all have this sense of territoriality that we identify with. But many people take it to extremes.

I love this country. And I'm proud of many aspects of it. But it's a quiet pride I have. I do not boast about America, for I find boastful behavior to be rude. Nor do I think America is anything even remotely close to perfect. It has many, many faults. And it has done many, many things of which I am the furthest thing from proud.

But these hyper-patriotic folks either don't know about these things or simply don't care about them. America can do no wrong, in their eyes. And unfortunately, these folks are also far more prone to religious fervor and violence.

None of these attributes, in my opinion, is actually worthy of the label of "patriot." A patriot is not someone who defends his/her country (physically or verbally) no matter what. Some of the greatest patriots we've ever had have been those who had the fortitude to stand up and point out the things that are wrong with America, and have made inroads to changing them. True patriots strive to achieve the ideals that we have with regard to America: things like liberty, justice, truth, freedom, equality, and so on. A patriot is not someone who pretends all these things actually exist, in spite of evidence to the contrary.

So whenever I even hear the word "patriot," I can't help but picture the "super-patriots" I have known. Whenever I see the flag flown defiantly, as many now are doing, I worry. And whenever I hear references to God by those in the throes of patriotic fervor, I get truly scared.

That's a dangerous road to travel. And many Americans are already on it.

It is said that a crisis will bring out the best and the worst in people. The "super-patriots" are clear examples of the worst. I'm happy to say that examples of the best are easily found. The huge lines of people who went to donate blood in the days following the attack… the millions of dollars in donations by private citizens… the heroic efforts by rescue personnel… These are the aspects of America that make me very, very proud. These people are the ones who are living true to the ideals upon which our nation was founded. They are the true patriots.