Labels would never apply in a world without diversity, and without the need for identity, but diversity and the need for identity is part of this world, so you gotta deal with it. But I admire your continued quest to try and change my mind about this, however futile, as your stubbornness reminds me of my own tendency to never give up when I set my mind to something.

Do I love my country despite its faults? Yes, I never denied it. But I love the entire world also, and I believe all humanity is of value, not just those with American citizenship, which is an artificial designation that has meaning only because we--and the penal system based on certain ruling classes holding power over specific geographical territory--says it does. It's capitalism that I abhor, not America, and I do not consider the former wedded to the latter, but the equivalent of a cancer cell in the human body that needs to be removed for the continued health of that body. You need to get that straight when you critique me, pal.

And civil rights do indeed advance in a capitalist system, e.g., gay rights, and the possibility of youth liberation in the future. I never denied these things cannot occur within the context of a capitalist system if it harbored at least some degree of democracy in its political system. But as long as power is in the hands of a few, then our rights can always be taken away again, and those who need to maintain power will always seek a new scapegoat to replace an old one.

For the record, I fully believe in the values of liberty, freedom, justice, and equality for all human beings that American ideology purports to espouse. My conflict with certain patriots occurs because I take these values seriously, whereas the ultra-patriots revere America for its power, not for its commitment to those intangible principles described above; they just give lip service to America's principles while creaming in their pants over the power displayed by the military, which convinces them in a by proxy, vicarious manner that they are "great." That's not love, that's egotism, my friend. Some Americans may like to criticize the use of labels, but they are more than proud to use the label "American" to apply to themselves.

And further for the record, I do not believe that capitalism is anywhere near the best system to adhere to American values, especially when the economic system operates with "values" contrary to what the political system is supposed to espouse. I do not believe capitalism is merely imperfect; I believe it's rotten to the core and extremely archaic, which is why I support fundamental change, not simple reform. That is not the same thing as being against America per se, especially when I take stated American values more seriously than any flag-waver out there, and I do not limit the application of those values to fellow Americans only.

Miss our scintillating convos, my free-wheeling friend? I did :-) It's great to be back!