I recently came across articles and commentary looking at patriotism and comparing the patriotism of George Orwell, for example, and that of rightwingers. George Orwell's, and progressives', idea of patriotism is loyalty to one's neighbors and country, in a blood, rational sense, where the people matter more than the flag and blind obedience to rulers. That was contrasted with patriotism that, for some, meant nationalism as in 'wave the flag', as in 'my country right or wrong', as in 'my leaders right or wrong', as in 'my army right or wrong', which is a view of patriotism that's very easy, surely, for special, powerful interests to manipulate.

I think that that is good to keep in mind, especially considering how 'our' governments now (as a result of a long process of redesigning governments to be more responsive to the needs and wants of corporations and less responsive to the needs and wants of the people) belong to those special, powerful capitalist interests. We have fake democracy, real corporatocracy and a totally unfree electoral marketplace. Our 'choices' are always between a handful of corporatocracy approved candidates. Capitalists are (dishonest) socialists who depend for their prosperty and security generally on the hard work of the people who they vilify and abuse, while the people are supposed to be capitalists and not protest the job-destroying, environment-destroying, society-destroying free trade deals that are in fact nothing more than corporate charters of (ever expanding) rights.

What shouldn't be? Fascist governments shouldn't be. Organizations like WikiLeaks that help us to see their true colors are what we, the people, need more of.