I always tell American “centrists” and “moderates”, but especially leftists and liberals: we must not let the fascists steal terms like patriotism, freedom, liberty and so on from us. Don’t be ashamed of being a patriot, just because some magacite d-bag has covered himself in flags and claims to also be a patriot.

I tell everyone I know I’m a MF’ing patriot and, yes, I’m liberal. Not a contradiction in terms. I love the 4th of July. I love putting up the flag. Yes, not everything America has done (or is doing) is perfect, far from it. But us (REAL) patriots aim to make it BETTER. Remember: that flag does not have to stand for imperialism, hegemony, xenophobia and fascism. It’s up to us to ensure that.