Early evening, walking in windy San Francisco, I saw these big, beautiful flags and I was moved to take a photograph.



I'm sure it's funny to some for me to follow a post about the ridiculousness of both 'Accidental Racist' and the Confederate Flag as a misunderstood symbol with a shot of California's and the United States' respectively. But as infuriating and sometimes scary they can be in their own ways, I truly love my state and my country.

I've never been much for nationalism -- or, more commonly, nationalism veiled as patriotism -- or, ugh, patriotism conflated with religious zealotry, but I am patriotic. I do, however, cringe when any crowd begins shouting "USA! USA!" (Ha, years ago I had a Facebook friend seriously use that response as a way to shut me down for calling him out about falsely claiming Obama had ordered folks to call the White House Xmas tree a "holiday tree.") It always makes me uncomfortable when this happens because I feel a crowd shouting this has more creep toward nationalism than actual patriotic love. Love allows for weakness and mistakes as well as strength.

I prefer this as my love song to my great state and country: