The only virtue of America worth protecting, is liberty. It is a hard-fought, precious, and misunderstood civilizational ideal. It is not "equality under the law," nor "democracy," that we ought to hold as our American identity, for most modern states attempt these and America holds no special claim to them. Themes such as "diversity" or "the American dream" are consequences of liberty, not causes. Appealing to the consequence rather than the cause leads many toward all manner of obnoxious state interventions. To be "pro-America," properly defined, is to be only a stalwart defender of the ideal of liberty, understanding it as the apex principle of just civilization and the ultimate American innovation. If you're proud of the flag—or of any national symbol—it should be affection for this principle and little else. Yet not one in ten Americans understand it, and not one in a hundred advance it with any courage. The majority work actively or passively to undermine it wherever it suits them. This is why democracy itself is at least as much a danger as it is a blessing. Protectionism, patriotism, socialism... these cloud the minds of most of its citizenry, imagining the state as an instrument of communal advancement (the very affliction and mirage suffered by all other nations) rather than its only justified role as defender of its most important civic principle. To the few dozen of you out there fighting for liberty, thank you.