I might even prefer Hell.

I question the motive behind love. Because there is such a thing as obligatory love. It's not the same as true love. Instead, we love because we are supposed to. Expected to. I love my nation, my country, because I am supposed to. That makes me a patriot. But it does not make me a true lover. I do not have a spiritual reason to love my country. I find it impossible to love my country unconditionally. I may respect my country. And I may defend my country. At least to some extent. But I doubt I have enough love to sacrifice my life for my country. I could just as easily fall in love with Germany or Italy or Iceland or Scotland -- a whole array of countries. But I doubt that I would want to die for any country. I would not even go so far as to swear allegiance to my country. Because there are too many things that I don't like about the USA. I like living in Minnesota. And I want to stay. But there are a lot of other places I'd rather live than in Texas or Alabama or Mississippi or Louisiana. I might even prefer Hell. --Jim Broede