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Blue bits. Red rocks.
Saturday 4 July 2009

Since the American Revolution, each generation of progressives has expressed an American patriotism rooted in democratic values that challenged jingoism and “my country — right or wrong” thinking. They rejected blind nationalism, militaristic drum beating, and sheep-like conformism. Throughout the United States’ history, they have viewed their movements — abolition of slavery, farmers’ populism, women’s suffrage, workers’ rights, civil rights, environmentalism, gay rights, and others — as profoundly patriotic. They believed that America’s core claims — fairness, equality, freedom, justice — were their own. America now confronts a new version of the Gilded Age. In the midst of a recession, the gap between rich and poor is still widening. Americans are feeling more economically insecure than at any time since the Depression. They are upset by the unbridled greed and political influence peddling demonstrated by banks, drug companies, insurance companies, and other large corporations. They are angry at the growing power of American-based global firms who show no loyalty to their country, outsource jobs to low-wage countries, avoid paying taxes, and pollute the environment. Progressives Take Back the Flag

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