I love my country. My sense of patriotism has grown since I was a child to what it is today. I can't imagine being a citizen in any other country (I hope all foreign nationals feel the same about their country). What does it really mean to be a patriot?

Patriotism is support of your country... I believe my country was founded on a principal of liberty. Liberty is the state of being free from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life or behavior (or political views). "Give me liberty of give me death" is a very famous American quote that deeply represents what the United States of America is all about; Patrick Henry was no chump.

Liberty means that you never sacrifice your rights or freedoms for simple conveniences such as safety. In plain English, the US PATRIOT act is the most unpatriotic American act in my lifetime. Damn sad. I am a patriot, I will outlive this abomination and I will once again live in a country where our citizens and our representatives act out of principals instead of a sad fear and artificial sense of safety. It only requires staying the course and acting without fear.