I am not a patriot.

I feel the need to say this because I am part of a movement that is flooded with people who love to hold "Peace is Patriotic" signs and who argue that protestor's presence in the streets of cities across the nation is an act of true patriotism. I am principally opposed to patriotism in any country, and especially a country such as the U.S., which has over the centuries demonstrated a blatant disregard for basic human rights.

I do not salute a flag, nor do I believe that "America" represents enlightened concepts like freedom and justice and human dignity. The flag represents the genocide that cleared this land for foreign invaders and the slavery that fueled the nation's economy. The flag also represents brutal regimes trained at the School of The Americas, who were responsible for thousands of "disappearances" and deaths. I may be American, but I am ashamed to admit it.

I struggle with the phrase, "Support our troops." It's not a phrase that I ever thought I'd consider using and it makes me really uncomfortable, even when uttered from by people who I know, trust and love. I do use the phrase, followed with "bring them home," when it is in response to hawks who claim that they alone truly support the troops.

In non-reactive contexts, I feel differently. I support any member of the military in the same way that I support all human beings and their right to life. I am aware of the ways in which our military preys on minorities, on the poor and on working-class people. I will do anything I can to provide those people with other options in life.

When the troops come home they will be emotionally and psychologically scarred from having been forced to kill and having seen what most of us hope to never witness. When the troops come home many will develop cancer from exposure to depleted uranium. Many will no longer function as normal members of society and end up wandering the streets, homeless and lost. I will do everything in my power to provide them aid, comfort and compassion.

I support a troop's right to disobey his or her commanding officer, to desert, to subvert the system that enslaves him. But to say "I support the troops" holds too many implications for me—rings of too many massacres of innocent civilians and too many excuses—"I was just following orders."

I have been accused of taking my political views too far—making things too personal. Apparently that makes it hard to have "open dialogue" with people who hold different views.

I would like to flip the situation around. It is not that I care too much, but it might be that you do not care enough. Advocating an end to brutality and oppression should not be an activity on par with the occasional movie or night out on the town. It should be a part of how we live. Take a step back. I hope you are horrified at how easy it is for each of us to simply opt out of any sort of activism. As we speak, people are forced to deal with our government in the form of bombs raining down on their homes. You might think that certain activists are too angry—but you're not angry enough.

It boils down to this: If you call me unpatriotic, you're right. Am I "un-American?" Gladly. Angry? Fucking furious.