Re: “Mark Twain’s words about patriotism can ease our injured pride” (July 6, Northwest):
Columnist Danny Westneat reflected well on Mark Twain’s wisdom that “ … true patriotism … is loyalty to the nation all the time, loyalty to the government when it deserves it.”
When I rode my bicycle across country in 2016, from Neah Bay to Lubec, Maine, I experienced the kindness of strangers daily, civility in local cafes and a grounded commonality that transcended politics. This is the fundamental patriotism that Twain and Westneat write about.
We can disagree about the current government and politics in general, yet we share the Stars and Stripes, and a national identity deeper than our disagreements. Call me Panglossian, yet I’m optimistic for our best of all possible countries.
Dave Galvin, Seattle
