Let me just open with "Pride is one of the seven deadly sins."

Pride, the word, is fraught with potential for misunderstanding.

"Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". Oxford defines it as "the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's…"

I am not ashamed of being an "American" but I am not proud of it either. I did nothing to become an "American" I was born here. I am glad to have been born "American" but am more glad for the opportunities that my parents and the communities we lived in in the U.S. provided me. I am much ashamed of many of the things that the U.S. government, the U.S. banks and U.S. industry has done. I don't think these institutions and the U.S. polity will cover itself in glory going forward. The U.S. has very many good places to live.

Regarding you Brits. Something has been rotten in the British Isles for a long long time. My ancestors fled the British Isles three centuries ago. I don't feel like forgiving the British for the war of 1812 and I don't forgive Europe and the British Isles for the NAZI Party. I will not forgive any of us if we let Fascists rule again.

TEK