It’s my patriotism that makes me oppose my country’s foreign policy; I want to preserve the honor of the country I cherish above all others. There was some truth in what they said: all Americans—alas—believe that America is special, or ought to be. But I knew I didn’t feel the positive emotion that Vietnamese attributed to me. Outrage and disappointment, yes. Love, no. Putting it in the baby language they and I shared (which I’d become rather skillful at), I explained: it’s hard to love America right now, because of the violence which America is exporting all over the world; and given that the
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