patriotism is a word; and one that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile.’
Capt. Decatur (idiot but effective captain from the US Barbary campaign)
Lampooned by Chesterton : my country right or wrong, is something no patriotic would think of saying…like saying ‘my mother, drunk or sober.’
