True love of country

Re “GOP is blinded by love,” Opinion, Dec. 26

The unconditional

sentiment many Repub-

licans feel for their country is similar to the nostalgic love that I possess for my home-town of Pullman, Wash. But both towns and nations change over time, and neither my hometown of 1961 nor America of 1961 exist now, except as memories.

Americans, apart from those who live in coastal cities, tend to be culturally isolated people. We tend not to watch foreign films; we tend not to read foreign books (even in translation); and if we are lucky enough to travel outside the U.S., we generally hope that at least a few of the people we meet speak English.

But we have all painfully learned that our economy is now inextricably linked to many other economies around the world.

The redneck slogan “love it or leave it,” cast about with so much vitriol back in the 1960s and 1970s, is now an artifact of that era and nothing more. Republicans need to adjust to the new reality.

Donald Gardner Stacy

Kunming City,

Yunnan, China

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Joel Stein’s argument that conservatives love America more than liberals do relies on a faulty definition of love, more adolescent crush than the real thing.

Love isn’t a blind obsession that disregards anything someone says or does. It doesn’t mean smiling starry-eyed while your child -- or country -- wreaks havoc in the neighbor’s yard.

However, Stein is correct in asserting that liberals need to be more thoughtful as we critique our country, if we want to inspire change. Real love requires hard work on both sides and a commitment to the long haul.

Stop calling her fat and threatening to move to Canada, admit you love her, and think together about how to create a healthier, sustainable lifestyle for all involved. Therapy, anyone?

MeHee Hyun

Culver City