[lupatus]

Two points:

1. "Das Lied der Deutschen," which starts with the phrase, "Deutschland, Deutschland über Alles," happens to have been penned by one of my ancestors, August Heinrich Hoffman von Fallersleben. Interestingly, it is not about Germany conquering foreign nations, but how the German-speaking peoples should unite in a republic instead of a rabble of principalities and kingdoms. Hoffman von Fallersleben wrote it in 1841 in support of the liberal revolutionary ideals of pan-German unity (as opposed to the reactionary aristocratic positions).

2. Granted Nazis and the Holocaust are bad things, but what is wrong with having pride in your country? Nations, in both the sense of geography and the sense of culturally related groups, are literally and figuratively large families. Telling someone that he should not have pride in his country because it infringes your sensibilities is telling him that he should not have pride in himself - and that is very offensive. It says that he has nothing worth preserving or cultivating and that all he may be is repulsive. Remember, no nation's history is blemishless.

For those curious, I am a flag-waving American and proud of it.