Then, five months ago, all that doubt melted away. I spent the summer in Cairo and settled on three reasons why I love living in America: First of all, I adore the level of consistency here, and I’m not talking about chain stores. I’m talking about that cozy feeling of being 99 percent sure that you won’t be glued to the toilet for four days whenever you dine out or buy groceries. Second of all, I love aimless walks and bike rides. I learned pretty quickly that walking was not an acceptable mode of transportation in Cairo. Traffic is so horrendous because the city has deteriorated to the point where no one wants to be outside. … Lastly, and most importantly, is freedom. I lost my sense of independence as a woman. … As a single woman you get proposed too, stared at, followed, teased and whispered to/Noura E. Alfadl-Andreasson, North Idaho College Sentinel. More here. (AP file photo: Egyptian boys watch girls pass by at Nile bank in Cairo.)

Question: Has travel to foreign countries deepened your love for this country?

I’m the kind of person who will not say “under God” when saying the pledge of allegiance, out of respect for American atheists, or who will defend in court the person who burns the flag in protest. But I am also the kind of person who looks with pride at that same flag - my flag - as it waves in the wind over a baseball field, as the national anthem plays. I swell with pride, looking at that flag and knowing the ideals that it represents, knowing that I belong to a nation that represents those ideals. Maybe that’s why I fit right in here, in America. I am, at heart, an impatient, idealistic, enthusiastic soul/Beth Bollinger, Accidental Rabbit Trails. More here.

• Idaho Dad walking, days 5 & 6/A Family Runs Through It
• Rest in peace, Pastor Creach/Community Comment
• Moderate Muslim? and: 9/11 redux: paranoid or prudent?/Dogwalk Musings
• Outlaws/From A Simple Mind
• 3BT: Pinehurst days, seeing Dave, out-of-the-blue Worley Trip/Kellogg Bloggin’
• Be an example/Live, Love, Laugh, Hope
• Panic/Notes on a Napkin
• There is no spoon, also no four/Rants, Raves, & Random Thoughts
• Celebrate conservation Sunday/Slight Detour
• Grosgrain/Tumblewords

HBO numbers (for Tuesday, Aug. 31): 11,205/6551, (for Monday, Aug. 30): 8551/5307; (for month of August): 200,450/124,633; (for year-to-date): 1,566,713/925,587

Question: Do you question the patriotism of people who don’t agree with your politics or religion?

Honest George left this thought-provoking comment yesterday: “Every day of this 3 day weekend I flew the American Flag. After 55 years as a member of the VFW and 33 years in the military it was a natural thing to do - not an effort, not an ‘affected’ action - just a thing that always felt right to do because it causes me to focus on the hardships and sacrifice that I’ve seen my fellow Americans give…My wife and I traveled around Lewiston doing various weekend things and I was really taken aback in that I saw one other flag displayed…

What is it with us and the flag? Why is it important to display it at various times and to honor it in various ways? We each should answer that ourselves but it appears that much of our patriotism is a mile wide and an inch deep. I really don’t know if it DOES matter anymore to anyone else, except that I feel something important is slipping away.” Read full comment here: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2009/may/25/memorial-day-wild-card/#comments

With his comment in mind I counted flags on my carpool run this morning. I saw 6 flags displayed at homes, 4 at businesses and 1 at the school. Is Spokane more patriotic than Lewiston? Do you display the flag at your home or business? Why or why not?