Very true ...
and yes, national pride has its negatives, as uneducated hillbillies have been known to get extreme and racist and all sorts of mailigned behaviors.
But as with almost everything, national pride has its great side. Pride is never a bad thing, until its used wrong.
The opposite of pride is what ?
Shame is ALWAYS a bad thing no ,matter how its packaged.
This gets to be a paradox if one expects absolutes. There are no absolutes in nature.
In that example , lets say Butter.
It tastes great, improves food quality and flavor.
It also makes you fatter, and might cause cancer , lol.
Or lets say Soccer ( futbol ) Fun to watch , fun to play , fun all around and great for fitness..
but people fight over it , people get hurt playing it , it can be somewhat dangerous without helmets.
Theres no absolutes.
I will take my buttered bread and enjoy a dangerous non-helmeted game of soccer anyday!
I remember when here in Texas they instituted a helmet law for motocycling, and ruined a nice helmetless ride with a girl on a sunny day wearing my oakley sunglasses, while looking cool.
But it saved lives, kept bugs off my face and out of my teeth.
The object lies in do you want rules restricting you from harm resulting in loss of freedoms.
It a patchy subject that is very uneven.
About the Revolution in 1776, we were basicly criminals trying to steal the colonies from the nation that spent the efforts to build them in the 1st place. ( but with good intentions )
If thats not a paradox, i dont know what is ! lol 
So in this spirit ... with no absolutes , it is clear that mankind will never find peace pr stability until everyones locked away in prison and supported by an all powerfull gov. ( another damn paradox )
hehe
you a good guy Bandu ... and I do wish Ron Paul victory
"The victorious win the battle, then go out to fight ... while the defeated go out to fight, then try to win the battle. -SunTzu
"The only difference between a capitalist and a communist is that the communist hates competition!" -Circuit
