A.W.O.L.

Whatever happened to all the patriotism that blossomed right after September 11, 2001? I remember painting a large waving flag across the rear window of my car shortly after the terror attacks on my homeland. I drove with it that way for weeks and even avoided washing my car so that I could leave the flag up a little longer. I remember walking through the department stores and finding multiple options for T-shirts with some sort of American flag or our Red White and Blue color scheme. I saw every other car on the highway with a waving flag wedged in the window or on the antenna. People were not afraid to proudly wear our country's colors in December or January without condescending glances from passersby on the street. Here we are, a few years later, and I'm hard pressed to find a patriotic tee in the department stores. I haven't seen one of those car flags for at least a year. The car that once donned a big, sparkling, waving American flag has long since been sold, and I haven't heard much positive talk about the country I have grown to love in a very long time. Even the recent election has cast an unpatriotic hue on our great country. It was more about backbiting and one-upping than what I consider the more important issues. Am I wrong? Or has the patriotism and loyalty I so amorously admired seven years ago all but disappeared?