Bravo. I applaude your intellectual curiosity and your willingness to step outside your ideological comfort zone. I believe that type of courage and curiosity is how we need to define American Patriotism. Without self questioning, this country is dividing into hundreds of self-reinforcing closed ideological groups which barely even understand the language of the other groups. This trend is getting worse with the internet since one can now exclusively listen to any ideologically colored news coverage which suites one own predispositions. This, in my opinion, is the greatest threat to this country, and the most significant change to our culture in the last 50 years.

As an aside, I work in solar cell industry, and I come across numerous pro-solar groups which are very ideologically isolated. They have 'conventional wisdoms' and phrases so often repeated that no one questions them anymore. Some close-minded political ideologies have radicalized solar cells and view solar cells as if they were part of a communist revolution, literally giving power to the people and overthrowing the tyrany and pollution of corporate utilities, ushering in an age of harmonious co-existance with each other and the planet (think Berkeley, CA). They reinforce each other's views through certain web sites and new groups which never challenge their own views and deeply held assumptions. The pseudo-communist view of solar cells is ironic, since I, and other solar businesses, are tapping into venture capital and other capitalist institutions to fund, what we hope will grow into large profitable corporations. We deal with such un-harmonious things like business plans, return on investment, fiance rates, capital depreciation, etc.