“I wanna barbeque bin Laaay—den. It’s all I really wanna do. I wanna barbeque bin Laaay—den and throoow his camel in the zoo.”

This song, a cheery little diddy with a country twang, has been floating around the Internet and made its way to my ears.

I nearly fell off my chair with laughter the first time I heard it. It totally encompassed the gung-ho, “Go America” mood I was feeling at the time.

How quickly we can fall, though.

I’m a news editor by day and an insomniac by night. Every day, I deal with hundreds of people bursting at the seams to talk to me and share their stories. I look at the world around me, and I push my worries aside to let the public know what’s going on out there. I ride the waves of the First Amendment attempting to bring truth and justice to the world around me. I’m on top of the world! I’m doing my part in society! I AM FIRED UP! I … AM … tired.

So tired in fact, that not even my roommate’s stash of chocolate-covered pretzels will pull me up.

I sit at the same computer every day next to the loopiest Web guy ever to grace the newsroom and read a stack of press releases, the Washington Post online, newsletters from political news groups online and my e-mail.

It saddens me that I’m beginning to see a trend of anti-Americanism here in America.

And, sometimes it saddens me even more that people are allowed to say some of the things they are saying.

The vile things people have said about their neighbors and the people who protect and defend this country on a daily basis hurt my heart.

There is one person in my political forum newsgroup that posted his anger at America.

“Americans are arrogant,” he began. “I cannot be proud of this country.”

Patriotism is not something that can be forced, though. Patriotism is a feeling, something internal that you feel fired up about.

It is a love for your country, not a pin you wear on your shirt or a flag you hang in your window.

It is an identity that transcends gender, race, ethnicity or group affiliation. Above everything else, I can say, “I am an American.”

Unfortunately, there are people out there who would gladly wave the stars and stripes but never stand behind their convictions. Likewise, there are people that would burn the flag and curse America, but they would never even consider life in another country.

I recall a certain member of the Baldwin family saying he would move to Canada if George W. Bush was elected president. As far as I know, he hasn’t made any plans to sell his estate in Beverly Hills.

I challenge those of you out there who find it unbearable to live in a country that supports an assault on our adversaries to take a year off and visit the beautiful landscape of Israel or make yourself at home anywhere in Latin America. I would highly recommend a stay in Europe for the real pansies.

You think life is all that much better on the other side of our Pepsi and Tommy Hilfiger shores? I urge you to give it a shot.

The love it or leave it stance on America may be a little extreme, but it is one to be considered.

I have no sympathy for complainers. I admit, I’m a complainer at times, and I always end up kicking myself for my hypocrisy.

But, my belief is that if you want to see something change, you need to get involved and make it happen. Don’t sit in your dorm room or at your computer and fume. Don’t stop at letters to the editor or posting messages on Web boards.

Get off your butt and put your frustration to good use. Either that, or pack your bags.