I'll be giving a patriotic speech at the Fort Collins Elks Lodge for Flag Day (June 14, 2015.)

I'm so excited to dig in to this topic. Patriotism? Come on! The only thing that I can speak about that may have more depth is love.

Patriotism, like love, is a many layered thing. There are so many different aspects to it, especially in America.

Also, I know I'll be able to find plenty of oratorical imagery in comparing the symbolism of the flag to the ideals of things like freedom, equality and justice. It's a gold mine, and I'm very excited to start writing for it.

I have an idea of the theme, because I've been examining my own patriotism for years. I think we all had to ask ourselves some really tough questions in the past two decades.

There's been more killing and dying in the last 20 years than there were in the 20 years previous, so that always makes me ponder what we are doing as a country and what we stand for.

America is the most successful governmental and societal experiment the world has ever seen, yet, as is often the case with such success, it can go off the rails. The systems that we sometimes put into place to solve problems can cause problems of their own. Like big companies that become so successful that they fall victim to their own hype, America has to be always careful, vigilant and ready to correct things that we thought would be good ideas, but didn't turn out so well.

For me, America has always stood for questioning the status quo, finding a better way to do things, and not being afraid to stand up and say, "That is wrong, this is right. This is what I believe in and here is why."

You'll hear these types of themes echoed when I speak at the Fort Collins Elks Lodge for Flag Day 2015. It is open to the public, so I hope to see you there!

More From Retro 102.5