I fought for my country for several years. It was not because I wanted to "serve my country", or "fight for your freedom". I wanted to experience war. It was an act of devotion to Athena, and to bring a sense of fulfillment to my soul regarding some things that I had always wanted to do.
It was also out of necessity. I had come to feel as though the government were this great dragon who was on the verge of burning me or destroying my life. I had options. I could attack it... and lose my life, or I could run, which is not in my Nature. Or I could leap atop its back and become one with it, and help it seek out and scorch its own enemies.
I admired the dragon, and it was exciting to fight alongside the dragon, but I never bowed before it. I never worshipped the dragon. I may have helped it fulfill its objectives but I did not "serve" the dragon.
I feel no desire to "serve" anything. I bow to no mortal being.
I do not vote for presidents or other politicians. None have ever appealed to my interests. I hope that changes someday.
When I say "I love my country", I completely mean it. I love the Nature here. I love the deserts, the mountains, the caves, the forests, the swamps, the plains, and the coasts. I love the land itself, and its wildlife. That is America to me. For the most part, I don't give a fuck about this government or its people, except for their value as resources. It seems that so many Americans would rather destroy America or ignore the destruction of America rather than live in harmony with it.
So what do I do for this beautiful land we call "America"? I appreciate it. I do my best to treat it with the respect it deserves. I do things in attempt to maintain a symbiotic relationship with it. I explore it. I learn from the skies, the stones, the plants, the animals, and the very Earth itself. I try to understand it and experience as much of it as I can.
I love America.
In an "imagined scenario" where I could either drop nukes all over the land but save the American people/ culture, or commit genocide against all the American people and save the land, I would save the land, and thus, would place America first.