""The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles -- you have in a common cause fought and triumphed together; the independence and liberty you possess, are the work of joint counsels, and joint efforts, of common dangers, sufferings, and successes...These considerations speak a persuasive language to every reflecting and virtuous mind, and exhibit the continuance of the Union as a primary object of patriotic desire. Is there a doubt whether a common government can embrace so large a sphere? Let experience solve it. To listen to mere speculation in such a case were criminal. We are authorised to hope that a proper organization of the whole, with the auxiliary agency of governments for the respective subdivisions, will afford a happy issue to the experiment. With such powerful and obvious motives to union, affecting all parts of our country, while experience shall not have demonstrated its impracticability, there will always be reason to distrust the patriotism of those who in any quarter may endeavour to weaken its hands." -- George Washington.
Had Washington been alive in 1861 he would have been first in line to offer his services to Abraham Lincoln.
No one is perfect.
But this is not true today and had already failed to be true well before 1860. It is precisely the fact of this failure of commonality that prompted the secession of the South - their desire to form a Confederacy where such a commonality did exist.
So, Washington was already using the despicable ploy of accusing those who disagree with you of a lack of patriotism. The funny thing about you and Walt is, your abject worship of George Washington so blinds you that you don't hesitate to expose his less attractive features when you think you can thereby support an argument.
Had Ernest Hemingway been alive in 1861, he would have been first in line to offer his services to Victoria Woodhull.
And you say we Southerners have no sense of humor.