Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

When someone’s case has run out, they often reach for a loyalty nobody is allowed to question. Invoking the flag, the family, the team or the mission works because objecting to it looks like objecting to the thing itself rather than to the person hiding behind it. The tell is timing: the appeal arrives when the specifics have become uncomfortable. Genuine loyalty rarely needs announcing.

Next time a discussion swerves into who is loyal and who is not, bring it back to the specific question that was being avoided. Ask it plainly and let the silence sit. The swerve itself usually tells you where the weakness is.