When
I was really little, our family had a set of encyclopedias (how times
have changed, right?). My brother used to quiz me, among other things,
on the flags of the different countries that were in the front cover of
each book. I got to be pretty good at them, and I still remember loving
the Brazilian flag. If you’re not sure what it looks like, go look at
it, it’s awesome. But I don’t respect the Brazilian flag.
When I pledge allegiance, or stand for the national anthem, or salute the stars and stripes, it’s important to remember that it’s just an inanimate object. It won’t get offended if someone doesn’t stand. You and I might, but the flag itself doesn’t care. And the flag, in and of itself, means absolutely nothing. What gives the flag meaning is who we are as a nation. What we stand for gives it meaning. What type of citizens we choose to be gives the flag meaning. Even though our Declaration of Independence is not a binding legal document for us, if we live by what it states, it gives the flag meaning. If we stand up for the freedoms and privileges and responsibilities set forth in The Constitution, that gives our flag meaning. And oh what a glorious meaning that should be.
So a man quietly and peacefully says something along the lines of “that flag does have a meaning, and it should, but we aren’t honoring that meaning. There isn’t liberty and justice for all. We don’t treat all people as if they have the same creator. Can we please start doing a little bit better, so our flag carries the meaning we all believe it should?” Now I know that’s not an exact quote. But honestly, our flag only carries the meaning that we give to it. And assuming that man is right, and there are some injustices being done, then we need to make some changes to get to where we should be as a nation. Especially when our society is dependent upon a trust that our police will act lawfully as protectors of the peace. If that trust is violated, then it will be difficult to maintain the type of democracy we claim to uphold. I don’t hear anyone debating whether or not he’s right about the injustices that he says are occurring. No, the debate is that he’s disrespecting our country and our troops (even though, to my knowledge, he has said nothing about the brave men and women who serve this country).
First, if he’s right about the injustices, then our flag has lost some of its meaning, and therefore he has done no harm. If he’s right, then he has acted in the best interest of his country, to restore them…no, restore us, to what should be our station of honor. While we have a noble force of men and women in the military, the military is not our democracy. Our democracy is comprised of its citizens, which includes those who serve, or have served in the military, but is not limited to their rank.
Now, to a point on the police. Before anyone says “he’s saying all cops are bad” or “we shouldn’t blame them all for the acts of a few”, I want to make it clear that’s not at all what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that, in the event that an officer oversteps his bounds, it is exceedingly rare that the officer in question will see what any of us would call justice. I’m not saying put all police on trial. But there are people in every job in the world who are unqualified for the work, and the police departments of America are no exception. The concern, then, is two-fold. Not all Americans are treated equal before the law, and accountability is almost non-existent even when there is clear evidence of wrong-doing.
So, do we want to address the real issue, which is the real threat to our democracy and our respectability as a nation? Or would we rather argue over a piece of cloth, whose only value is tied DIRECTLY to how we treat our citizens. If we claim to be patriots, then the answer is clear. We take every step necessary to ensure our citizens are afforded their full constitutional rights. And when there’s ambiguity, we err on the side of caution. The alternative, as some of my friends have suggested, is to act in a manner more fitting of countries we look down on. Oh, what do I mean by that? “We should do the same thing to them that we do to a horse with a broken leg” or, in other words, we should murder anyone who dare hold a different viewpoint (even if that viewpoint is in line with our constitutional rights). And yes, a friend of mine posted that. Other of my friends have either shared or liked comments about sports announcers who told people who didn’t stand for the anthem to line up and be shot. Is that what America is? Or is that how we talk about countries like North Korea and Russia.
See, when you say things like that, that is a legitimate way to figuratively spit upon the constitution, and mock the sacrifices of our founding fathers. Think about it. One man says “I’ll quietly sit, let’s make our country better” while others say “get out of my country” or “kill the infidel.”
I’m happy to admit that most of my friends have not gone that far. Too many have. And I honestly hope that if someone felt I were wrong about an issue, the would care enough about me, and about our country, to address it, and call me to task. I'm going to assume each of you have the same desire to be better, even it it means getting called out from time to time, and the discomfort that comes along with it.
It’s up to us to decide whether our flag will be left with any value at all. I pray that it will. I pray that all of us can address the problems as they exist, rather than becoming offending, just like the indignant parent who is irate that their child’s teacher pointed out a behavior problem. Pointing out a problem exists should not offend us more than the problem itself does. So you want everyone in our nation to respect the flag and what it stands for? Then instead of yelling, or cursing, or threatening them about making us aware of a problem, first make sure that we all are doing everything in our power to solve problems, and make our flag and our nation worthy of honor and praise.
When I pledge allegiance, or stand for the national anthem, or salute the stars and stripes, it’s important to remember that it’s just an inanimate object. It won’t get offended if someone doesn’t stand. You and I might, but the flag itself doesn’t care. And the flag, in and of itself, means absolutely nothing. What gives the flag meaning is who we are as a nation. What we stand for gives it meaning. What type of citizens we choose to be gives the flag meaning. Even though our Declaration of Independence is not a binding legal document for us, if we live by what it states, it gives the flag meaning. If we stand up for the freedoms and privileges and responsibilities set forth in The Constitution, that gives our flag meaning. And oh what a glorious meaning that should be.
So a man quietly and peacefully says something along the lines of “that flag does have a meaning, and it should, but we aren’t honoring that meaning. There isn’t liberty and justice for all. We don’t treat all people as if they have the same creator. Can we please start doing a little bit better, so our flag carries the meaning we all believe it should?” Now I know that’s not an exact quote. But honestly, our flag only carries the meaning that we give to it. And assuming that man is right, and there are some injustices being done, then we need to make some changes to get to where we should be as a nation. Especially when our society is dependent upon a trust that our police will act lawfully as protectors of the peace. If that trust is violated, then it will be difficult to maintain the type of democracy we claim to uphold. I don’t hear anyone debating whether or not he’s right about the injustices that he says are occurring. No, the debate is that he’s disrespecting our country and our troops (even though, to my knowledge, he has said nothing about the brave men and women who serve this country).
First, if he’s right about the injustices, then our flag has lost some of its meaning, and therefore he has done no harm. If he’s right, then he has acted in the best interest of his country, to restore them…no, restore us, to what should be our station of honor. While we have a noble force of men and women in the military, the military is not our democracy. Our democracy is comprised of its citizens, which includes those who serve, or have served in the military, but is not limited to their rank.
Now, to a point on the police. Before anyone says “he’s saying all cops are bad” or “we shouldn’t blame them all for the acts of a few”, I want to make it clear that’s not at all what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that, in the event that an officer oversteps his bounds, it is exceedingly rare that the officer in question will see what any of us would call justice. I’m not saying put all police on trial. But there are people in every job in the world who are unqualified for the work, and the police departments of America are no exception. The concern, then, is two-fold. Not all Americans are treated equal before the law, and accountability is almost non-existent even when there is clear evidence of wrong-doing.
So, do we want to address the real issue, which is the real threat to our democracy and our respectability as a nation? Or would we rather argue over a piece of cloth, whose only value is tied DIRECTLY to how we treat our citizens. If we claim to be patriots, then the answer is clear. We take every step necessary to ensure our citizens are afforded their full constitutional rights. And when there’s ambiguity, we err on the side of caution. The alternative, as some of my friends have suggested, is to act in a manner more fitting of countries we look down on. Oh, what do I mean by that? “We should do the same thing to them that we do to a horse with a broken leg” or, in other words, we should murder anyone who dare hold a different viewpoint (even if that viewpoint is in line with our constitutional rights). And yes, a friend of mine posted that. Other of my friends have either shared or liked comments about sports announcers who told people who didn’t stand for the anthem to line up and be shot. Is that what America is? Or is that how we talk about countries like North Korea and Russia.
See, when you say things like that, that is a legitimate way to figuratively spit upon the constitution, and mock the sacrifices of our founding fathers. Think about it. One man says “I’ll quietly sit, let’s make our country better” while others say “get out of my country” or “kill the infidel.”
I’m happy to admit that most of my friends have not gone that far. Too many have. And I honestly hope that if someone felt I were wrong about an issue, the would care enough about me, and about our country, to address it, and call me to task. I'm going to assume each of you have the same desire to be better, even it it means getting called out from time to time, and the discomfort that comes along with it.
It’s up to us to decide whether our flag will be left with any value at all. I pray that it will. I pray that all of us can address the problems as they exist, rather than becoming offending, just like the indignant parent who is irate that their child’s teacher pointed out a behavior problem. Pointing out a problem exists should not offend us more than the problem itself does. So you want everyone in our nation to respect the flag and what it stands for? Then instead of yelling, or cursing, or threatening them about making us aware of a problem, first make sure that we all are doing everything in our power to solve problems, and make our flag and our nation worthy of honor and praise.
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