Salute to the 4th and our flag
Permalink +Sat, Jul 04, 2009, 12:06 pm // John Servais
Old GlorySalute to the 4th of July and our celebration of Independence from foreign governance, invasion or control. May we some day have the wisdom to grant the same to other countries. And the symbol for this day is our flag.
Our flag belongs to all of us - not just the conservatives and Republicans. They may sometimes surround themselves with flags and deem anyone not flying a flag in front of their home to be dishonorable or less a patriot. We have seen too much of that since the middle of the Vietnam War when war resisters and those against the illegal war of aggression were branded traitors. The right has tried to make the flag a symbol of right wing political beliefs. Time for us liberals to take our flag back.
Our flag symbolizes diversity, tolerance, one from many, and many other liberal themes. There is no official list of the symbolism nor is there any specific history to what the stars, stripes and colors symbolize. There are a few symbols such as a star for each state. And the 13 stripes continue to represent the original 13 states - or perhaps the strong Freemason beliefs of some leading founders of our country.
On this day we celebrate the founding of our country as symbolized by the signing of the Declaration of Independence. All the signatures were not affixed until August of 1776, but no matter as on July 4 the Declaration was printed and distributed in Philadelphia.
Our flag stands for ideals - as does our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. We as a country have never even been close to living up to those ideals. But it is fitting that we pay our respect to our symbols and that we remind ourselves of what our ideals are and that we strive as individuals and communities to move closer to our ideals. That is my view and why I, as a liberal, feel a strong attachment to our flag. I feel it represents our liberal, humane and progressive values. Others can ascribe their own meaning to it. But let us no longer allow the conservatives to define our flag and claim it as theirs.
On this 4th we can all celebrate our independence and our own visions of what our country means. And let us agree and disagree with each other in a civil manner as we continue to change what our country is and what it stands for. Enjoy the 4th in your own way.
Salute to the 4th and our flag
Sat, Jul 04, 2009, 12:06 pm // John Servais
Salute to the 4th of July and our celebration of Independence from foreign governance, invasion or control. May we some day have…
0 comments
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