Display the Stars and Stripes With Pride

You may recall a few years ago when I penned a column about Rick Monday. He’s the big league baseball player who sprinted across the outfield and saved an American flag just before two protestors were about to burn it in centerfield. Monday will forever be known for saving the flag that day in 1976, a badge of honor he wears proudly. And many would call him a hero, though he prefers to reserve that title for those who have risked their lives in defense of the country. Though not to be confused with a religious symbol, many veterans will tell you that the flag they served under is as close to a sacred symbol as it gets. So much so that when I was in grade school, we were taught to never let the flag touch the ground. We were also taught that the United States of America has always stood for freedom, democracy, and the rights of the individual- though I will concede that our country at times has been imperfect in our implementation of policies consistent with those values. But my point is not to argue policies here. There are plenty of arguments and controversy enough to go around. But I don’t think the flag should be blamed for any of the shortcomings of its leaders and citizens. I submit to you that in the course of writing these columns, I have been labeled as overly patriotic by some. Regardless, I unashamedly love the Stars and Stripes. Never before in my life have I witnessed what I did while watching the news recently. Five California high school students were sent home because their t-shirts had pictures of a flag on them. The American flag. In California, which is one of the United States. There are too many details to discuss in this column and certainly there are two sides of this argument but the basic fact is this: the same flag that soldiers fought and died beneath to protect and defend democracy has been deemed as offensive by some legitimate authority figures within our country. In many respects, I understand the logic of the administrators who were trying to prevent altercations but I can’t say I agree with it. I agree more with one of the parents of the kids who stated, “It’s a sad, sad day in America.” I have friends in foreign countries that I love and appreciate. And I have a couple of flags from some of those countries that I treat with respect. In no way do I feel superior to my foreign friends when I gaze upon my country’s flag and sing the national anthem. And I hope my friends will always be free to display their flags proudly. And I hope for the same freedom to display our flag in my country as well. Our own court system has protected American citizens’ rights to burning the American flag in public. The most recent “flag on the t-shirt” controversy likely won’t make it to the Supreme Court, but if it did, I’d be curious to see where they would stand. Regardless of how it all shakes out, it is a sad state of affairs when Old Glory is offensive within our own country. Perhaps Rick Monday would agree.