We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
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Below is the post from two years ago. I haven't seen any recognition of today, Flag Day, in the media. Indeed, the provenance of Flag Day is under dispute. Is Flag Day a forgotten holiday? -- BTW, June 14, 2012 is the 237th birthday of the US Army. Go doggies!
Courtesy of the Romney campaign:
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There are many ways to view the US flag.Jules Crittendon offers this, along with an extensive list of books worth reading:
So what does our adoption of the anthem say about the American character? A quirk of historical circumstance made Key's perspective from captivity available to us. But the symbolism of maintaining hope through darkness works with the American character and American ideals and, raw wartime patriotism aside, may explain why the poem and song became wildly popular when it was published less than two weeks after the failed attack on Fort McHenry on 7-8 September 1814, and only four days after Key's release on the 16th, and why it remained popular for more than a century before it became the national anthem.
The flag is more than just an identifier of our nation, it represents those principles and ideals that are sacred, that are worth paying the ultimate price for, and that have been paid for many times over. It represents everything that is good about what our country stands for. The flag is a promise of freedom; freedom to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom from oppression, whether religious, social or economic. The freedom to build a better life for yourself and your family. It is this promise that has brought people to the United States since its inception, and a promise to defend those freedoms wherever they are threatened.
I consider myself honored to be a representative of my nation and its flag, representing and defending the freedom and justice we all strive to stand for. Many Americans have paid the ultimate price to ensure my country's continued existence, I only hope that my actions and the way I live my life reflect well upon them and myself.
June 14, 1968's Flag Day fell on a Friday.I was about to graduate college, and enter the MBA program at NYU. I felt guilty at not serving in the military instead of going on to grad school. I and a group of friends decided to parade around college with the flag, and many joined us.The following Fall, I left NYU and enlisted in the Marine Corps.Below is a photo from the student newspaper of the beginning of our impromptu Flag Day parade and of a poem I later found in Leatherneck magazine, clipped and saved.
This morning, I, my son, and his friends who slept over last night went out in front of the house and raised the flag. Hold the Flag high, and pass it on.
