Flag Day

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

No other topic gets be more nuts than stories I read about someone, somewhere, being deprived, banned or prohibited from flying the U.S. Flag. If I were Empress of the World, I would say to hell with every federal, state, county, city, township, homeowner’s association, school, ordinance, rule, provision, statute, or regulation that deprives, bans or prohibits anyone the right to display, carry or wear the U.S. Flag.

I am absolutely sick and tired of reading stories like those of a woman who wasn’t able to bring an American Flag to a planned Kiwanis Club meeting at an Olive Garden because it would be disruptive to the dining experience. Or when a hotel worker in Florida was fired because he wouldn’t remove a U.S. Flag pin from his lapel. Or when 13-year old Cody Alicea was told by his school that he couldn’t have an American Flag on his bicycle.

The latest story I read was about 75-year old Dawn Paulus of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, who lives in public housing who was told to remove three small American Flags she displayed on her balcony. According to Ms. Paulus, “he told me that I can’t have the Flags because of the Nazi flags. If I hung the American Flag up and someone hung a Nazi flag up they couldn’t tell them to take the Nazi flag down and still let me fly the American Flag.”

I say, “why the hell not”?

The American Flag is a symbol of our country. The Nazi Flag — or any other special interest Flag — is not. There is no special interest attached to the American Flag. It is a symbol of the freedom and liberties enjoyed by us all. The Nazi flag, the rainbow flag, individual states’ flag or any other flag are not.

A Vietnam vet who commented on the Paulus story said, “as a Vietnam Veteran I take a real offense when something like this hits the news. I am sure all Vets feel the same way. If we can’t fly our Flag without a problem then why did we fight in the wars if not to protect our rights as Americans.”

The Great Salt Lake couldn’t contain the amount of blood, sweat and tears that have been shed over the centuries by our men and women to establish and preserve our liberties and freedoms. Yet, does anyone even think about what exactly our Flag represents? How many hundreds of thousands of men and women have fought and died since the Revolutionary War? Countless. And what for?

There is either a complete disconnect, an apathy or indifference to what it all means or we’ve become a bunch of politically correct wussies without the guts to stand up to those who are somehow offended by our Flag? If you’re offended by the American Flag, then leave.

The Flag is a symbol under which we ALL live, not just a few of us. Not just the vast majority of us who enjoy and appreciate our lives in this magnificent country and what the Flag represents. But for even those who choose to deface this symbol of freedom — that right, by the way, ironically derived from the liberties the Flag represents.

To the school official who doesn’t want to rock the boat because there are some students who might be offended and wants to quiet racial tensions, “man up!” To those racially-tensed students, “I have no idea what your problem is but if you don’t like this country, you have the freedom to go elsewhere! Good riddance and don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

To the restaurateur who doesn’t want to disrupt dinner service, “put on your big girl panties and deal with it!”

To the Phillipsburg Housing Authority which doesn’t want to take a stand even though the United States government is probably subsidizing your project, “tell your tenants that no flags, other than the U.S. Flag, can be flown on the balconies or displayed in the apartment windows. End of story.”

And if any of you aren’t man enough to do it, move over, because I’ll be happy to … when I’m Empress of the World.

I don’t get it. Period.

Author Bio:

For over twenty years, Leona has tried to heed her husband’s advice, “you don’t have to say everything you think.” She’s failed miserably. Licensed to practice law in California and Washington, she works exclusively in the area of child abuse and neglect. She considers herself a news junkie and writes about people and events on her website, “I Don’t Get It,” which she describes as the “musings of an almost 60-year old conservative woman on political, social and cultural life in America.” It’s not her intention to offend anyone who “gets it.” She just doesn’t. Originally from Brooklyn, and later Los Angeles, she now lives with her husband, Michael, on a beautiful island in the Pacific Northwest, which she describes as a bastion of liberalism.
Author website: http://www.idontgetit.us

Irishintellguy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73_wd91qk50
Pasquale1234

I hope you get to be Empress soon or it might be too late.
http://shawmut.blogspot.com/ Dave O’Connor

Pedestrian, as I am found to be, there’s nothing that makes me feel more noble than when I put on my US Flag lapel button, or suspend my US Flag outside my bowfront third floor window (Waiting for the Boston based UN forces to serve me with an ultimatum to furl-up.).
(Hey, did you see the US Flag on the front page of the paper, even corner or across the top on June 14th? Neither did I.)
Now, I don’t find that particularly over-doing anything. It’s how I feel. The only person I seek to impress is me; glad to find it in me.
It’s no more than that little ole soul, minding her own virtues; who hung the Stars and Stripes out the window. (I think of her as I do the same- both in occupied territory, I guess.)
Confronting her spirit, the commander of troops ordered a stand-down of rifles, when he heard from her:

“Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, But spare your country’s flag,” she said.

“A shade of sadness, a blush of shame,” would not even register in today’s ‘Chic and elite’; their leaders, esteemed in the “Alpine Club” of social climbers, would be aiming ridicule, boycotting; and (how very un-secular), ’shunning’.
My necks not red, my nick-name is “Schultzi” not Bubba. I retired my pistols to the BPD as they’d be a target for burglary, more than anything else. Yet, my lapel pin and the “Ensign” suspended from my window- Kinda makes my day – each one of them.
SouBelle

I croche alot and am quite good at it. I couldn’t wait to find a good pattern for the American flag. It took two weeks to make but made me feel so proud to have croched such a masterpiece. Kinda felt like Betsy Ross. I with you, Leona. If anyone calls himself an American cannot respect the US flag, they just need to GO!!!!!!!
Ron F

We hear about flags not being able to be flown because it is the exception to the rule. Most of us can fly our flags whenever we want to. If you want to fly a flag in your condiminium, read the CC&Rs before you buy a condominium in a place where the CC&Rs don’t allow it. If the American flag is the symbol of freedom and liberty, why would you have a rule that only the American flag can be flown and not any others. What about the freedom and liberty to fly other flags. Frankly, if freedom and liberty is important to you, don’t buy houses or condominiiums that subject you to the rules of a homeowners’ association or a local government that micro manages. I am not sure the problem is caused by progressives or liberals. The city in Southern California with the most laws regulating home ownership has one of the most conservative voting records and has one of the highest percentages of Republican voters.
- ph16
  
  Maybe, but perhaps I think there comes a point when there are so many exceptions that it becomes a rule of its own.
Nancye

I put my flag outside early this morning as soon as I got up. I live in a condo, and although I haven’t ridden around all the units to see who has put flags out, and who hasn’t, I had to run an errand, and pass a number of units and NO ONE but me has put out a flag.

Shame on them. If I was told by the “powers that be” in the Condo Assoc. that I couldn’t put my flag out, I’ll tell them where to go!!!
Roger Ward

Political Correctness run amok.
Michael

It’s a result of multi-culturalism and a tolerance for disrespect of all things noble and good about American culture and Western civilization. You can thank American “progressives” for most of it.