Monday, June 14, 2021

Flag Day

Today, 1777 - commemorating the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.

I have long loved the flag ... love to see it waving high in the wind with a bright blue sky holding it, in parades, and national events ... yes, it represents, for me, some of humanity's highest aspirations, and, I fear, some of the worst.

It's the flag of freedom for many, but for just as many, maybe more, it's the flag of oppression, a reminder of failed dreams and suffering.

It's a flag many of the world's poor long to see, and it's the symbol of those who would close our borders, build walls and fences, cages and jails.

In the hands of some, it's become a weapon, as in the Jan. 6 Insurrection, when flagpoles and the American Flag were used to beat police officers.

We have to constantly rescue the flag from those who would sully it with white nationalism and capitalist greed.

Because the flag, at its best, represents hope for a better future, from sea to shining sea.

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