Sunday, June 14, 2020

Flag Day: A Time for Rededication


Happy Flag Day! 

Yes, the symbol of our nation is celebrated today with its own special commemoration. 

The flag and the issues swirling around respect for the flag have been in the news for years now and I am encouraged that our flag remains big enough and confident enough to fly high and free. 

My Neighbor's Flag
Elkridge, MD
June 14, 2020
This year National Flag Week runs from June 14-20. It is an entire week to celebrate the flag and the republic it represents.

But, we must not use the flag to try to cover up or hide the the pain and suffering that is occurring in our nation. Our flag flies because it strong enough to recognize we are not perfect as a country. It waves because out of our imperfection we strive to become better.

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag reads:

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Our flag must not be used as a symbol of oppression, but instead as a symbol of freedom, justice, and equality. Until the words of the Pledge, "with liberty and justice for all," are fully implemented we must continuously strive to make our country and the flag it represents, better. 

Our flag is the flag for all Americans, not just the privileged. When one group of Americans experiences injustice or discrimination--we must all feel their pain and work correct the injustice. 

The Flag is the flag of the immigrants, some of whom passed by the Statue of Liberty as they arrived in New York Harbor, but however they arrived the words of the poem are still true: 

Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Our Flag represents the Republic founded upon the ideals contained in the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We must rededicate ourselves to the ideals envisioned in the our founding documents and make them a reality for everyone who calls themselves an American.




-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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